U.S., Britain, France vow to continue mission in Libya

Xinhua, April 15, 2011

Leaders of the United States, Britain and France are vowing to push ahead with their mission in Libya until the United Nations Security Council resolutions have been implemented and the Libyan people "can choose their own future."

U.S. President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy are showing their resolve in a joint op-ed article titled Libya's Pathway to Peace, which is scheduled to appear on the Friday edition of the International Herald Tribune, Le Figaro and Times of London.

"So long as (Libyan leader Muammar) Gaddafi is in power, NATO must maintain its operations so that civilians remain protected and the pressure on the regime builds, then a genuine transition from dictatorship to an inclusive constitutional process can really begin, led by a new generation of leaders," they write.

"Britain, France and the United States will not rest until the United Nations Security Council resolutions have been implemented and the Libyan people can choose their own future," the leaders add.

Arguing for the military mission in Libya by citing support and authorization from the Arab countries and UN Security Council, the trio claim that "tens of thousands of lives have been protected," yet the people of Libya "are still suffering terrible horrors at Gaddafi's hands each and every day."

They write: "His rockets and shells rained down on defenseless civilians in Ajdabiyah, the city of Misrata is enduring a medieval siege, as Gaddafi tries to strangle its population into submission. The evidence of disappearances and abuses grows daily."