Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa said Saturday the UN Security Council decision to impose a no-fly zone on Libya doesn’t warrant military action or occupation of Libyan lands.
Moussa expressed his personal, as well as the Arab League's, support for the decision and said it aims to protect civilians.
Moussa said the decision was clear and does not violate Libyan sovereignity and that military forces will not invade Libya. The decision allows any means necessary to protect civillians from aerial bombardment, which is often code iin diplomatic language for military action.
Moussa said Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa's acceptance of the UN decision and the ceasefire are steps toward reaching that international goal. But Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi has called the UN decision an invalid intervention in internal affairs and his forces continue to advance on opposition-held towns.
Moussa stressed the necessity of making sure the ceasefire is carried out.
Moussa had earlier asserted that the decision did not support invasion.
He also said that any Arab country's participation in enforcing no-fly zone or any other action will be discussed because the Arab League decision to support the no-fly zone did not specify what steps would be taken.
The UN Security Council approved the no-fly zone on Thursday, but ruled against deploying ground forces. It also adopted an unusual step by approving all necessary measures to end Qadhafi's oppression of civilian protesters.
