Harper to meet world leaders in Paris to enforce no-fly zone in Libya

Office of the Prime Minister
News Release

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OTTAWA - Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced today that he will travel to Paris to meet with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, British Prime Minister David Cameron and other leaders and representatives to coordinate the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973, which was adopted on March 17, 2011. The resolution authorizes the use of force to protect the civilian population and civilian populated areas in Libya and the enforcement of a no-fly zone over Libyan territory.

“Canada is actively contributing to international efforts to protect Libyan citizens from further harm and abuse at the hands of the Gaddafi regime,” said Prime Minister Harper. “Canada, in cooperation with our allies and other members of the international community, worked to gain support for this resolution. We will now take the urgent action necessary to support it.”

More specifically, participants at the meeting, which include leaders of the European Union, Arab League and African Union, will be discussing implementation of the no-fly zone and arms, travel and economic sanctions.

Since the crisis first began, Canada has taken strong and decisive actions against the regime. Working closely with allies, the Government has evacuated Canadian and allied citizens, put in place tough sanctions, and called on the Gaddafi regime to stop the bloodshed and immediately step down. The Government has also authorized the deployment of six CF-18 fighter jets to join HMCS Charlottetown in the region to join international efforts to fully implement Resolution 1973.

“Our Government is committed to helping protect Libyan citizens from further slaughter. It is a moral obligation and quite simply the right thing to do,” added the Prime Minister. “We urge the Gaddafi regime to respect the will of the Libyan people, to comply with their obligations under international law, and to immediately cease all hostilities”

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