NATO: Libya mission will be to protect, not arm

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen: "We are there to protect civilians ... and that will be our focus." STORY HIGHLIGHTSNEW: NATO is expected to control no-fly zone by end of the day MondayNATO's secretary general says NATO's goal is to protect civilians"We are not in Libya to arm people, but to protect people," he saidNATO is taking the lead in enforcing the U.N. resolution Tune in to CNN tonight at 7 ET for live coverage of President Obama's speech on Libya . Then at 8 and 9 p.m., get expert analysis on "In the Arena" and "Piers Morgan Tonight" -- only on CNN.

Brussels, Belgium (CNN) -- NATO's secretary general ruled out arming Libyan rebels Monday as the alliance continued to take over command and control of the entire Libyan mission.

The first NATO sorties to maintain the no-fly zone over Libya flew on Sunday, NATO officials said. The alliance is expected to be in complete command of the no-fly zone by the end of the day Monday.

The mission of protecting civilians is expected to be under full NATO control by the end of the week, they said.

By taking control of the full mission, NATO will allow the United States to step out of its lead role and more into a supporting one as requested by the Obama administration.

In an interview with CNN here at NATO headquarters, Anders Fogh Rasmussen said, "The U.N. mandate authorizes the enforcement of an arms embargo," and that NATO has decided to participate. "We are not in Libya to arm people, but to protect people," he said.

View the Original article

Posted in: Libya,mission,NATO:,protect