President Barack Obama is briefed on the situation in Libya during a secure conference call with National Security Advisor Tom Donilon, right, Chief of Staff Bill Daley, left, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Secretary of Defense Bob Gates, AFRICOM Commander General Carter Ham, and Deputy National Security Advisor Denis McDonough, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, March 20, 2011. UPI/Pete Souza/White House |
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"There will no longer be a coalition of the willing and a NATO one, but only an international coalition led by NATO," an alliance source told ANSA.
NATO already is carrying out a naval blockade to enforce an arms embargo on Libya, and Thursday the two countries that imposed a no-fly zone -- the United States and Britain -- decided to transfer control of that operation as well.
Italy had threatened to pull its air bases out of the conflict unless NATO took command.
The move was opposed by France and Turkey, which argued NATO, already engaged in Afghanistan, should not get involved in another Muslim country.