CAIRO: The Arab League Saturday asked the UN Security Council to impose a no-fly zone on Libya, giving a regional seal of approval that NATO has said is vital for any military action. The League had already suspended Libya over its handling of an uprising against Muammar Gaddafi's rule and said his government's “serious crimes and great violations” against the people had “stripped it of legitimacy”. The pan-Arab body also formally announced it had opened contacts with the Libyan rebel movement based in Benghazi which has taken control of much of the east of the country during an uprising aiming to end Gaddafi's 41 years in power. “Dealing with it is recognizing it,” Secretary General Amr Moussa told a news conference. “The Arab League has officially asked the UN Security Council to impose a no-fly zone against any military action against the Libyan people,” he added. The League called for “safe areas” in areas that were facing bombardment. He did not say whether any of the Arab states, which had convened an emergency session, were ready to take part in the no-fly zone, which the League said should be lifted when the crisis is over. British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the Arab League's position was very significant. “We've said all along that one of the conditions for a no-fly zone must be broad support in the region,” he told BBC television. “It's not the only condition,” he added. “It's also necessary to have even broader international support and it's also necessary for it to be clearly legal to impose a no-fly zone, and for there to be a continuing and demonstrable need.” Britain and France had been working on the elements of a resolution that would bring about a no-fly zone, he added. NATO said Thursday strong Arab support was one of the factors needed for action on a no-fly zone. It also said more planning was needed, together with a UN mandate. The United States has said a no-fly zone remains an option to put pressure on Gaddafi, although US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has appeared cool to the idea. The Arab League decided “to open channels of dialogue” with the rebel Libyan National Council to discuss ways of providing support and assistance to the Libyan people and to protect them, it said. The rebels have been calling for a no-fly zone to protect civilians from aerial bombardment by Gaddafi's air force. Mustafa Abdel-Jalil, head of the rebel council, said the decision would be the basis for a UN resolution that “could preserve blood. I thank the Arab foreign ministers and the Arab League,” he told Al Arabiya. The Omani foreign minister, chair of the meeting, said all states had supported the resolution. Moussa later said one or two had expressed “partial reservations” but he did not name them. Gulf Arab states came out strongly in favor of a no-fly zone this week, saying Gaddafi had lost legitimacy.
