Washington – Officials: U.S. Ready With Military Action Against Libya By Next Week

Washington – The Obama administration was readying plans to enforce a no-fly zone in Libya with the help of Arab countries, officials said Thursday as the United Nations Security Council voted to authorize the move.

These officials, who spoke after a closed-door briefing in Congress, said they expected the attempt to ground Moammar Gadhafi’s air force could begin by Sunday or Monday. The effort likely would involve jet fighters, bombers and surveillance aircraft.

One official said Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates were among possible participants, in a showing designed to demonstrate that the effort to shield rebels trying to bring down Gadhafi had support from other countries in the region.

These officials spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to speak publicly on any steps the administration might take.

The Security Council voted 10-0 Thursday evening to impose a no-fly zone over Libya and authorize “all necessary measures” to protect civilians from attacks by Gadhafi’s forces. Five nations abstained on the vote, including Russia and China.

The president has been buffeted by criticism for not moving more aggressively to help the rebels trying to topple Gadhafi, long counted as among the world’s most ruthless dictators.

Initially rocked by the revolt, the regime has recently regained lost territory and set its sights on Benghazi, the last rebel stronghold.

William Burns, undersecretary of state for political affairs, said Gadhafi’s forces “have made significant strides on the ground over the course of the last 24, 48 hours … taking full advantage of their overwhelming military.”

The disclosures came as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said in Tunisia that a no-fly zone would include “certain actions taken to protect the planes and the pilots, including bombing targets like the Libyan defense systems.”

The details of any military action were unclear, and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz told Congress in public testimony it would take as much as a week to impose a no-fly zone over Libya.

“It would undoubtedly require resources in Europe as well as those that are based in the U.S. I would like to say, however, that for me the question is not can we do it, but should we, and if so, how,” he told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

In addition to testifying in public, Burns went into more detail in a closed-door session.

Talking to reporters afterward, lawmakers spoke only vaguely about what they had heard.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said he was “very impressed with the Arab League stepping forward. I think that is a first of — first, it’s a first. And we’re working with them as we speak, and others, to find out the right approach to this.”

The Arab League, based in Cairo, called earlier this week for a no-fly zone to ground Gadhafi’s air force.

Other lawmakers hinted that a change in the administration’s approach might be coming.

“If they (the rebels) can hold out another week, that may be the time necessary for the international community” to respond,” Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill, told reporters a few steps off the Senate floor.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said he believes President Barack Obama has authority to commit U.S. forces to participate in the no-fly zone without congressional approval.

But he said he hopes Congress will bless the move once it takes place.

Sen. Dick Lugar, R-Ind., the senior Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, had a different view.

“If the Obama administration decides to impose a no-fly zone or take other significant military action in Libya, I believe it should first seek a congressional debate on a declaration of war.”