France, Brits take charge on Libya. Obama waffles, dithers. Hillary says America should NOT lead.

March 10th, 2011 | Author: Posted by Ben Hart

FRANCE 24: In a major diplomatic victory for the Libyan opposition, France has become the first country to formally recognise Libya’s rebel leadership, pledging to exchange ambassadors between Paris and the Libyan opposition stronghold of Benghazi.

France became the first country to formally recognize the Libyan opposition – the Interim Transitional National Council – as legitimate representatives of the Libyan people on Thursday, pledging to exchange ambassadors with the country’s newly created transitional council in a major diplomatic victory for the Libyan opposition.

Hillary says U.S. should wait for World to lead on Libya

So, then, why have a Secretary of State?

REUTERS: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Thursday she plans to meet representatives of Libya’s opposition groups but warned against unilateral U.S. action over the crisis, saying it could have unintended consequences.

Clinton met Tripoli’s former ambassador to Washington, who has joined a growing number of Liyban diplomats who have denounced leader Muammar Gaddafi, and said she would meet more opposition figures during a trip next week to France, Egypt and Tunisia. [ID:nN10127137]

“We are in direct contact with members of the opposition, here in the United States, in Libya, in other countries, and we are working with them to determine what assistance they are actually able to use,” Clinton told reporters after meeting Chile’s foreign minister.

While saying she recognized the urgency of the situation, Clinton said calls for a quick U.S.-led military response to the crisis were premature — underscoring that a no-fly zone and any other moves would require international support.

“Absent international authorization, the United States acting alone would be stepping into a situation whose consequences are unforeseeable,” Clinton told a congressional hearing, stressing that NATO and the United Nations should take the lead in planning the next steps.