Istanbul: Turkey on Monday reiterated its
opposition to NATO intervention in Libya, warning it would
trigger dangerous consequences.
"Military intervention by NATO in Libya or any other
country would be totally counter-productive," the Anatolia
news agency quoted Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as
saying during an address here at an international forum.
"In addition to being counter-productive, such an
operation could have dangerous consequences."
Turkey, a NATO member, has made it clear that the
28-member military alliance can intervene only when one of its
members is attacked.
President Abdullah Gul on Monday echoed Erdogan`s
view, saying: "A direct NATO intervention in Libya is out of
the question."
"The people, government and opposition in Libya do not
want a foreign force in the country," Anatolia quoted Gul as
saying.
The president added that an intervention would require
a UN resolution "within the framework of international
legitimacy."
During a visit to Germany late last month, Erdogan
said a NATO intervention in Libya would be "unthinkable" and
"absurd".
He also raised strong objections to imposing sanctions
on Libya, saying innocent people would suffer and accusing
world powers of making "calculations" over oil.
NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen meanwhile said early
this month that the alliance did not intend to intervene in
oil-rich Libya but was planning for "all eventualities".
He has insisted that the UN Security Council would
have to approve any military action in Libya, including the
enforcement of a no-fly zone.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation appeared
divided meanwhile on the usefulness of such a measure as well
as the idea -- attributed to French President Nicolas Sarkozy
-- to launch air strikes in Libya.
The organisation decided to reinforce its naval
presence in an area near Libya, and assess the humanitarian
aid that the United Nations could request.
The no fly-zone issue is to figure prominently as a
two-day ministerial session of G8 powers gets under way in
Paris.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Russian Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov and their counterparts from Britain,
Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan are taking part.
PTI
