Situation Takes Ominous Turn in #Libya: Military intervention, Whether Libyans Like It or Not

Have we seen this line before? Yes we have seen this line before.

William Hague, British Foreign Minister:

"There have been occasions in the past when such a no-fly zone has had clear, legal, international justification even without a Security Council resolution - it depends on the situation on the ground."

More from London Evening Standard (3/1/2011):

The Government has signalled that the imposition of a no-fly zone over Libya - to protect the civilian population from Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's brutal crackdown - could go ahead without the backing of the United Nations.

Foreign Secretary William Hague said that while "ideally" such action would be sanctioned by a resolution of the UN Security Council, it was not necessarily essential.

"There have been occasions in the past when such a no-fly zone has had clear, legal, international justification even without a Security Council resolution," he told the BBC. "It depends on the situation on the ground."

His intervention came after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov dismissed David Cameron's call for plans to be drawn up for a no-fly zone, saying that the idea was "superfluous". As one of the five permanent members, Russia is able to veto any resolution tabled at the Security Council.

Mr Hague acknowledged that the Cabinet would have to take "full legal advice" before embarking with allies on a no-fly zone without a Security Council mandate. "You would certainly need a very strong degree of international support," he said.

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