European powers and NATO are facing an impasse on how best to end the stalemate in Libya to ensure an early transition of power to the rebels fighting Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.

Amid closer media scrutiny of mounting costs of the conflict for Western alliance partner Britain, Prime Minister David Cameron and NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen held further talks on what increasingly appears to be a crunch time for the continuing military operation.

British navy head Adm. Mark Stanhope was quoted warning the government it could face "challenging decisions" if the Libya operation continued without a conclusive end.

Both British navy and air force were cited in reports of equipment shortages or difficulties with diverting logistical and military resources to Libya from other areas of their international operations.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague faced intense grilling from newscaster Jeremy Paxman over the running cost to Britain of the war on Libya. He declined to reveal the spending so far or projections for future operations.

British Chief of Defense Staff Gen. David Richards was quoted in warnings conveyed to Cameron that air attacks alone couldn't topple Gadhafi. Both the military and politicians are set against upgrading British operations in Libya to a full-scale land assault or a more intensive bombardment.

NATO bombers struck targets in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, amid reports that Gadhafi loyalists were moving positions closer to mosques and schools that -- so far -- have been designated off target for the alliance's attack aircraft.

Amid intense Arabic broadcasts and other media campaigns aimed at Libya, allied aircraft dropped leaflets urging Gadhafi forces to surrender. "There's no place to hide," read one Arabic-language leaflet dropped over Libya. "It's not too late to stop fighting. If you continue to threaten civilians, you will face destruction."

The concerted campaign came amid renewed calls by Gadhafi loyalists, led by the strongman's son, Saif al-Islam, to end the fighting and hold a "clean" election to decide the country's fate.

The rebels also want an election to take place but only after Gadhafi's regime falls, in contrast to al-Islam's call for an election to reinforce his father's mandate. He said an internationally supervised election will show "how popular Gadhafi still is in his country."

NATO officials have rejected outright the idea of an election as an immediate sequel to an undecided conflict.

The continuing aerial campaign in Libya is costing financially strapped Europe vast sums of taxpayer's money, though there's as yet no public accounting of what is being spent.

The inconclusive fighting is also not winning Europe friends in Africa, where South African President Jacob Zuma spoke out against the bombing campaign.

The various news blackouts imposed by Gadhafi, NATO and Libyan rebel forces close to the front lines have also raised concerns in the Arab world that innocent lives are being lost on both sides of the conflict and little is being reported about casualties, revenge attacks and crushing of communities caught in the middle.

Rebel forces in Misurata banned journalists from visiting front-line areas and evacuated civilians from outlying villages, triggering speculation that a major escalation of fighting could be in the offing. But the rebels have also criticized NATO for not doing enough to back up their ground campaigns or not coming to their aid in a timely manner.

Tweet

Related Links