From Chinese Press

Can France handle responsibility of leading in Libya?

By Zhang Hongyu (peopledaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2011-03-25 13:51

French fighters fired the first shot during the Libyan air strikes on March 19, causing anxiety worldwide over the action. In taking the first step, France seemed intent on showing its leading role.

However, France's moment in the limelight was overshadowed by the coverage of a seemingly leaderless multinational force heading the current military action in Libya three days later. Deep discrepancies also appeared in the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) Summit held in Brussels on March 21, and many countries have called for NATO to replace France and take full command.

The Kosovo War, Afghanistan War and Iraq War were or are under the direction of NATO or the United States. The United States has repeatedly said that it will not play a leading role in any actions, while France explicitly rejected allowing NATO to be the fully in charge of military actions.

This caused the current situation where each country is adhering to its own codes for the current military intervention in Libya as shown through such campaigns as "Operation Harmattan" by France, "Operation Ellamy" by the United Kingdom and "Operation Odyssey Dawn" by the United States. European military analysts believe the United States never relinquished command to other countries, especially at the strategic level. Therefore, the current unusual phenomenon is intriguing.

Although France is bearing the enormous pressure from NATO member states, the French foreign minister Alain Juppe still stressed that if NATO leads the current military action, it will inevitably lead to the condemnation of the Arab countries and certain Arab countries may even withdraw from the multinational force.