NATO Bombing campaign criticised by Europe

Rafale fighter jets take off for a mission over Libya to France's flagship France and Britain, who first launched air attacks on Libya in coalition with the United States, on Tuesday criticized NATO’S bombing campaign,

saying it must do more to stop Muammar Gadaffi bombarding civilians.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe shred NATO’s united front Tuesday, saying its actions were “not enough” to ease the pressure on Misrata, which has been subjected to weeks of bombardment by forces loyal to Gadaffi.
Juppe said NATO must do more to take out the heavy weaponry that Gadaffi's forces are using to target civilians.
Britain’s Foreign Secretary William Hague agreed that the allies must “intensify” their efforts, but in a more diplomatic tone.
“The UK has in the last week supplied additional aircraft capable of striking ground targets threatening the civilian population of Libya,” said Hague. “Of course, it will be welcome if other countries also do the same. There is always more to do.”
French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet deplored that France and Britain carried “the brunt of the burden.” He complained that the reduced US role — American forces are now in support, not combat roles in the airstrike campaign — have made it impossible “to loosen the noose around Misrata.”
Longuet also criticized Germany, which is not taking part in the military operation, and said Berlin’s commitment to back the humanitarian effort for Libyans was “a second chance” at best.
France’s frustration with the stalemate on the ground, where Libyan fighters have struggled to capitalize on air attacks, has been echoed in several Western capitals.
NATO Brig. Gen. Mark Van Uhm sharply rejected French criticism of the operation, saying the alliance is performing well and protecting civilians effectively. He said the alliance was successfully enforcing an arms embargo against Libya, patrolling a no-fly zone and protecting civilians there.
Meanwhile, Libya’s former Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa was traveling to Doha to share his insight on the workings of Gadaffi's inner circle, British officials said.
British officials said they hope Koussa’s trip to Doha, where Arab and Western leaders are meeting to chart the way forward in Libya, will give participants a better idea of how to force Qaddafi out of office. “He’s a Qaddafi insider. He may be able to offer solutions where others are falling short,” said one official.
Meanwhile, Libyan government artillery bombarded Misrata on Tuesday and freedom fighters said they had beaten back two separate offensives by government troops.
“There was heavy fighting in Tripoli Street and the fighters held their positions. Also, very intense fighting occurred on the eastern side of Misrata. The fighters repelled the attack,” a spokesman of pro-democracy fighters who identified himself as Mohamad Abu Shaara told journalists by telephone.
Shaara said there were casualties but gave no further details. It is difficult to verify reports from Misrata because journalists are prevented from reporting freely there.
The European Union agreed on Tuesday to extend sanctions against Libya, imposing an asset freeze on 26 companies and two people in its effort to force Gadaffi to relinquish power.
The additional measures include 11 energy companies, the last remaining in Libya’s oil and gas sector that had not faced sanctions before, and bring the total number of firms punished by EU measures to 46.
Thirty-eight people from Gadaffi's inner circle also face a ban on travel to the EU and an asset freeze.
Following a meeting in Luxembourg, EU ministers warned Gadaffi that more punitive measures could be imposed in the future to cut off his access to cash.

From Gulfnews