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Press briefing on Libya by NATO Deputy Spokesperson Carmen Romero and Brig. Rob Weighill, Operations Director of Operation Unified Protector

NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

29 Apr. 2011

Press briefing on Libya

by NATO Deputy Spokesperson Carmen Romero and Brig. Rob Weighill, Operations Director of Operation Unified Protector

Welcome to NATO headquarters, and welcome to our colleagues and media joining us from Naples.

It is now a month since NATO took command of all military operations to protect civilians in Libya under UN mandate, and today Brigadier Weighill in Naples will give you an overview of what we have achieved in the most recent operations.

Before that, I will give you a short political update

This week, the NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has provided his first report to the Secretary General of the United Nations. The report, part of our co-ordination with the United Nations, makes clear that our campaign has stopped large scale attacks on civilians in Libya, and has allowed humanitarian missions access to the city of Misrata.

It is a very fluid situation on the ground but the actions of NATO forces have saved many, many lives and will continue to do so.

It is clear that there must be a political solution in Libya, but we are determined to keep up the military pressure until all attacks and threats of attack against civilians have ended; the regime has withdrawn all military and paramilitary forces to their basis; and full humanitarian access is guaranteed.

This is what Foreign Ministers agreed in Berlin. And this is what we will continue to do, for as long as it takes to achieve those goals.

NATO’s resolve to see this campaign through remains strong and our capabilities continue to grow. So NATO welcomes the additional capabilities provided by the United States and Italy recently.

NATO’s operations are part of the overall international effort.

Therefore, the NATO Secretary General looks forward to the upcoming meeting of the international Contact Group next Thursday in Rome, which will work towards a political solution.

Now I hand over to Brigadier Rob Weighill, the Operations Director for Unified Protector. Thank you Brigadier for being with us today. You have the floor.