NATO RESIST CALLS OFF FRENCE AND ENGLAND FROM LIBA

Participants at an informal Nato Foreign Ministers Meet in Berlin April 14, 2011. 

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the Nato ministers meeting in Berlin that it was vital for Nato to maintain “resolve and unity” against Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi but gave no hint Washington was prepared to re-engage in ground strikes.
As they met, a spokesman for the anti-Qadhafi rebels besieged in the western city of Misrata warned of an impending government “massacre” unless Nato intervened more decisively.
The rebels said 23 civilians were killed in a rocket attack on a residential zone near Misrata port on Thursday.
U.S. officials, briefing on condition of anonymity, appeared to brush aside French and British complaints about the pace of air strikes, saying Nato commanders had not sought more resources.
Spain said it had no plan to join the seven Nato states that have been involved in ground strikes, while Italy, the former colonial power in Libya, said it would need to hear convincing arguments for it to do so.
“As far as Nato is concerned, we have the forces that we need,” one US official said, as the Nato ministers discussed the air campaign with Arab countries and other states that have joined the Nato-led effort in Libya.

We are committed to provide all necessary resources and maximum operational flexibility within our mandate. A high operational tempo against legitimate targets will be maintained," he told a news conference at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers.
NATO would exert pressure for as long as necessary and until the forces of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi halted attacks on civilians and withdrew to bases, he said.