The United States and European Nato allies rebuffed on Thursday French and British calls to contribute more actively to the air war in Libya despite fears of a military stalemate. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told Nato misnisters meeting in Berlin it was vital for the alliance to maintain "resolve and unity" against Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi. But she gave no indication that Washington was prepared to fully 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.
US officials, briefing on condition of anonymity, brushed 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 of the 28 Nato states that have been involved in ground strikes. 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, as far as the US is concerned, we have the forces that we need," a US official said, as Nato ministers discussed the air campaign with Arab states and others that have joined the Nato-led effort in Libya. "If the commanders feel they need more capability, they will ask for more capability there is not a demand from the commanders for more," the official said.
Nato Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told a news conference Nato ministers had committed to provide "all necessary resources" to the mission and to maintain "a high operational tempo against legitimate targets". He said Nato's supreme commander, US Admiral James Stavridis, was generally content with the forces at his disposal but needed "a few more precision ground attack aircraft".
Nato officials said he was not referring to low-flying A-10 "tankbuster" planes and AC-130 gunships which only the United States possesses, and which French officials have said could break the deadlock in the battle against Gaddafi. Rasmussen told a news briefing he had received no specific pledges for more aircraft in Berlin but "indications that give me hope". "And by nature, I'm an optimistic," he said.
French Defence Minister Gerard Longuet said this week Qadhafi's attacks would not be stopped without US participation in strikes on his tanks and artillery, which ceased after Nato took command of Libyan operations on March 31. A Nato official said on Wednesday the alliance was still short of about 10 aircraft a day to conduct air strikes. A French official named Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Sweden as countries that could do more to assist operations.
On Wednesday, the Pentagon said US warplanes had continued to strike Qadhafi's air defences after Nato took over Libya operations, but targeting his tanks and artillery is now key. US officials said the main focus on the Berlin talks would be to define precisely what the alliance was trying to achieve with the military campaign. A statement agreed by the ministers "strongly endorsed" a call for Qadhafi to leave power issued by the contact group on Libya that met in Doha on Wednesday and involves some 16 Western and Middle Eastern nations,
Rasmussen said Nato would exert pressure for as long as necessary until Qadhafi's forces halted attacks on civilians and withdrew to their bases. The statement demanded that they withdraw from all populated areas they have forcibly occupied, listing 12 towns across the country. US official said there was no consensus among the allies on whether to start arming the rebels, but he reiterated Obama's statement that he "hasn't ruled it out and hasn't ruled it in".