Russia and China Lead Opposition to Air Assault on Libya

[dkf]

Opposition to the Western air assault on Libya has come from a variety of quarters with Russia and China expressing regret and the African Union calling for it to end.

Both China and Russia abstained when the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution on Thursday which authorized "all necessary means" to protect Libyan civilians and enforce a ceasefire.

Pope Benedict issued a statement on Sunday that urged military and political leaders to consider the safety of Libyan citizens and ensure their access to humanitarian aid.

The AU's panel of five heads of state, after meeting in Nouakchott, Mauritania, called on the international community to show restraint.The panel  had planned to travel to Tripoli, the Libyan capital, on Sunday to meet with Libyan Leader Moammar Gadhafi. But the trip was canceled.

The African leaders have convened a meeting on Friday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, that includes representatives of the United Nations, the Arab League, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the AU to seek a solution to the Libyan crisis.

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/Russia-and-China-Lead-Opposition-to-Air-Assault-on-Libya----118324124.html

[Catherina]

1. Amr Moussa just called an emergency session of the Arab League over this

110 Tomahawk missiles launched from ships and armed fighter jets taking off from all over Europe were not their idea of a no-fly zone.

[dkf]

2. I have a feeling a lot of people who thought this was a good idea are going to regret calling in the

US military.

[malaise]

5. Yes indeed

They'll never leave.

[ixion]

3. so we "enforce a ceasefire" with cruise missles

gotta love the cosmologically-scaled hypocrisy in that.

[CJvR]

7. What ceasefire?

The only ceasefire worth anything is the one where Gaddafi is unable to shoot anymore, then the Libyans can grab and hang him!

[piedmont]

8. How would you enforce it then? nt

[Hosnon]

4. Nothing but political lip service. Either could have vetoed. nt.

[Codeine]

6. No they aren't.

Had they been leading the opposition they'd have vetoed it in the Security Council. They're just talking out of their asses.

[SolutionisSolidarity]

9. Hot air and crocodile tears from a pair of states that already gave their appoval to invasion.

They can play pretend all they want. Both had their chance to stop this and did nothing; they just don't want their hands dirtied.