WEBVTT 00:04.240 --> 00:07.020 and through the 140,000 leaflets that 00:07.020 --> 00:09.131 have already been delivered um , into 00:09.131 --> 00:12.000 the airspace and into the locations 00:12.000 --> 00:14.420 within Libya are passing that same 00:14.420 --> 00:16.850 message come away from such military 00:16.850 --> 00:19.150 equipment and go back to your base is 00:19.150 --> 00:22.760 in your homes , on your 00:22.760 --> 00:26.290 question about defections . We've all 00:26.290 --> 00:29.310 seen information from open sources , as 00:29.320 --> 00:31.870 you probably have . As you know , we 00:31.870 --> 00:33.981 don't have any boots on the ground to 00:33.981 --> 00:37.020 confirm any such reports . But if they 00:37.020 --> 00:40.150 are true , they would prove once again 00:40.340 --> 00:43.360 that the Gaddafi regime is isolated and 00:43.360 --> 00:45.680 that people around Colonel Gaddafi 00:45.680 --> 00:48.160 realized that there is no future in the 00:48.160 --> 00:52.010 regime and that it is now time 00:52.070 --> 00:54.660 to let the people of Libya decide on 00:54.660 --> 00:58.050 their future . Wall Street Journal 01:02.540 --> 01:04.540 Stephen Fidler from the Wall Street 01:04.540 --> 01:06.762 Journal from your earlier answers about 01:06.762 --> 01:10.180 the , about the targets . Uh should we , 01:10.190 --> 01:13.570 should we conclude that attacking 01:13.570 --> 01:16.130 infrastructure targets would not , at 01:16.130 --> 01:17.770 the moment fulfill the legal 01:17.770 --> 01:20.500 requirements that NATO has for 01:20.500 --> 01:23.740 determining what target should be . If 01:23.740 --> 01:26.060 that's the case , what would need to 01:26.070 --> 01:28.180 happen to change those legal 01:28.180 --> 01:30.291 requirements , Would there need to be 01:30.291 --> 01:34.040 another un resolution to do that ? 01:34.040 --> 01:36.540 Or could that be done by internal 01:36.540 --> 01:40.060 decisions within NATO NATO 01:40.640 --> 01:43.910 Stephen , it's quite clear the United 01:43.910 --> 01:46.021 Nations resolution that we're working 01:46.021 --> 01:47.966 to , we're working on an embargo . 01:47.966 --> 01:49.980 We're working on a no fly zone and 01:49.980 --> 01:51.758 we're working on protecting the 01:51.758 --> 01:53.647 civilian population . That is the 01:53.647 --> 01:55.702 criteria at the operational level to 01:55.702 --> 01:57.758 which the commander is working to um 01:57.758 --> 01:59.980 anything outside of that . And if there 01:59.980 --> 02:02.147 was to be any changing direction would 02:02.147 --> 02:04.258 come from the NATO headquarters . But 02:04.258 --> 02:06.258 at the moment , operationally it is 02:06.258 --> 02:08.480 quite clear exactly what our mission is 02:08.480 --> 02:10.424 and the commander will continue to 02:10.840 --> 02:12.951 continue with that mission until told 02:12.951 --> 02:15.062 otherwise from higher command . Wanna 02:15.062 --> 02:17.700 do you want to add anything to that uh 02:17.710 --> 02:21.100 intervening ? Cutting you off ? What I 02:21.100 --> 02:23.390 want to say is that obviously we're not 02:23.390 --> 02:25.223 going to go into a discussion on 02:25.223 --> 02:27.670 semantics here . But as you have seen 02:27.670 --> 02:30.790 from our operational updates , we have 02:30.800 --> 02:34.100 been consistently striking military 02:34.110 --> 02:36.221 targets including command and control 02:36.221 --> 02:38.680 centers and bunkers and ammunition 02:38.680 --> 02:41.690 sites . We will continue to keep up the 02:41.690 --> 02:44.250 