Russia warns over new U.N. resolution on Libya

[Bosonic]

Source: Reuters

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Tuesday it will not support any United Nations Security Council resolutions on Libya which could escalate the conflict in the North African nation, local news agencies reported.

"If a resolution leads to a further escalation of a civil war by any means, including outside intervention, we will not be able to support this," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency.

Russia, a veto-wielding permanent U.N. Security Council member, abstained last month from the vote on a resolution authorizing force to protect civilians in Libya by enforcing a no-fly zone.

Read more: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/russia-warns-over-u-n-resolution-libya-081150233.html

[dipsydoodle]

1. As was expected.

Good.

[Igel]

4. It won't matter.

They can do anything necessary to protect Libyan civilians.

Presumably that involves anything done to dispose of Gaddhafi. Or anything done to safeguard Libyan borders. Or Libya's economic viability. If the rebel movement takes a turn for the worse and NATO thinks that civilians are at risk, deposing the non-Gaddhafi government and installing another one could be considered necessary to protect civilians.

Something like a full-scale invasion force (not an occupation force, mind you) with intensive air bombardment of Tripoli and massive sea embargo could be judged, by some, as "necessary." The word's badly defined, if at all.

The lack of definition is all the loophole that's needed for those of bad faith to drive entire armies through. After all, we've seen how it works: They had a weapons embargo, said it was a weapons embargo, and when it became expedient to decide that the UN resolution was a "living document" able to grow and adapt and expand in any way it could be pruned and trained to do so it was found that it wasn't really a weapons embargo at all. It was permission to send weapons.

Lawyers.

[pampango]

2. UN R2P intervention only happens where and how the UNSC approves.

If Russia (or any other veto-wielding country) wants no escalation, there should be none.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

3. Good. I hope they stop all escalation.

"No-Fly Zone" my ass.

We're being led, step by step, into another quagmire.

If "we" win, if Qaddafi leaves or dies, we'll be stuck in another expensive adventure of "nation building".

We should either stick with enforcing the no-fly zone as a zone where no flying is done, or get out. Holding the rebels' hands and doing their fighting for them will not help in the long term.

[TheLastMohican]

5. I am so glad

President Obama won that Nobel piss prize.....

NOT