US prepares for military intervention in Libya

US prepares for military intervention in Libya. March. 01, 2011 10:17. yhchoi65@donga.com esprit@donga.c.

The U.S. government has begun to seek military intervention in Libya to prevent further killings of civilians by the government of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.

The New York Times reported Monday that the Obama administration was seeking to impose a no-fly zone over Libya to prevent Gadhafi from using fighter jets to fire on anti-government demonstrators. Officials from the White House, the State Department and the Defense Department held talks Sunday with European and other allied governments on the no-fly zone.

A senior U.S. official said no decision on the no-fly zone had been made, however, expressing caution that any decision requires consultations with allies. Designating a no-fly zone over Libya requires further debate among the 15 nations of the U.N. Security Council.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon held talks with U.S. President Barack Obama Monday at the White House on the deteriorating situation in Libya.

Officials in Washington are also discussing whether the American military can disrupt communications in the North African country to prevent Gadhafi from broadcasting propaganda. In addition, the U.S. military could be used to set up a passage in neighboring Tunisia or Egypt to assist refugees.

Italy has decided to suspend its non-aggression treaty with Libya signed in August 2008. Foreign ministers of major Western countries held an emergency Human Rights Committee meeting in Geneva Sunday on the situation in Libya.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pledged any type of assistance for anti-government forces in Libya, a formal declaration that the U.S. will support a regime change in the North African country.