WEBVTT 00:00.340 --> 00:03.060 Good afternoon . Welcome to everybody 00:03.060 --> 00:05.960 here in brussels and also welcome to 00:05.960 --> 00:08.650 those joining us from Naples before I 00:08.650 --> 00:10.483 hand over to Wing Commander Mike 00:10.483 --> 00:13.000 bracken in Naples , for our operational 00:13.010 --> 00:15.121 update . I'd just like to give you an 00:15.121 --> 00:17.177 overview of what's happened over the 00:17.177 --> 00:19.730 past few days . Clearly , the main 00:19.740 --> 00:22.090 issue for NATO over the weekend and 00:22.090 --> 00:24.420 yesterday are the allegations of 00:24.420 --> 00:27.130 civilian casualties . Mike will provide 00:27.130 --> 00:29.510 more operational information . But it's 00:29.510 --> 00:31.732 important that we put those allegations 00:31.732 --> 00:34.920 in context of the NATO mission . Each 00:34.930 --> 00:37.460 and every civilian death is a tragedy . 00:38.040 --> 00:40.207 On sunday due to a technical failure , 00:40.207 --> 00:42.318 one of our weapons did not strike the 00:42.318 --> 00:44.530 intended military target , which was a 00:44.530 --> 00:47.290 missile site . We deeply regret this 00:47.290 --> 00:50.310 tragic accident . Speaking to the media 00:50.310 --> 00:52.199 yesterday , the Secretary General 00:52.199 --> 00:54.366 personally conveyed his condolences to 00:54.366 --> 00:56.532 the families of all those who may have 00:56.532 --> 00:58.699 been involved . And I would like to do 00:58.699 --> 01:01.100 that again today , where NATO believes 01:01.110 --> 01:03.540 we have caused civilian casualties . We 01:03.540 --> 01:06.580 will say so and we will do it as 01:06.580 --> 01:08.802 swiftly as we can establish the facts . 01:09.440 --> 01:11.730 The tragic accident in Tripoli is an 01:11.730 --> 01:13.830 exception . If you look at our track 01:13.830 --> 01:17.690 record after over 4000 strike sorties , 01:17.690 --> 01:20.000 you can see we have taken utmost care 01:20.000 --> 01:22.111 to avoid civilian casualties and will 01:22.111 --> 01:25.200 continue to do so . Our mission fully 01:25.200 --> 01:27.050 complies with the United Nations 01:27.050 --> 01:30.090 Security Council resolution 1973 and 01:30.090 --> 01:32.210 our mandate is to use all necessary 01:32.210 --> 01:35.660 means to prevent attacks and the threat 01:35.660 --> 01:37.510 of attack against civilians and 01:37.510 --> 01:40.100 civilian populated areas . We do not 01:40.110 --> 01:43.690 target specific individuals . Let's not 01:43.690 --> 01:45.801 lose sight of the fact that it is the 01:45.801 --> 01:48.080 Gaddafi regime which started this 01:48.080 --> 01:50.760 crisis . Not NATO , not the 01:50.760 --> 01:53.170 international community , it is the 01:53.170 --> 01:55.281 Gaddafi regime whose deliberately and 01:55.281 --> 01:57.460 indiscriminately attacking civilians . 01:57.940 --> 02:00.410 It is the Gaddafi regime who has been 02:00.420 --> 02:03.580 deliberately and indiscriminately using 02:03.580 --> 02:06.030 tanks , guns and artillery against 02:06.030 --> 02:09.960 cities like Misrata and Zintan . It is 02:09.960 --> 02:11.880 the Gaddafi regime that has been 02:11.890 --> 02:14.210 deliberately and indiscriminately 02:14.220 --> 02:17.070 firing rockets from mosques and citing 02:17.070 --> 02:19.650 bunkers next to Children's playgrounds . 02:20.940 --> 02:22.718 That is why we will keep up the 02:22.718 --> 02:24.440 pressure until our mission is 02:24.450 --> 02:27.410 accomplished because if we stop it will 02:27.410 --> 02:31.240 put countless small lives at risk and 02:31.240 --> 02:34.200 with that I'll hand over to Naples and 02:34.200 --> 02:36.256 wing Commander Mike bracken . Mike , 02:36.740 --> 02:38.796 thank you very much wanna . And good 02:38.796 --> 02:40.962 afternoon brussels , good afternoon to 02:40.962 --> 02:43.018 those who joined us here in Naples . 