NATO discusses possibility of halting operations in Libya

BRUSSELS (RIA Novosti)- NATO have been in discussions on the situation in Libya on Friday in Brussels and are evaluating the ability of the National Transitional Council (NTC) in providing security in the country, a diplomatic source close to NATO said.

According to NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Admiral James Stavridis, the NATO Council at the ambassadorial level alliance of 28 countries may decide to cease Operation Unified Protector.

“I call on all Libyans to put aside their differences and work together to build a brighter future,” NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said. Rasmussen urged the NTC to show restraint in dealing with the defeated pro-Gaddafi forces.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Federal Court for the District of Columbia rejected the claim of the ten members of Congress to the government, in which the applicants claimed the participation of the U.S. armed forces in the NATO operations in Libya was illegal.

The congressmen called strikes against targets in Libya without declaring war unconstitutional. To declare war requires the consent of Congress. The congressmen said U.S. President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates were prohibited to make decisions regarding operations in Libya without a vote in Congress.

The court agreed with the arguments of the representatives of the U.S. government and Congress and has rejected the claim.

Gaddafi, 69, who had ruled Libya for 42 years, was captured by National Transitional Council (NTC) soldiers near his home town of Sirte on Thursday. Later he was fatally shot.