The Sydney Morning Herald
Obama set to define goals in Libya
By Simon Mann
BARACK Obama will look to blunt the attacks of political opponents over his Libya strategy in a televised address to Americans this week in which he is expected to define more clearly Washington's war goals.
But in what shaped as a preview of his remarks, the President said on Saturday: ''We are succeeding … We have taken out Libya's air defences. [Colonel Muammar] Gaddafi's forces are no longer advancing across Libya.
''In places like Benghazi, a city of some 700,000 that Gaddafi threatened to show 'no mercy,' his forces have been pushed back.''
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With the US in the throes of transferring leadership of the operation to NATO, Mr Obama hailed the multi-nation effort as the proper approach to ''upholding peace and security'', with the world community sharing responsibility and the cost of the UN-backed mission.
''Our allies and partners are enforcing the no-fly zone over Libya and the arms embargo at sea,'' Mr Obama said in his weekly radio bulletin. ''Key Arab partners like Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have committed aircraft. And as agreed this week, responsibility for this operation is being transferred from the United States to our NATO allies and partners.'' The President, who has portrayed himself throughout his political career as anti-war and a reluctant warrior, has been savaged by Republicans and some liberal Democrats for having committed an already stretched military to a third campaign in the Middle East. Many have accused him of muddled logic, attacking Libya but not committing to rid the country of its dictator of 42 years.
But Mr Obama has sought to keep the UN-sanctioned goal of protecting Libya's citizens separate from his administration's stated long-term desire that Colonel Gaddafi should leave power. He has also sought to define the attacks on Libya as being in the interests of America's national security.
''Because we acted quickly, a humanitarian catastrophe has been avoided and the lives of countless civilians - innocent men, women and children - have been saved,'' he reassured Americans, without addressing the prospect of the Libyan leader surviving the uprising by armed rebels.
Mr Obama has ruled out sending in US troops.
''If [Gaddafi] stays, it's clearly a failure,'' a former Middle East diplomat, Edward Walker, told the Los Angeles Times. ''They can't let him hang on.''
Some members of Congress also argue that the White House failed to seek proper approval for the military action from Capitol Hill, a charge the administration rejects.
As part of White House efforts to keep Congress in the loop, Mr Obama hosted another hour-long meeting on Friday, joined by his national security team, top military brass and 20 members of Congress. Some joined in by phone.
''Following the briefing, the President answered multiple questions from the members of Congress,'' a White House statement read.
Mr Obama will address the nation at 10.30am tomorrow Melbourne time, needing to convince a good portion of the nation that the Libya intervention is justified.
Opinion polls suggest moderate approval: A Gallup poll last week put approval at 47 per cent versus 37 per cent disapproval (much lower support than for recent US campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan). Meanwhile, a CBS poll put support for Mr Obama's handling of the crisis at 50 per cent, compared with 29 per cent disapproval.
http://www.smh.com.au/world/obama-set-to-define-goals-in-libya-20110327-1cbwb.html
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