Clinton heads on overseas tour dominated by Libya

WASHINGTON (Agencies)

United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was on her way to Europe and the Middle East
early Monday for a round of diplomacy focusing on the Libyan uprising and the new governments in Tunisia and Egypt. Clinton, representing an Obama administration wary of intervention, will meet in Paris with a Libyan opposition pleading for foreign military intervention to repel a counter-offensive by troops loyal to Muammar Gaddafi. On Monday Clinton will also directly hear French calls to “speed up” multilateral efforts for a no-fly zone over Libya aimed at grounding Gaddafi’s air power.

The chief U.S. diplomat will then travel to Cairo and Tunis, where she will become the highest-level U.S. official to visit since their presidents were toppled in mass pro-democracy protests.

During her stop in Paris on Monday and Tuesday, Clinton will join her counterparts from France, Russia, Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy and Japan to debate the no-fly zone and other ways to help the opposition in Libya.

Calls for a no-fly zone, which the opposition wants desperately, gained momentum after the Arab League supported the idea at crisis talks in Cairo on Saturday.

Libya’s national council

Her tour comes after Gaddafi’s forces recaptured several protesters-controlled towns, fueling fears his regime will crush the uprising despite U.S. and international calls for the Libyan leader to go.

Abdel Rahman Shalgam, Libya’s ambassador to the United Nations who has joined Gaddafi opponents, said in Washington that Clinton would meet in Paris on Monday with Mahmoud Jibril, from the opposition National Council.

Clinton met Ali Aujali, the Libyan ambassador to the United States who has also defected to the opposition, in Washington on Thursday, a Clinton aide told AFP.

The United States has agreed to name a special envoy to deal with the opposition, but has refrained from recognizing any particular leader or group as it struggles to understand the nebulous movement.

Jumping ahead of its U.S. ally and European partners, France has already recognized the National Council as the rightful representative of the opposition.

The Arab League followed suit on Saturday at a meeting in Cairo.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has called for targeted strikes if Gaddafi bombs his people, in contrast to the more cautious stance of President Barack Obama’s administration, which has repeatedly warned of intervention risks.

France has also joined Britain in drafting a U.N. Security Council resolution to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya, where US and NATO warplanes would ground Gaddafi’s airpower in order to protect civilians and the opposition.

No-fly zone in Libya

Hailing the Arab League’s support for a no-fly zone, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said in a statement Sunday that France was pushing to “speed up” multilateral efforts for such a zone.

But U.N. Security Council permanent members Russia and China have reservations about the draft resolution. Germany and Italy, which are not permanent members, have also taken a cautious line on any intervention.

Washington welcomed the Arab League call for a no-fly zone, but is not yet supporting the policy.

Clinton has said a no-fly zone plan will be presented to NATO on Tuesday.

Washington has already said it would soon send humanitarian aid teams to rebel-held areas of eastern Libya, but cautioned that the move should not be seen as military intervention.

Clinton is seeking to keep the momentum for democracy when she visits Egypt and Tunisia following the stepping down of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak in February and the toppling of Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January.

“We have an enormous stake in ensuring that Egypt and Tunisia provide models for the kind of democracy that we want to see,” Clinton told lawmakers last week as she warned about Iran’s bid for influence in the region.

During her Tuesday to Thursday trip to Cairo and Tunis, Clinton plans to meet the Egyptian and Tunisian people as well as their transitional leaders.

Clinton has called for aid to Egypt on top of the $150 million for economic and election assistance that she announced last month.

Clinton also wants $20 million dollars for Tunisia to “respond to some of their needs.”