UN Envoy: Libyan Council Rejects Military ‘Observers’

Insists Rebels Don't Want Outside Forces on the Ground

According to a post-meeting press conference, UN envoy to Libya Ian Martin informed the UN Security Council that the rebels have rejected the deployment of military “observers” in the country.

“It’s very clear that the Libyans want to avoid any kind of military deployment of the UN or others,” Martin insisted, suggesting the leaked UN “plan” for Libya was likely to fall by the wayside, as it assumed rebel acquiescence.

The rebel position of today seems to be a dramatic change from just three weeks ago, when a leaked NATO plan including large international occupation forces not only came public but was endorsed by one of the rebels’ ambassadors.

It may reflect growing rebel confidence that the remnants of the Gadhafi forces no longer pose a significant threat to their control over the nation, or it may simply reflect an effort to negotiate better terms for those foreign forces. Time will tell.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.