Military

NATO says Libya actions in line with Security Council resolution

RIA Novosti

16:23 04/07/2011 SOCHI, July 4 (RIA Novosti) - NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the Western military alliance's operation in Libya is being carried out in line with the UN Security Council's Resolution 1973.

"Everything NATO does ... is in full compliance with the UN mandate," Rasmussen said after a Russia-NATO Council session in Russia's resort city of Sochi.

He added that the military alliance is not going to interfere in the future political life of Libya, saying that "it is for the Libyan people to shape the future of their country. The mission we [NATO] are conducting aims at meeting very specific military objectives."

Libya has been rocked by fighting between pro- and anti-government forces since mid-February. The international military operation began on March 19 following a UN resolution and was extended until late September.

UN Security Council Resolution 1970, passed in February, prohibited states from providing any kind of arms to Libya. Resolution 1973, passed a month later, authorized countries "to take all necessary measures" to help protect Libyan civilians.