Libya intervention was forced; no such plans for Syria: NATO

Brussels, Aug 30: NATO, which intervened in the Libyan conflict to throw out the regime of Muammar Gaddafi, has no plans of getting involved in other such uprisings elsewhere in the region, including Syria.

While the situation in Syria continues to worsen, top NATO officials say they have no plans of any intervention in the country where a public uprising is seeking the ouster of President Bashar al Assad's regime.

"No, we are not on the point of saying we are the world's policemen," said a top NATO official, adding that the organisation was not on the brink of getting involved in any other operation.

Officials said their intervention in Libya was based on their own security concerns but they had never attempted an assassination attack on Gaddafi.

NATO would rather want Gaddafi to be captured and tried at the International Court of Justice for killing innocent citizens.

"We are very clear in the case of Libya... It was proving to be a threat to our own security.... that of our NATO members," said an official justifying the Libya intervention.

Officials, however, are worried that a threat still lurks from the under-hiding Col Muammar Gaddafi and his loyalists.

Officials also warned of a Scud missile threat from forces loyal to the besieged Libyan leader as they seemed to have a good arsenal of the Scud weapons.

NATO was also looking for chemical weapons, which they fear Gaddafi possesses. After the recent breakthrough and Gaddafi's desertion of Tripoli, NATO is optimistic of a conclusion very soon.

"We are very, very close to a conclusion," officials said.

PTI