From Chinese Press

Can France handle responsibility of leading in Libya?

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

Why does France strive to lead?

First, France declared shortly after the Libyan unrest surfaced that the Libyan opposition organization "Libyan National Council" is the only legitimate regime of the Libyan people. If France does not take the lead in carrying the war to the end, its interests in Libya will suffer tremendous losses.

Second, because it hold's this year's rotating presidency of the G8 and G20 countries, France is seeking to accomplish something in terms of international affairs. The Nicolas Sarkozy administration has properly addressed the pirate issue in the Gulf of Aden and mediated the clashes between Russia and Georgia. French media agencies believe that if President Sarkozy can succeed in saving the Libyan people, he will further enhance France's international status.

Third, the results of the first round of votes on March 20 during the provincial parliamentary elections were unfavorable to the ruling UMP party, which sounded a warning to the party. If France can dominate the Libyan war situation to develop in the direction as it wishes, the ruling party can rebuild the trust of the French people, which is crucial to next year's presidential elections.

Currently, many countries and international organizations such as the Arab League and the African Union (AU), as well as some members of NATO, have questioned and criticized the military actions in terms of attack targets, goals and justification. Some countries, such as Norway, have terminated their participation in the military operations.

Given the civilian casualties of the military operations, the U.N. Security Council will hold an emergency meeting to discuss all necessary measures to limit the ongoing military operations in the no-fly zone over Libya.

However, French public opinion tends to regard "a big move" as coming with "high risk." The "fist" has been slammed and the consequences are already out of France's control.