London conference on Libya not solve key problems, rifts
The three-hour conference brought together representatives from nearly 40 countries and some major international blocs including the United Nations, NATO, the European Union (EU) and the Arab League.
At a press briefing after the conference, British Foreign Secretary William Hague claimed the West-led coalition, which has conducted the military operation since March 19, has been "widened," saying Sweden had agreed to join the operation by supplying eight fighter jets to patrol the no-fly zone.
Hague also said the conference agreed to set up a contact group to lead international efforts to map out Libya's future.
However, the participants did not reach any consensus on the key issues such as what the final aim of the military operation is, when the operation should be wrapped up and whether NATO would limit the air strikes after assuming command, analysts say.
Meanwhile, there are a wide range of other disputes concerning the Libya crisis.
First, some major players on the global stage like the African Union (AU), Russia and China did not back the West-dominated air strikes on Libya from the beginning.
Arab League chief Amr Moussa, who has blasted the air raids, did not attend the conference at all and only sent his deputy here.
AU Commission Chairman Jean Ping, who was expected to attend the London conference, did not appear either.
Jean Ping has reiterated the AU opposes any foreign military intervention in Libya and expressed discontent toward the Western forces for not consulting with the AU sufficiently before launching the military operation.
Russia has been urging the coalition forces to cease fire in Libya immediately; Kazinform cites Xinhua.
See www.xinhuanet.com/english2010 for full version