BBC News - Libya unrest: UK forces 'could be in action by Friday'
Libya unrest: UK forces 'could be in action by Friday'
UK forces could be in action over Libya as early as Friday, after the UN backed a no-fly zone and "all necessary measures" to protect civilians.
A senior UK government source has told the BBC action could take longer, but would be within days of the vote.
The resolution rules out a foreign occupation force in any part of Libya.
Foreign Secretary William Hague said the UK would "now respond" to the responsibility it placed on UN members.
He said the resolution authorised a no-fly zone over Libya and "all necessary measures" to protect the civilian population - including those in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi.
It also called for an immediate ceasefire, an end to the violence, measures to make it more difficult to bring foreign mercenaries into Libya and a tightening of sanctions.
Mr Hague said it was a "positive response to the call by the Arab League" for measures to protect Libyan civilians and was the culmination of "a great deal of hard work in the last few days" by France, the UK, Lebanon and the US.
"It is necessary to take these measures to avoid greater bloodshed," Mr Hague said.
"This places a responsibility on members of the United Nations and that is a responsibility to which the United Kingdom will now respond."
'No mercy'
Ten UN Security Council members backed the resolution while five abstained - nine votes were needed for it to pass.
Contingency planning in the UK, France and Nato has been going on for weeks, but will now be accelerated.
The UN resolution is so broad it allows military action against all threats to civilians - so could even involve bombing Col Gaddafi's forces on the ground if deemed necessary.
Britain could contribute Tornado GR4 ground attack aircraft as well as reconnaissance and early-warning aircraft and tankers for air-to-air refuelling.
The resolution means they could also attack Libyan helicopter gunships as well as Libya's fixed-wing aircraft, most of which are Soviet-era fighters as well as some more modern French Mirage F1s.
However, many of the crucial final details still need to be worked out between the nations contributing to the mission to ensure that all the necessary means are in place.
It comes as Libyan leader Col Gaddafi warns rebels in Benghazi his troops are coming and to expect "no mercy".
Senior UN sources said British and French war planes could be in the air within hours to carry out initial air raids on Libyan positions, possibly with logistical support from Arab allies.
A draft UN resolution tabled by the UK, France and Lebanon on Tuesday proposed a ban on all flights in Libya, authorised member states to enforce it and called on them to participate in it.
But on Thursday the US, which had been cool on the effectiveness of a no-fly zone, said the UN should go further and a new strongly worded draft resolution was put forward calling for "all necessary measures short of an occupation force" to protect civilians under threat of attack from the Gaddafi regime.
It would permit air strikes on Libyan ground troops or allow attacks on Libyan war ships if they were attacking civilians, the BBC's Barbara Plett at the UN said.
Five countries out of 15 on the Security Council abstained from the vote on the Libya resolution, including Russia and China, who traditionally oppose military intervention into other countries.
Downing St said Prime Minister David Cameron had called Arab, African and European leaders to "make the case for strong action" by the UN throughout Thursday.
Asked whether Paris wanted military intervention to follow immediately on approval of the UN resolution, Prime Minister Francois Fillon said: "Of course."
And Foreign Minister Alain Juppe, in New York to press the case, said the resolution "must be applied quickly" because of "the urgency on the ground".
"France is ready, along with others, to put in action the resolution," he said - citing the UK and Arab nations.
In response to warnings from Libya's defence ministry that any outside attack would trigger retaliation and destabilise the Mediterranean region, the Foreign Office said Britain would not be diverted from its objective.
Yet another case of the UK trying to punch above its weight in the international arena.What on earth has possessed Cameron to start sending already stretched UK forces on another potentially disastrous campaign????
