BRUSSELS, March 25 (UPI) -- Two Arab nations, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, have joined the coalition enforcing a no-fly zone in Libya, officials said.
The U.A.E.'s decision to contribute 12 aircraft is "evidence of the real and tangible Arab role" in enforcing the no-fly zone, British Defense Secretary Liam Fox said in a BBC report Friday.
NATO, following discussions in Brussels, agreed to take command of enforcing the no-fly zone over Libya from the United States, the BBC said.
"Last night's decisions by NATO and by the U.A.E. demonstrate the strength and breadth of the coalition involved in protecting the people of Libya," Fox said.
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The Guardian said four Qatari fighter jets would join allied forces off the Libyan coastline this weekend.
Fox said British jets fired missiles at Libyan armored vehicles that were "threatening the civilian population of Ajdabiya."
"Britain and her international partners remain engaged in operations to support United Nations Security Resolution 1973, to enforce the established no-fly zone and to ready the U.K.'s contribution to the NATO arms embargo of Libya," Fox said.
U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev spoke by telephone Thursday about the Libyan crisis and a range of issues, including a missile defense shield over Europe that Russia opposes.
In a statement from the White House, Obama "expressed his appreciation for Russia's support for the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 and subsequent positive statements that President Medvedev has made regarding the resolution's mandate."
Obama will deliver an address Monday on the situation in Libya, the White House announced Friday.
The president's speech at the National Defense University in Washington is intended to "update the American people on the situation in Libya, including the actions we've taken with allies and partners to protect the Libyan people from the brutality of Moammar Qaddafi, the transition to NATO command and control, and our policy going forward," the White House said in a news release. The speech is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EDT.