pressure until the military goals have 02:44.260 --> 02:47.880 been met and we will continue to review 02:47.880 --> 02:51.670 operations in light of the situation 02:51.680 --> 02:54.820 on the ground . Until now , there has 02:54.820 --> 02:58.760 been no discussion in the 02:58.760 --> 03:02.180 North atlantic council About the rules 03:02.180 --> 03:04.960 of engagement . The rules of engagement 03:04.970 --> 03:08.290 have been agreed by consensus by all 28 03:08.300 --> 03:10.940 allies . Yeah , yeah , 03:13.240 --> 03:16.190 it's wanna it's not really a semantic 03:16.190 --> 03:19.690 discussion . David Richards 03:19.690 --> 03:22.830 says military targets is not enough . 03:22.840 --> 03:24.840 You need to go for infrastructure , 03:24.840 --> 03:26.729 basically . What we're asking you 03:26.729 --> 03:28.896 you're saying that you're only hitting 03:28.896 --> 03:28.730 military targets basically what we're 03:28.730 --> 03:31.180 asking is is infrastructure a military 03:31.180 --> 03:34.500 target or is it beyond the scope of the 03:34.500 --> 03:36.880 current mission as defined by the rules 03:36.880 --> 03:38.880 of engagement ? It's not a semantic 03:38.880 --> 03:42.790 argument . Well , we're not going to go 03:42.790 --> 03:44.290 into operational details , 03:51.640 --> 03:54.360 love ft 03:56.340 --> 03:59.640 uh still in that same line of questions 03:59.650 --> 04:02.510 earlier , when commander , you said 04:02.510 --> 04:05.260 that you define command and control 04:05.260 --> 04:07.482 center where the planning and execution 04:07.482 --> 04:09.482 of an operation is put together and 04:09.482 --> 04:11.704 then passed on to forces in the field . 04:11.704 --> 04:14.260 So could that mean that libyan regime , 04:14.260 --> 04:16.093 generals or colonels are putting 04:16.093 --> 04:18.316 together plans inside a school building 04:18.316 --> 04:20.430 or Interior Ministry building . Would 04:20.430 --> 04:22.541 that be considered then a command and 04:22.541 --> 04:24.597 Control center and then a legitimate 04:24.597 --> 04:25.597 target ? 04:28.940 --> 04:31.120 If we identify , thank you that it's a 04:31.120 --> 04:33.287 good question . If we were to identify 04:33.287 --> 04:35.342 a commander control target , uh , we 04:35.342 --> 04:37.870 would um , rationalize that within our 04:37.870 --> 04:40.290 rules of engagement . And if it was 04:40.290 --> 04:42.123 considered that we could deliver 04:42.123 --> 04:45.370 precision weapons with minimal or no 04:45.380 --> 04:48.590 casualties . Um , and it was a clear 04:48.590 --> 04:50.646 command control target , that target 04:50.646 --> 04:53.260 would be taken . If there was any doubt , 04:53.640 --> 04:55.807 then that target would not be taken at 04:55.807 --> 04:57.862 that time . And when the appropriate 04:57.862 --> 05:00.029 time came , we would take the target . 05:04.040 --> 05:06.340 And obviously , as we said before , 05:06.340 --> 05:08.770 obviously , as we said before , what 05:08.770 --> 05:11.530 matters is the effect on the ground . 