Q&A: What the Libyan no-fly zone means

saltwn · #1 (**permalink**) 03-18-2011, 01:09 PM

If, as a news commentator suggested yesterday, this is a game of "chicken", then Godawful (Gadhafi

) just blinked. But here is what a no-fly zone means to us and to him:

What did the Security Council vote on?

Quote:

Acting under Chapter VII of the U.N. Charter, which provides for the use of force if needed, the Council adopted Resolution 1973 by 10 votes to zero, with five abstentions, authorizing member states "to take all necessary measures" to protect civilians and civilian populated areas under threat of attack ...while excluding an occupation force."

What does the resolution mean?

An U.N.-backed international force will enforce a no-fly zone over Libya which will effectively ground Libya's military aircraft. All flights -- except those for humanitarian purposes -- will be banned from Libyan airspace.

This force will also have the power to launch air strikes against Libyan ground forces -- from tanks, artillery and missiles to their communications and command and control infrastructure -- if they are considered to be a threat against the civilian population.

Who backed the Security Council vote?

Ten of the 15 council members, led by the U.S. and Britain and France, voted in favor of the no-fly zone.Q&A: What the Libyan no-fly zone means - CNN.com

from the WIKI:
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973, on the situation in Libya, was adopted on 17 March 2011. The resolution was proposed by France, Lebanon and the United Kingdom.

Ten Security Council members voted in the affirmative
Bosnia-Hercegovina
Colombia
France
Gabon
Lebanon
Nigeria
Portugal
South Africa
United Kingdom
United States

Five abstained:
Brazil
Germany
India
China
Russia

none opposed.

Quote:

Who will police the no-fly zone?

The U.S. and NATO partners have contingencies in place to act within hours, according to an administration official familiar with planning. President Barack Obama will insist on a major Arab role in any no-fly zone, the official said.

Cameron said Britain had started preparations to deploy aircraft, and "in the coming hours" they will move to air bases where they will be positioned for any "necessary action."

French government spokesman Francois Baroin said France plans to participate in what he described as "swift" efforts.

Meanwhile all 39 member states of European Air Traffic organization Eurocontrol, which includes the European Union's 27 nations as well as Russia, asked the agency to "ban all flights" flying over and heading to Libya, a spokeswoman said, in quotes carried by Agence France-Presse.
Eurocontrol also said Libya has closed its airspace to all traffic in response to the U.N. vote.

Will other Arab countries be involved?

The Arab League's U.N. ambassador, Yahya Mahmassani, said two Arab countries would take part in a no-fly zone operation, but he was not sure which two. The Arab League last week called for a no-fly zone following reports of Libyan air attacks on urban areas.

"Their involvement will be largely symbolic but extremely important," said Seener. "We're probably looking at involvement from Qatar, UAE and perhaps Saudi Arabia and Egypt."

Who will foot the bill for the fly-zone?

Participating countries will have to pay their own costs, said Seener. However he added that the U.S. would be doing most of the "heavy lifting" in terms its military contribution.

But with the U.S. and its NATO allies such as Britain heavily involved in Afghanistan, Seener said the issue of military intervention in Libya had been heavily politicized in some countries. "Some sections of press in the UK have said British forces are already over-committed and defense spending needs to be increased, while others say we can't engage in Libya because we're stretched and need to focus on Afghanistan."

He said the reality is Britain does have the capacity to commit to the campaign in Libya without compromising its role in Afghanistan.

PT Again · #2 (**permalink**) 03-18-2011, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saltwn

If, as a news commentator suggested yesterday, this is a game of "chicken", then Godawful (Gadhafi

) just blinked. But here is what a no-fly zone means to us and to him:

What did the Security Council vote on?

from the WIKI:
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973, on the situation in Libya, was adopted on 17 March 2011. The resolution was proposed by France, Lebanon and the United Kingdom.

Ten Security Council members voted in the affirmative
Bosnia-Hercegovina
Colombia
France
Gabon
Lebanon
Nigeria
Portugal
South Africa
United Kingdom
United States

Five abstained:
Brazil
Germany
India
China
Russia

none opposed.

Welcome to Obama'a War.......................A NFZ cannot be implimented without acts of agression against Libya................and all the sudden the left will be all for it..................3 wars to pay for.........

dabateman · #3 (**permalink**) 03-18-2011, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PT Again

Welcome to Obama'a War.......................A NFZ cannot be implimented without acts of agression against Libya................and all the sudden the left will be all for it..................3 wars to pay for.........

Obama's War? You are joking right? This is unfinished business from the Reagan administration... stuff the Gipper couldn't get done.

Mustang Man · #4 (**permalink**) 03-18-2011, 02:14 PM

It means that we get to waste money on ANOTHER war that we should not be involved in. This is what, the third one in ten years?

dabateman · #5 (**permalink**) 03-18-2011, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mustang Man

It means that we get to waste money on ANOTHER war that we should not be involved in. This is what, the third one in ten years?

Well fourth depending upon how you count it...

Mustang Man · #6 (**permalink**) 03-18-2011, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dabateman

Well fourth depending upon how you count it...

Iraq, Afghanistan and now Libya. Which was the 4th one?

dabateman · #7 (**permalink**) 03-18-2011, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mustang Man

Iraq, Afghanistan and now Libya. Which was the 4th one?

The over arching war on Terror which is larger than Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya, a war to which significant resources are deployed.

Mustang Man · #8 (**permalink**) 03-18-2011, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dabateman

The over arching war on Terror which is larger than Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya, a war to which significant resources are deployed.

I agree in general. I think if we can identify a specific threat, we should eliminate it with a minimum of forces and time. Not assign entire armies to find small groups of terrorists.

Even better, we offer a reward for the head of (fill in the blank__________). $100 million would be far less than we are spending now. And I am sure there are plenty of radicals out there who would turn in their own mother's for far less.

saltwn · #9 (**permalink**) 03-18-2011, 03:19 PM

This video serves as a pretty decent update for the last 8 days or so previous to the UN resolution:

YouTube - "Just Tell Them You Fly You Die!" Senator John McCain On No-Fly Zone In Libya

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