NATO plans to end Libya mission on 31 October

Brussels: NATO plans to end its seven-month air and sea mission in Libya on 31 October but will issue a formal decision next week after consulting the United Nations and Libya’s interim authorities, NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said. “We agreed that our operations are very close to completion and we have taken a preliminary decision to end Operation Unified Protector on 31 October,” Rasmussen said after long talks in Brussels yesterday with ambassadors of the 28-member alliance on when and how to wind up the campaign. “In the meantime, I will consult closely with the United Nations and the National Transitional Council,” the interim authority in Libya, he added. [caption id=“attachment_114455” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“NATO will continue to monitor the situation and retain the capacity to respond to threats to civilians. Reuters”]  [/caption] “I’m very proud of what we have achieved, together with our partners, including many from the region,” he said. NATO would continue to “monitor the situation and retain the capacity to respond to threats to civilians, if needed,” he added after the death of Muammar Gaddafi and the fall of his last strongholds. Asked to confirm that a NATO strike against Gaddafi’s convoy near Sirte on Thursday was unintentional, Rasmussen said the former Libyan leader had never been a target. He also said in response to a question that NATO had no knowledge on the whereabouts of Gaddafi’s son Saif al-Islam. Rasmussen urged the transitional authorities “to live up to respect of human rights, including full transparency.” AFP