05:11.540 --> 05:14.360 You are seeing that NATO is keeping up 05:14.370 --> 05:17.100 the pressure . You do see the effect on 05:17.100 --> 05:19.140 the ground and we will keep up the 05:19.150 --> 05:21.970 pressure until the military goals set 05:21.980 --> 05:24.760 by NATO allies and partners have been 05:24.760 --> 05:25.160 met 05:31.840 --> 05:35.320 FD Deutschland . So sorry . Just to 05:35.320 --> 05:37.598 clarify the Command and Control center , 05:37.598 --> 05:39.709 it's not important . You know , let's 05:39.709 --> 05:41.709 say with technical installations or 05:41.709 --> 05:43.890 whatever are inside but what what 05:43.890 --> 05:47.830 matters is who is inside this so called 05:47.830 --> 05:50.052 command and Control center , it doesn't 05:50.052 --> 05:51.997 have anything to do with technical 05:51.997 --> 05:54.219 installations . These people could meet 05:54.219 --> 05:56.274 each other at any time and attending 05:56.274 --> 05:58.108 her desert or whatever it's just 05:58.108 --> 06:01.950 important who meets no the activity , 06:02.420 --> 06:06.390 the planning and delivery of attacks 06:06.400 --> 06:08.660 on to the civilian population by a 06:08.660 --> 06:10.771 Command and Control center would make 06:10.771 --> 06:12.870 it legitimate . Commander control 06:13.080 --> 06:15.570 target the people . As we've said 06:15.580 --> 06:17.691 before . It's not about individuals , 06:17.691 --> 06:19.980 it's about the activity that's being 06:19.990 --> 06:22.560 conducted and if that is delivering 06:22.570 --> 06:25.250 armament onto civilians , that would 06:25.250 --> 06:27.060 make it a legitimate target . 06:32.540 --> 06:35.250 And obviously , as we have said since 06:35.250 --> 06:37.970 the start of the operation , as in all 06:37.970 --> 06:41.380 NATO operation , uh , we are 06:41.390 --> 06:44.280 conducting this mission with great care 06:44.290 --> 06:47.560 and precision to avoid any civilian 06:47.570 --> 06:50.970 casualties . Very much unlike the 06:50.970 --> 06:53.650 strategy pursued by the Gaddafi regime 06:53.660 --> 06:56.000 which now stands accused of crimes 06:56.010 --> 06:59.300 against humanity . I will go to Naples 06:59.300 --> 07:01.630 mike if there are any questions at your 07:01.630 --> 07:01.990 end , 07:16.440 --> 07:18.496 there are no questions from Naples . 07:18.496 --> 07:20.496 Just checking whether there are any 07:20.496 --> 07:22.662 questions , checking whether there are 07:22.662 --> 07:25.110 any questions , bit of an echo . There 07:25.120 --> 07:27.520 wanna there are no questions here in 07:27.520 --> 07:30.480 Naples . Good . So we'll come back here . 07:30.480 --> 07:34.100 I think we have one more over there . 07:34.650 --> 07:37.570 Yes . Jagoda Belgian news agency . Is 07:37.570 --> 07:40.900 there no NATO representation in 07:40.900 --> 07:43.350 Benghazi ? Okay , 07:49.140 --> 07:52.780 stuff . Is there no NATO representation 07:52.780 --> 07:54.760 in Benghazi already or not ? 07:58.940 --> 08:01.060 Okay , I heard . Is there no NATO 08:01.060 --> 08:04.060 representation in Benghazi ? Um from an 08:04.060 --> 08:06.116 operational perspective , it's quite 08:06.116 --> 08:08.680 clear we do not have boots on the 08:08.680 --> 08:11.580 ground as it's called or forces on the 08:11.580 --> 08:15.490 ground in Libya . Um , we have a 08:15.490 --> 08:17.657 clear direction as to what our mandate 08:17.657 --> 08:20.710 is beyond that at a diplomatic level . 08:20.720 --> 08:22.850 Um , you wanna do . You want to add 08:22.850 --> 08:26.570 anything ? We we all 08:26.570 --> 08:30.020 know that there are several allies 08:30.030 --> 08:32.150 and other nations that have 08:32.160 --> 08:35.820 representation on the ground , but NATO 08:35.830 --> 08:38.870 has no representation in Benghazi at 08:38.870 --> 08:39.870 this stage . 08:43.040 --> 08:46.530 Any other questions , if not , thank 08:46.530 --> 08:48.670 you very much , mike , and thank you 08:48.670 --> 08:50.760 very much to everybody who's come to 08:50.760 --> 08:52.950 the briefing . Mhm .