MOSCOW, July 1 (UPI) -- Dmitry Rogozin, Russia's envoy to NATO, said Friday he believes the alliance is preparing for a ground invasion of Libya.
A U.N. Security Council resolution passed earlier this year authorized a no-fly zone over Libya to protect civilians from forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, the target of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.
Though U.N. Security Council Resolution 1973 authorized NATO forces to take "all necessary measures" to protect Libyan civilians, Resolution 1970 prohibits states from providing any kind of arms to Libyan opposition forces.
Paris is under fire for dropping light weapons in for rebels opposing Gadhafi's regime. The French government said the act was for self-defense, though CNN International reported Friday Paris is in talks with rebel forces about potential arms shipments.
Rogozin said Paris needed to "clarify" what it meant by self-defense, adding he expected NATO forces were preparing for a ground invasion of Libya.
"I think that now we are witnessing the preparation stage of a ground operation which NATO, or at least some of its members ... are ready to begin," he was quoted by Russia's state-run news agency RIA Novosti as saying.
France denied its shipments violated the U.N. mandate for Libya. London was criticized during the early stages of the Libyan operation for sending military liaisons to Libya to help rebel forces with logistical issues.