02:43.910 --> 02:46.060 Since friday looking east to west , 02:46.060 --> 02:48.116 across Libya , there has been little 02:48.116 --> 02:50.227 significant change in the operational 02:50.227 --> 02:52.282 situation where pro and anti Gaddafi 02:52.282 --> 02:55.520 forces are engaged in fighting in the 02:55.520 --> 02:58.010 east in Benghazi humanitarian aid is 02:58.010 --> 03:01.090 entering the city by air sea and land . 03:01.100 --> 03:03.360 Without any reported difficulties . 03:03.940 --> 03:06.162 There have been some skirmishes between 03:06.162 --> 03:08.218 brega and Ajdabiya . But there is no 03:08.218 --> 03:10.107 significant change in the overall 03:10.107 --> 03:11.996 picture , with pro Gadhafi forces 03:11.996 --> 03:14.510 occupying defensive positions in brega 03:14.710 --> 03:16.940 and the anti Gaddafi forces located in 03:16.950 --> 03:20.950 Ajdabiya in Misrata . Pro Gaddafi 03:20.950 --> 03:23.280 forces on sunday indiscriminately 03:23.280 --> 03:25.700 shelled civilian populated areas on the 03:25.700 --> 03:28.760 outskirts of the city , unexploded 03:28.760 --> 03:30.760 ordinance located in and around the 03:30.760 --> 03:33.560 city remains a major concern . But the 03:33.560 --> 03:35.504 residents are receiving continuous 03:35.504 --> 03:37.790 support from international and non 03:37.790 --> 03:40.890 government organizations . The port 03:40.900 --> 03:43.190 remains open and humanitarian and 03:43.190 --> 03:45.660 shipments are frequently arriving 03:47.740 --> 03:50.430 west of Misrata near Dafna . There is 03:50.430 --> 03:52.541 no significant change in the position 03:52.541 --> 03:54.550 of pro and anti Gaddafi forces 03:55.340 --> 03:57.910 skirmishes continue and we know that 03:57.910 --> 04:00.021 pro Gadhafi forces have been actively 04:00.021 --> 04:02.340 engaged in shelling the anti Gadhafi 04:02.340 --> 04:05.820 positions with regard to the western 04:05.820 --> 04:08.540 coastline . Again , there has been no 04:08.540 --> 04:10.540 significant change in the situation 04:10.840 --> 04:12.784 though . It appears that attempted 04:12.784 --> 04:15.040 uprisings by local residents in a 04:15.040 --> 04:17.680 Zozulia have been suppressed by the pro 04:17.680 --> 04:21.590 Gaddafi forces in the west and 04:21.590 --> 04:23.646 in the bourbon highlands . There has 04:23.646 --> 04:25.812 been fighting in and around the loot , 04:25.940 --> 04:28.162 but the anti Gaddafi forces are holding 04:28.162 --> 04:30.050 their position and taking ground 04:31.040 --> 04:33.207 overall . Pro Gadhafi forces have been 04:33.207 --> 04:35.207 pushed further into the mountains . 04:36.640 --> 04:38.910 Around 30 humanitarian assistance 04:38.910 --> 04:41.350 organizations are now operating in the 04:41.350 --> 04:43.690 Bourbon Highland Region , providing 04:43.690 --> 04:46.150 people with basic necessities such as 04:46.150 --> 04:49.410 food , water , shelter and medical 04:49.410 --> 04:52.970 supplies . This is an increase from 04:52.970 --> 04:55.680 virtually no humanitarian presence at 04:55.680 --> 04:57.640 the beginning of May and is a very 04:57.650 --> 05:01.500 encouraging sign in Tripoli . NATO 05:01.500 --> 05:03.722 continues to target command and control 05:03.722 --> 05:05.940 nodes and other sites involved in the 05:05.940 --> 05:08.480 coordination or logistical supply of 05:08.480 --> 05:11.200 pro Gaddafi forces which are actively 05:11.200 --> 05:13.880 engaged in threatening or harming the 05:13.880 --> 05:17.850 civilian population . Today , I would 05:17.850 --> 05:20.740 like to focus and clarify three 05:20.800 --> 05:23.160 separate incidents relating to NATO 05:23.160 --> 05:25.049 airstrikes conducted between last 05:25.049 --> 05:27.340 friday and the early hours of monday 05:27.340 --> 05:30.500 morning , I'd like to reiterate the 05:30.500 --> 05:32.556 facts of these three and as I said , 05:32.556 --> 05:34.780 separate events 05:36.040 --> 05:38.370 firstly , the strike on friday in the 05:38.370 --> 05:41.640 area of brega NATO can confirmed that 05:41.640 --> 05:44.660 on friday in the area of brega NATO hit 05:44.660 --> 05:46.920 a column of military vehicles , which 05:46.920 --> 05:49.170 was observed in the area where Gaddafi 05:49.170 --> 05:51.050 forces had recently been operating .