Lankan Ranger
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Nato takes over Libya no-fly zone
Nato has agreed to take command of enforcing the no-fly zone over Libya from the US.
But Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen made clear that other aspects of the operation would remain in the hands of the current coalition for now.
Nato has been locked in dispute about whether to take charge of the mission to enforce a UN resolution.
It is believed there are differences of opinion whether attacks on ground troops should form part of the action.
Coalition raids on Libya are meanwhile continuing for a sixth consecutive night.
Mr Rasmussen has insisted there is no split on the military handover, saying Nato is still considering whether to take on the "broader responsibility".
The handover of the no-fly mission could come as early as this weekend.
Mr Rasmussen said all Nato members had agreed to the move, including Turkey, which had expressed doubts over strikes on a fellow Muslim country.
"The fact is that in Nato we take all decisions by consensus and the decision we are taking today to enforce a no fly zone is also taken by a consensus which means that all 28 allies support that decision," he told the BBC.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton welcomed Nato's decision to take command of the no-fly zone operation.
The US initially agreed to lead enforcement of the UN resolution, but made clear it wanted only a limited role and would hand over responsibility as soon as possible.
But the handover to Nato became bogged down when Turkey made clear its view that action should focus directly on enforcing the no-fly zone and arms embargo, rather than allowing any continuing strikes against ground forces.
The resolution authorises the international community to use "all necessary means" to protect Libyan civilians, but the phrase has become open to different interpretations.
Further discussions are being held about command of action beyond strictly enforcing the no-fly zone.
Nato ambassadors are now said to be discussing a plan which would see Nato in charge of all military aspects of the action against Libya, says the BBC's Matthew Price in Brussels.
The entire operation would be overseen by a council of ambassadors and ministers from Nato countries, and importantly, Arab states which support the action, our correspondent understands.
But it is not clear what power such a council would have and whether it could veto particular military missions, our correspondent adds.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the UN-mandated military operation was proving effective in protecting civilians, telling the BBC and that he believed it would prevail over Col Gaddafi's forces.
"It has deterred further aggression of military campaign by Libyan authorities and it was able to protect the civilians in Benghazi and some other areas," he said. "But we'll have to see. I believe that the superiority of the military power will prevail."
BBC News - Libya: Nato to take command of Libya no-fly zone
Nato has agreed to take command of enforcing the no-fly zone over Libya from the US.
But Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen made clear that other aspects of the operation would remain in the hands of the current coalition for now.
Nato has been locked in dispute about whether to take charge of the mission to enforce a UN resolution.
It is believed there are differences of opinion whether attacks on ground troops should form part of the action.
Coalition raids on Libya are meanwhile continuing for a sixth consecutive night.
Mr Rasmussen has insisted there is no split on the military handover, saying Nato is still considering whether to take on the "broader responsibility".
The handover of the no-fly mission could come as early as this weekend.
Mr Rasmussen said all Nato members had agreed to the move, including Turkey, which had expressed doubts over strikes on a fellow Muslim country.
"The fact is that in Nato we take all decisions by consensus and the decision we are taking today to enforce a no fly zone is also taken by a consensus which means that all 28 allies support that decision," he told the BBC.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton welcomed Nato's decision to take command of the no-fly zone operation.
The US initially agreed to lead enforcement of the UN resolution, but made clear it wanted only a limited role and would hand over responsibility as soon as possible.
But the handover to Nato became bogged down when Turkey made clear its view that action should focus directly on enforcing the no-fly zone and arms embargo, rather than allowing any continuing strikes against ground forces.
The resolution authorises the international community to use "all necessary means" to protect Libyan civilians, but the phrase has become open to different interpretations.
Further discussions are being held about command of action beyond strictly enforcing the no-fly zone.
Nato ambassadors are now said to be discussing a plan which would see Nato in charge of all military aspects of the action against Libya, says the BBC's Matthew Price in Brussels.
The entire operation would be overseen by a council of ambassadors and ministers from Nato countries, and importantly, Arab states which support the action, our correspondent understands.
But it is not clear what power such a council would have and whether it could veto particular military missions, our correspondent adds.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the UN-mandated military operation was proving effective in protecting civilians, telling the BBC and that he believed it would prevail over Col Gaddafi's forces.
"It has deterred further aggression of military campaign by Libyan authorities and it was able to protect the civilians in Benghazi and some other areas," he said. "But we'll have to see. I believe that the superiority of the military power will prevail."
BBC News - Libya: Nato to take command of Libya no-fly zone
