Libya and the Middle East Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Sandra Osborne
Main Page: Sandra Osborne (Labour - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)Department Debates - View all Sandra Osborne's debates with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
(13 years, 2 months ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Mr Hague
It is not true that such facilities are necessary to implement a no-fly zone, because, in the case of Libya, ground bases are available and no nation has used an aircraft carrier for the recent evacuation of their citizens. The United Kingdom still has and will continue to have formidable military assets, including in air power. We are a part of the contingency planning for what might happen, but it would not be necessary to have an aircraft carrier to execute such a plan.
Sandra Osborne (Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock) (Lab)
In acknowledging the difficulty of deciding how best to protect the Libyan people, I wonder what discussions the Foreign Secretary had with our partners in view of the danger and the potentially counter-productive nature of the mission.
Mr Hague
We have discussions with our partners in NATO and in the European Union, and indeed more broadly in the Arab world, about this entire crisis, about the future of Libya and about the future of the entire region. Obviously, the mission into eastern Libya that we are describing was a United Kingdom-only mission, and not subject to discussion with other nations.