Libya: Canada to send fighter jets for no-fly zone

[Turborama]

Source: BBC

March 18 2011 Last updated at 02:29 GMT

The Canadian government will despatch six fighter jets to enforce the UN-backed no-fly zone over Libya, Canadian media have reported.

The decision in Ottawa could see aircraft departing as soon as Friday.

The CF-18 planes will be supported by as many as 200 Canadian military personnel, the Globe and Mail newspaper reported.

The move comes after the UN Security Council on Thursday backed a no-fly zone over Libya to protect civilians.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12781682

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The full 8 pages of the resolution: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x677397

[PDJane]

1. and thank you, Stephen Harper.

[applegrove]

2. There is an election in the air and Harper wants to come across as the 'strong father'.

[think]

3. I'm not a fan of military action but this situation

merits it. I have no problem with Canada volunteering to help.

does not anyone remember the "coalition of the willing"?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coalition_of_the_willing

[provis99]

4. Qadffi has all but won.

What's the point of a no-fly zone now that he's got ground artillery pointed at Benghazi? He's won. All a no-fly Zone will do is piss off the winners of the war.

[WheelWalker]

5. I think whatever happens,

he will be collateral damage. Checkmate.

[Turborama]

6. You should read the full resolution. There's a lot more in it than just a NFZ

It's all here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x677397

[think]

7. Thank you so much for that link

so much going on it's nice to get straight to the information sometimes...

[quakerboy]

9. I think they were dragging their feet

as long as there seemed to be hope the rebels might pull it off. Now that they are getting whupped, the big boys are stepping in.

[joshcryer]

10. Plus Benghazi is a city of about 800k people, 90%+ who are 100% anti-Gaddafi.

It would have been one nasty ass battle and thousands would've certainly died. They were not going to just bow down and let Benghazi fall like the other smaller cities.

[quakerboy]

11. That might play in to it somewhere

But I am cynical enough to believe that that was probably not a prime concern of the real players in all of this.

[joshcryer]

12. Given that the Arab League initated it and given that the rev's asked for it for 2 weeks...

...I think it's safe to say it was implemented because the world saw that Benghazi was about to be razed.

Maybe nothing would've happened and Gaddafi would've given everyone roses and loved and hugged everyone and asked for forgiveness for killing thousands of people.

But given his behavior for the 28 days before that it's kinda hard to make that leap. Therefore action was necessary.

[bigworld]

13. And - if we we're going to befriend Bengazi, Al Qaeda certainly would have.

This is the situation, I think, that the Security Council was trying to avoid.

[JDPriestly]

8. Is that the same Canada in which agents provocateurs were caught

with incriminating boots at a demonstration a few years ago?

Wonder why they are suddenly so self-righteous about free speech rights for Libyans?

I am happy that the world is reacting to the abuses in Canada. But this intervention is quite a switch from some past conduct by the same countries and I'm wondering why the change?

[Spider Jerusalem]

14. Denmark as well:

11.48am: Lars Eriksen, an ex-Guardian colleague in Copehagen, emails to tell us that Denmark is planning to send seven aircraft (six F16s and one transport carrier) to be stationed at bases in southern Europe in preparation for any action against Libya.
(From the Guardian liveblog)

[Baclava]

15. How do you say 'Go Canada!" in French?

Or is that Quebeccer talk

[Bragi]

16. Allez Canada! /nt

[Baclava]

17. Thanks!! n/t