A frustrated David Cameron was caught between a combative President Sarkozy and a reluctant European Union yesterday as international splits over a proposed Libyan no-fly zone were laid bare.
EU leaders rejected Mr Cameron’s pleas for support on military intervention, even though Mr Sarkozy dragged out the special summit in Brussels by more than two hours in search of backing for no-fly zones. Appeals for military intervention from envoys representing a Libyan rebel council were also ignored.
However, in a significant step towards recognising the legitimacy of the opposition forces, President Obama announced that he would appoint an American envoy to the rebels. “Across the board we are slowly tightening the noose on Gaddafi,” Mr Obama said.
Mr Cameron, clearly frustrated at the summit, said that sanctions were not enough. “Do we need to do more? Of course we do, because this man is brutalising his own people and we cannot stand by while that happens,” he said.
“Gaddafi is still on the rampage, waging war on his own people and at the moment there’s no sign of this ending. We simply don’t know how bad this could get or what horrors could be hidden in the Libyan desert.”
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The rebuff was a shock to the British delegation, which had expected to be able to quickly conclude the meeting that Mr Cameron and Mr Sarkozy had called. After the meeting the Prime Minister, showing irritation at the cumbersome nature of EU summits, said: “Sometimes progress can take some time when you are having 27 conversations around the table.”
Mr Sarkozy was also exasperated. “We cannot stand idly by and watch civilians being massacred,” he said. The French President had not helped his or Mr Cameron’s cause by arriving in Brussels claiming that the pair were ready to take military action if Colonel Gaddafi used chemical weapons or airstrikes against his people.
As anti-Gaddafi leaders pleaded for Western military intervention and Libyan aircraft bombed rebel positions outside the key oil town of Ras Lanuf, EU leaders urged caution.
At the EU summit Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, said that she was “fundamentally sceptical” about military action. Germany warned that the West risked being sucked into a ground war in north Africa if it began to intervene. “A no-fly zone is not putting up a traffic sign, but intervening with bombs, rockets, weapons,” said Guido Westerwelle, the German Foreign Minister. “If it doesn’t work, do we go further with land forces?”
Baroness Ashton of Upholland, the EU’s foreign affairs chief, was said to be cautious. “The risks are high for potential civilian casualties and potential collateral damage,” an EU diplomat close to her said.
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He said that an Arab League summit today was unlikely to reach a unified position, with Algeria and Syria expec-ted to oppose military intervention.
There were also doubts about how efficient a no-fly zone would be because the regime is using small aircraft and helicopters, which would be harder to target than fighter jets. A no-fly zone would also take at least three weeks to enforce, the diplomat said.
EU leaders also refused a call by Britain and France to have a reference to a no-fly zone in their final statement. Instead they agreed to express “concern about attacks against civilians, including from the air. In order to protect the civilian population member states will examine all necessary options, provided that there is a demonstrable need, a clear legal basis and support from the region.”
Mr Cameron was the first leader to talk publicly of the merits of a no-fly zone, and London and Paris are ready to push the issue at the UN Security Council if events become worse.
Former US President Bill Clinton has backed the call. “I wouldn’t do it if they hadn’t asked, but if the [insurgent] leaders are on television pleading for it, I think that we should do it,” he said.