NATO has no intention of interfering in the conflict in Syria, the NATO general secretary, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, says, noting that the Syrian conflict is very different from the Libyan conflict, Interfax reports. "We have no plans for intervention in Syria, because this case is very different from the situation in Libya," he said during a debate at the Brussels Forum.
"I am very sorry that the international community has failed to give a stronger signal to the Syrian leadership because of disagreements in the UN Security Council. In the case of Libya, we had a UN mandate and broad support in the region," the NATO general secretary recalled. He disagreed with some of the forum's participants, who believe that the alliance, having conducted a military operation in Libya, had then left the country to the mercy of fate, in a state of chaos.
"We had a UN mandate to protect Libyan civilians from attacks by the regime of Gaddafi. Responsibility for post-conflict restoration of Libya is on the United Nations. As for NATO, we are ready to help Libya in building the armed forces and defense, if the country's new authorities will ask for it," Anders Fogh Rasmussen said.
