Poland’s Minister of Defence Bogdan Klich has sent a clear message about the unfolding civil war in Libya, stating that “a NATO military intervention would be a mistake.”
Defence Minister Kilch (pictured right) communicated that both Prime Minister Tusk and President Komorowski were in agreement on this matter, and that this is Poland’s official standing on NATO military intervention in the country.
The remark comes as representatives of NATO and the EU are due to discuss the emergency today in Brussels.
The talks in Brussels are to address a number of key issues, including the creation of a no-fly zone in Libya to combat Gaddafi’s bombing raids, support for refugees fleeing the country and an embargo on arms to Gaddafi.
“Several possibilities are being considered, beginning with a naval blockade, which would preclude provisions to Gaddafi's regime in arms,” Klich said, adding that “we are also looking at the notion of support from NATO for an evacuation action, a matter which is of immediate importance for us.”
“We will also consider the most difficult option for us, namely, the option of enacting a ban on flights over Libya,” Minister Klich said.
Earlier NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen announced that the military alliance is not planning an armed intervention in Libya, although NATO forces are currently on standby should the need arise.
Rasmussen underlined that any intervention in Libya would be undertaken only after prior consultations with the UN’s Security Council.
Meanwhile, medics working for the insurgents in Libya claim that 400 people have been killed and 2,000 have been wounded in Eastern Libya since the conflict began last month. “Everybody sees that this humanitarian crisis is widening,” Klich admitted, adding that “NATO cannot stand idle.”
It has also been reported that the Libyan leader bombed an oil terminal today, in what some have cited as a prelude to a catastrophic scorched earth policy.
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