NATO Sec-Gen doesn’t foresee major Alliance role in Libya in futureOctober 28, 2011 - 09:43 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - NATO will end its Libya operations at the end of the month and does not expect to play a major role in the country in the post-conflict period, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Thursday, October 27. A decision by the UN Security Council on Thursday to cancel its mandate covering the seventh-month-old NATO military mission that led to the ouster of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, gave NATO firm ground to end its deployment, Rasmussen said. Ambassadors from the 28 NATO states will meet in Brussels on Friday to formalize a preliminary decision reached a week ago to end the mission on Oct. 31. "Tomorrow we will confirm and formalize that decision," Rasmussen said. Asked about any future role for NATO in Libya Rasmussen said: "I do not foresee a major NATO role in Libya in the post-conflict period. If requested we can assist the new Libyan government in the transformation to democracy, for instance with defense and security sector reform, but I wouldn't expect new tasks beyond that." The UN move came despite a request from Libya's interim government for the Security Council to wait for it to decide whether it wants NATO to help it secure its borders, Reuters reported. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Putin congratulates Pashinyan’s birthday Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on his birthday on June 1. Opposition motorcade en route to Gyumri for large rally A motorcade of protesters headed by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan is heading to the city of Gyumri. Ruling MPs, Foreign Minister talk Armenia-Azerbaijan processes MOs from the ruling Civil Contract party met with the Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in the Armenian parliament. Russia: Armenia’s frozen membership weakens CSTO position in Caucasus A Russian envoy said any step that could alienate the CSTO member states from each other is “deeply wrong”. |