Libya strikes fall within UN mandate: GCC official

The UAE and Qatar say they want to bring an end to bloodshed in Libya, but a top official says they will not commit to military action.

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ABU DHABI // A top Gulf official said the UAE and Qatar are part of an international coalition to bring an end to the bloodshed in Libya and protect civilians, but stopped short of saying the UAE would take part militarily.

Abdul Rahman al Atiyyah, the secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, also said there was no timeline to the Gulf's intervention in Bahrain to shore up the country's monarchy amid ongoing unrest there.

He said there were no plans to reconsider the presence of the pan-Gulf Peninsula Shield forces, which he said were not in Bahrain to "oppress" people in the kingdom.

Mr al Atiyyah defended the Gulf's intervention, likening it to NATO, and saying it was not equivalent to foreign occupation.

He also said the ongoing military strikes in Libya fall within the mandate granted by the security council.

Mr al Atiyyah was speaking on the sidelines of a conference in Abu Dhabi this morning.

kshaheen@thenational.ae