Russia and China have called for a ceasefire in Libya. Now
South Africa and India have joined in the outrage over the scale of
the attacks
Britain and
France are facing a rising torrent of international criticism over
military intervention in Libya, with Russia and China leading calls for an
immediate ceasefire. Just as a majority of Britons distrusts their
government's motives, according to a new YouGov poll, many, if not
most, countries around the world also view the action as risky,
self-interested, and duplicitous.
The fragile consensus on intervention achieved last week, when the
UN security council approved "all measures necessary" to protect
Libyan civilians against Muammar Gaddafi's forces, has shattered in
the wake of large-scale US, British and French ground and air
attacks. The attacks were widely seen internationally as
disproportionate, careless of civilian lives, and extending beyond
the agreed plan to impose a defensive no-fly zone.
The criticism is coming not only from leaders with a traditionally
anti-western outlook, such as Russia's Vladimir Putin, who accused
the allies of launching a new "crusade" against the Arab world.
Leading developing countries such as India have deplored the
escalation in fighting as likely to make matters worse, while a
growing number of African leaders are highly critical of perceived
western disregard for national sovereignty.
The international uproar will form the backdrop to a UN security
council meeting in New York on Thursday which is due to review
implementation of UN resolution 1973. Last week's decision cannot
be reversed without another full vote. But Russia, China and
non-permanent council members including South Africa and Brazil –
from the so-called Brics bloc of countries – are expected to
express strong reservations about how the UN mandate has been
interpreted and executed...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/23/libya-ceasefire-consensus-russia-china-india
