By IANS,
Brussels : NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen Wednesday supported providing financial support to rebel fighters in Libya to help force Muammar Gaddafi to leave.
“I am definitely in favour of taking all necessary measures to put maximum pressure on the Gaddafi regime…I do believe that will be protection of civilians if Gaddafi was forced to step down,” Rasmussen said at a news conference.
“In this respect, I think it will be helpful to make sure the opposition can be financed properly. I would expect such financial mechanisms to be discussed in Rome,” Rasmussen said.
In addition, Rasmussen denied that the alliance’s military operation in Libya was facing a stalemate.
“The nature of the conflict has changed significantly in a month…We are making progress every day, every week,” he said.
Fourteen of the 28 NATO countries are taking part in operation Unified Protector in Libya, which includes air strikes, a no-fly zone and naval enforcement of an arms embargo.
The UN Security Council adopted a resolution imposing a no-fly zone over Libya March 17, paving the way for a military operation against Gaddafi which began two days later.
The command of the operation was shifted from a US-led international coalition to NATO in late March.