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Press briefing on Libya by Oana Lungescu, the NATO Spokesperson and Colonel Roland Lavoie, Operation "Unified Protector" military spokesperson

NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

27 Sep. 2011

Press briefing on Libya

by Oana Lungescu, the NATO Spokesperson and Colonel Roland Lavoie, Operation ‘’Unified Protector’’ military spokesperson

Oana Lungescu (NATO Spokesperson): Welcome to all of you here, in Naples and following us on the Internet.

Before handing over to colonel Roland Lavoie in Naples, I’d just like to update you on some of the results of the Secretary General’s trip to the United Nations General Assembly last week.

In New York, the message was clear: a new day is dawning for Libya, and the international community is rallying around the new Libya. But our job under the mandate of the United Nations and in support of the Libyan people is not yet done.

The situation remains fluid – and while threats persists, NATO will continue to protect civilians together with our partners, under the mandate confirmed by the recent United Nations Security Council Resolution 2009. The mission will continue as long as it is necessary, but end as soon as possible.

At the Security Council meeting yesterday, Doctor Jibril, from the National Transitional Council, thanked NATO for its decision to continue operations for up to 90 days more. As you know, the technical rollover of Operation Unified Protector was taken last week by the North Atlantic Council with our partners. We also decided to keep the situation under regular review. And that means that the North Atlantic Council can terminate the operation at any time and as soon as possible, in coordination with the United Nations and the will and aspirations of the Libyan people.

We welcome the fact that some nations have reaffirmed their commitment to our mission. For example, Canada’s parliament just voted overwhelmingly to extend its contribution to protecting civilians in Libya. That followed the news last week that the Netherlands and Sweden will remain committed in the coming weeks and months too.

In New York, Secretary General Rasmussen also announced that the next NATO Summit will be held in Chicago on May 20 and 21, 2012. So you can put that in your planning diaries.

And with that, I’ll hand over to Roland in Naples.