UK or France to head coalition forces against Libya

Washington: US Defence Secretary Robert Gates today said that his country expects to hand over the leadership of the military operations against Libyan regime to a coalition likely to be headed by either the French, the British or NATO "in a matter of days".

"I think that there are a couple of possibilities: one is British and French leadership, another is the use of the NATO machinery and I think we just have to work out the command and control that is most accommodating to all of the members of the coalition," Gates told reporters travelling with him to Russia.

Claiming a "strong and successful" start of the operation 'Operation Odyssey Dawn' in Libya, he said several Arab countries are planning to joint the military coalition.

He conceded that Arab nations are reluctant to work under the command and control structure of NATO forces, so this would be kept in mind while deciding the leadership of the coalition.

"I think that there is a sensitivity on the part of the Arab League to being seen to be operating under a NATO umbrella, and so the question is if there is a way we can work out NATO's command and control machinery without it being a NATO mission and without a NATO flag and so on," Gates said. Reiterating that there would be no US boots on the ground in Libya, Gates said but it is pretty clear that the US agreed to use its unique capabilities and the breadth of those capabilities at the frontend of this process, and then it expects "in a matter of days" to be able to turn over the primary responsibility to others.