“I would first like to know how the countries in the region and the Arab League see it before we in Europe once more form our own definitive opinion before everyone else,” Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle told reporters.
Berlin is taking a more cautious stance than France’s Nicolas Sarkozy, who said before a summit on Libya that the European Union should recognize the rebels. The French president wants defensive air strikes against Qaddafi’s forces if they use chemical weapons or warplanes on civilians.
Westerwelle was very cautious on the question of imposing a no-fly zone over Libya.
“A no-fly zone is not putting up a traffic sign, but intervening with bombs, rockets, weapons,” he said. “If it doesn’t work, do we go further, with land forces?“
