By Alex Barker in Brussels
Published: March 11 2011 22:58 | Last updated: March 11 2011 22:58David Cameron failed to win explicit European Union backing on the need to prepare for a no-fly zone over Libya, after a fraught summit in Brussels that exposed deep divisions over military intervention.
Speaking after an emergency meeting that he demanded with Nicolas Sarkozy, French president, the prime minister hailed achievements including a declaration denouncing the regime of Muammer Gaddafi and new sanctions freezing £12bn of Libyan assets.
The summit laid bare the difficulties Mr Cameron has faced in his attempts to galvanise the debate over possible action against Libya – an effort that has brought resistance from Washington, most EU leaders and British defence chiefs.
Mr Cameron denied being “frustrated” but issued a strong warning that Europe would be caught out unless it was ready for the worst. “Gaddafi is still on the rampage, waging war on his own people and at the moment there is no sign of this ending,” he said.
“Do we need to do more? Of course we do because this man is brutalising his own people and we cannot stand aside and let this happen.”
Raising the dangers of the Gaddafi regime returning to its role as a sponsor of world terrorism, Mr Cameron said: “If we don’t sort out the current problems, the risk is again of a failed pariah state festering on Europe’s border and threatening our security.”
The prime minister had joined forces with Mr Sarkozy ahead of the summit in an attempt to stiffen the resolve of other European leaders, writing a letter calling for urgent work on a “no-fly zone or other options against air attacks”.
Britain was placed in an awkward position after Mr Sarkozy unilaterally recognised Libyan opposition groups and called for the consideration of surgical air strikes – a position that outflanked Mr Cameron and infuriated other European leaders.
With other European capitals viewing Britain as firmly in the French camp, diplomats said Mr Cameron then found himself outnumbered in a tense summit discussion. “The British were not in a good place,” said one observer of the talks.
Mr Cameron’s team played down the failure to insert a reference to no-fly zones, arguing the concern about attacks against civilians “including from the air” and the need to examine “all necessary options” were consistent with the UK’s position.
After the summit Angela Merkel, German chancellor, underlined the deep differences in the meeting, saying she was “fundamentally sceptical” about military intervention.
Lady Ashton, EU foreign policy chief, intervened in the deliberations to reflect deep concerns within the bloc over the effectiveness and practical difficulty in imposing a no-fly zone.
Mr Cameron proposed measures to extend sanctions to cover investments and holdings owned by the Libyan Investment Authority, the country’s sovereign wealth fund, the Libyan central bank and three other financial institutions.
Speaking after an emergency meeting that he demanded with Nicolas Sarkozy, French president, the prime minister hailed achievements including a declaration denouncing the regime of Muammer Gaddafi and new sanctions freezing £12bn of Libyan assets.
However, Mr Cameron and Mr Sarkozy were rebuffed by Germany and others after spending six hours attempting to marshal diplomatic support for more forthright language backing specific military options to be considered.
The summit laid bare the difficulties Mr Cameron has faced in his attempts to galvanise the debate over possible action against Libya – an effort that has brought resistance from Washington, most EU leaders and British defence chiefs.
Mr Cameron denied being “frustrated” but issued a strong warning that Europe would be caught out unless it was ready for the worst. “Gaddafi is still on the rampage, waging war on his own people and at the moment there is no sign of this ending,” he said.
“Do we need to do more? Of course we do because this man is brutalising his own people and we cannot stand aside and let this happen.”
Raising the dangers of the Gaddafi regime returning to its role as a sponsor of world terrorism, Mr Cameron said: “If we don’t sort out the current problems, the risk is again of a failed pariah state festering on Europe’s border and threatening our security.”
The prime minister had joined forces with Mr Sarkozy ahead of the summit in an attempt to stiffen the resolve of other European leaders, writing a letter calling for urgent work on a “no-fly zone or other options against air attacks”.
Britain was placed in an awkward position after Mr Sarkozy unilaterally recognised Libyan opposition groups and called for the consideration of surgical air strikes – a position that outflanked Mr Cameron and infuriated other European leaders.
With other European capitals viewing Britain as firmly in the French camp, diplomats said Mr Cameron then found himself outnumbered in a tense summit discussion. “The British were not in a good place,” said one observer of the talks.
Mr Cameron’s team played down the failure to insert a reference to no-fly zones, arguing the concern about attacks against civilians “including from the air” and the need to examine “all necessary options” were consistent with the UK’s position.
After the summit Angela Merkel, German chancellor, underlined the deep differences in the meeting, saying she was “fundamentally sceptical” about military intervention.
Lady Ashton, EU foreign policy chief, intervened in the deliberations to reflect deep concerns within the bloc over the effectiveness and practical difficulty in imposing a no-fly zone.
Mr Cameron proposed measures to extend sanctions to cover investments and holdings owned by the Libyan Investment Authority, the country’s sovereign wealth fund, the Libyan central bank and three other financial institutions.
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