WH to Name Envoy to Libyan Opposition
ABC News reports:
President Obama announced Friday that he has “determined that it's appropriate for us to assign a representative whose specific job is to interact with the opposition” in Libya to “determine ways that we can further help them.”
The move, in light of the U.S. rejection of Moammar Gadhafi’s representatives as legitimate, can be interpreted as a de facto recognition of the Libyan opposition as the legitimate representatives of that country. Earlier this week, France announced it was formally making such a move.
The president noted that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would soon be meeting with representatives of the opposition “and so we're going to be in close consultation with them.”
The president said the moves the international community has taken means “we are slowly tightening the noose on Gadhafi. He is more and more isolated internationally, both through sanctions as well as an arms embargo.”
Speaking at a Friday afternoon press conference, the president noted that NATO will meet on Tuesday in Brussels to consider imposing a no-fly zone over the country. “We've been in discussions both Arab countries as well as African countries to gauge their support for such an action,” he said. A senior administration official tells ABC News there is increasing support for such a move among Arab and Gulf states.
The president said he was not rushing to military action in the region because of the risks both to U.S. military personnel, possible consequences, and politically the need to “maintain the strong international coalition that we have right now.”
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