© 2024
NPR for Northern Colorado
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

World Leaders Convene In Paris For Libya Summit

SCOTT SIMON, Host:

Eleanor, are you there?

ELEANOR BEARDSLEY: I sure am, Scott.

SIMON: And I gather President Sarkozy has indicated that French forces have already begun to move.

BEARDSLEY: Right. Well, he said that there several French planes conducting reconnaissance missions over Libya right now. He didn't go so far as to say ready, set, go, we're leaving now to conduct airstrikes, but he basically said: We have warned Libyan President Moammar Gadhafi to cease and desist, to pull back and stop attacking his citizens. And if he doesn't immediately, we are coming.

SIMON: From the reporting you've done over the past few days, what's your understanding of any kind of timetable we might expect, if that kind of retreat of Gadhafi forces does not occur?

BEARDSLEY: They talked about airports in Tripoli and in Gadhafi's hometown, and they talked about, you know, bombing troops that were going towards Benghazi, but now there's reports, as David Greene was saying, that troops are in Benghazi, so it will be harder to bomb a city. But the planes are standing by in bases all over the Mediterranean.

SIMON: So, let's understand. The object of attacks would not be just of air defense commands or communications of sites, but in fact would be troops of the Libyan government that we're trying to hold onto President Gadhafi.

BEARDSLEY: France has already broken all relations with Gadhafi. It's very clear now that people want - this is an end game, they want Gadhafi out. And so this, you know, these airstrikes are supposed to, you know, not to use a worn-out phrase, but it's shock and awe. They're going to be so huge. I mean, Gadhafi's military is nothing compared to the forces against it. This is supposed to convince the last people holding on supporting Gadhafi that it's not worth it, that nobody wants him in anymore, including Arab neighbors.

SIMON: OK. And very quickly, just in 15 seconds. The U.S. role might be harder to see at first but important. Won't it be, Eleanor?

BEARDSLEY: NPR's Eleanor Beardsley, at work for us today in Paris. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.