NATO announces agreement on enforcing no-fly zone over Libya
From Elise Labott and Paula Newton, CNN
NATO announces agreement on Libya
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: U.S. official says NATO agrees take on broader command, but details pending
- The deal means NATO will assume command of one part of the military mission
- NATO is still considering whether to also take command of the rest of the mission
- The agreement followed talks involving Britain, France, Turkey and the United States
(CNN) -- NATO agreed Thursday to take command of enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya and was considering taking control of the full U.N.-backed military mission, Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told CNN.
Rasmussen's announcement fell short of what U.S. President Barack Obama has sought, and it was unclear if concerns by Turkey and some other NATO allies over coalition airstrikes on Libyan ground forces would prevent NATO from agreeing to expand its command over the entire mission.
"What we have decided today is that NATO will enforce the no-fly zone," Rasmussen said in an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "We are considering whether NATO should take on overall responsibility. That decision has not been made yet."
Rasmussen said he expected NATO to take over full control of the no-fly-zone enforcement in a few days, and to decide on the issue of broader responsibility "within the coming days."
CNN's Jennifer Rizzo, Larry Shaughnessy, Tom Watkins and Tom Cohen contributed to this story.
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