CAIRO: Senior US Senator John Kerry said on Sunday that the main Libyan air defence facilities that needed to be taken out in order to enforce a no-fly zone had already been targeted.
"The essential targets, I believe, in terms of his [Moamer Qaddafi’s] air defences were already targeted," Kerry told reporters on a visit to Libya’s eastern neighbor Egypt.
Earlier the US Africa Command had said US missile strikes on Saturday had hit at least 20 of their 22 targets.
"It looks like things have gone well as far as the strikes are concerned. We had 20 of 22 targets hit," said AFRICOM spokesman Lieutenant Commander James Stockman, adding: "The other two targets are still under assessment."
Kerry was asked about reports of Qaddafi preparing to use human shields to avert air or missile attacks in parts of Libya under his control.
"That’s the act of a terrorist — that you put women and children in the way of harm," he said.
"I think it’s a message to everybody in the world about what a coward he is and a terrorist."
Kerry, who heads the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, acknowledged that the conflict in Libya might be prolonged but insisted the boot was now on the other foot after the British, French and US strikes.
"I think this dynamic has shifted very significantly. But that doesn’t mean it may not be a prolonged effort but it’s going to be very different from what it was. His military, as a weapon, has been taken away from him," he said.
"That’s very significant and I think now we have to see what the people want. I mean it’s really up to the people of Libya and we’ll see where we go."
Kerry said he still hoped for a diplomatic solution to the fighting between the Libyan rebels and loyalists of Qaddafi’s four-decade regime.
"Obviously we would like to see the violence end. We would also like to see Mr. Qaddafi go.
"I think there’ll be a lot of different sorts of efforts over the course of the next few days," he said.
"My hope would be that now is a good time for some Arab diplomacy, and let’s see if there can be some progress through that kind of an approach."
Arab League chief Amr Moussa said earlier on Sunday that contacts were under way to convene an emergency meeting of the 22-member bloc.
But he criticized the Western air and missile strikes, saying that they went beyond the terms of UN Resolution 1973 adopted on Thursday, even though the League called on the United Nations earlier this month to impose a no-fly zone.
"What has happened in Libya differs from the goal of imposing a no-fly zone and what we want is the protection of civilians and not bombing other civilians," Moussa told reporters.
