Liam Fox calls for more Nato partners to counter 'Gaddafi's excesses'

Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox has called for a renewed effort to free the Libyan people from "the excesses of the Gaddafi regime".

He said there should be a sense of greater urgency "in some quarters" as the campaign enters its second month of military operations to protect civilians from attack.

Dr Fox was attending talks with fellow Nato defence ministers to review the alliance's effort. Nato has just extended its Libyan mission by 90 days to intensify military pressure on Col Muammar al-Gaddafi.

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Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who chaired the talks, has previous said that "we (Nato] are determined to continue our operation for as long as it takes".

He said this latest meeting was to "take stock of the progress we have made and to look ahead. I expect us to begin discussing how we prepare for the day after Gaddafi goes, because that day is coming".

Dr Fox made clear at the meeting that the UK was at the forefront of the action - but others could do more. He said: "The United Kingdom has been very forward-leading, very clear that we want to see the Libyan people safe from the excesses of the Gaddafi regime."

Earlier, he said: "We want to see increased urgency in some quarters in terms of Libya."

Dr Fox is looking for bigger commitments to the combined air action, just as the bombing of Tripoli reaches a new intensity.

He is pressing more of Britain's Nato allies to play an active role, insisting that the mission has already "seriously degraded the ability of the Gaddafi regime to attack civilians".

Dr Fox will use the two-day meeting of Nato defence ministers to push for broader participation. He wants more countries from the 28-nation alliance to share the costs and risks of the campaign.

Describing Col Gaddafi as "part of Libya's past", Dr Fox added: "The future belongs to the people of Libya."

Dr Fox was not only seeking increased military contributions from allies who have so far taken a back seat but also "more flexible" use of equipment already being deployed for the operation.

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