Washington on Monday sent mixed messages about its objectives in Libya, as US President Barack Obama said Muammar Qaddafi must go, but vowed US forces would stick to a narrower UN mandate.
“Our military action is in support of an international mandate from the Security Council that specifically focuses on the humanitarian threat posed by Colonel Qaddafi to his people,” Obama told a press conference in Chile.
The missile and air strikes launched at the weekend were “in support of UN Security Resolution 1973, that specifically talks about humanitarian efforts, and we are going to make sure that we stick to that mandate,” he said.
However, Obama stressed it was “US policy that Qaddafi needs to go” accusing the veteran leader of murdering civilians as he tries to quell an opposition uprising.
The US administration has come under pressure for not spelling out its war aims in Libya, even though Obama has insisted there will be no US boots on the ground.
Observers have fretted that the end-game has not been clearly defined and that the US military does not have the capacity to take on another potentially drawn-out war.
There has also been growing international criticism about the strikes launched by US, British and French forces on Libyan air defense systems as they seek to impose a no-fly zone on Qaddafi’s forces.
Late on Monday, Qaddafi’s Tripoli compound was rocked by blasts, state television said.
Senior US commander General Carter Ham said coalition forces were clearly focused on imposing the no-fly zone and protecting civilians, adding Qaddafi was not being targeted.
The top US military officer, Admiral Mike Mullen, said in a message on the social network Twitter, the objective of the mission in Libya “remains limited; prevent Qaddafi’s ability to harm his own people and enforce a no-fly zone.”
UN Security Council resolution 1973 allows for “all necessary means” to support the limited aim of protecting civilians.
British Prime Minister David Cameron has stressed there is no legal authority for regime change in Libya.
US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Libya would be “better off” without Qaddafi, adding “that is a matter for the Libyans themselves to decide.”
“But I think it is a mistake for us to set that as a goal of our military operation,” he told the Russian news agency Interfax.
The US says it is eager to hand over command of the mission as soon as possible. This could happen within days rather than weeks, Obama said on Monday, adding he believed NATO would play a role in coordinating the next phase of action.
“Our initial focus is taking out Libyan air defenses so that a no-fly zone can operate effectively and aircraft and pilots of the coalition are not threatened when they’re maintaining the no-fly zone,” Obama said. “The second aspect of this is making sure that the humanitarian aspects of the mission can be met.”
Obama also assured US lawmakers that the strikes on Qaddafi’s “lawless” regime were in the US national interest, amid some criticism that the US was moving outside of its purview.
“Left unaddressed, the growing instability in Libya could ignite wider instability in the Middle East, with dangerous consequences to the national security interests of the United States,” Obama said in a letter to Republican House Speaker John Boehner and senior Senator Daniel Inouye.
He vowed the US strikes on Libyan air defenses and military airfields “will be limited in their nature, duration, and scope.”
However, the administration left no doubt about the final goal, even if the methods for achieving it remain as yet undefined.
“We’re trying to convince Colonel Qaddafi and his regime, and his associates, that they need to step down from power,” State Department spokesman Mark Toner said. “That remains our ultimate goal here.”
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