Cameron and Obama discuss key role of Nato in Libya
The Prime Minister David Cameron spoke to President Obama last night to take stock of the situation in Libya.
The leaders were both satisfied that substantial progress has been made so far in implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1973, and that the international community’s action had helped save countless civilian lives in Benghazi.
They agreed that a lot of work remained to be done, and that avoiding civilian casualties remained paramount.
A spokesperon for the Prime Minister said:
The Prime Minister and the President also agreed that good progress had been made in Nato on command and control of military operations, that Nato should play a key role in the command structure going forward, and that these arrangements now needed to be finalised.
The Prime Minister and the President agreed to stay in close touch.
With discussions continuing as to who should take charge of the no-fly zone in Libya, David Cameron has argued for a Nato led operation. He told the House of Commons that the alliance had a “tried and tested machinery” for running such a complex multi-national mission.
David Cameron talked about the situation in Libya with the Saudi foreign minister Prince Saud al Faisal during a meeting at 10 Downing Street yesterday. The Saudi minister expressed strong support for the aims of the UN resolution and the steps being taken by the international community to enforce it.
Ahead of his discussion with President Obama, the Prime Minister also met General David Petraeus, Commander of the Nato International Security Assistance Force and US Forces Afghanistan.
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