Greece and others close off airspace to Libya amid NATO rumors - from TRUNEWS

Greece has closed off its airspace for flight from Libya until September 8, local media reported. It comes amid rumors of a looming NATO operation in the country, which remains in turmoil since the alliance bombed it in 2011.

A notice to airmen (NOTAM) was issued by the Greek authorities on Wednesday, which bans Libyan flights from entering Flight Information Region Athens starting Thursday, the Greek media reported. Similar restrictions were reportedly imposed by Malta and Italy, although they will last until August.

An exception to the rule is made for military aircraft with special authorization, and emergency cases such as evacuations for medical reasons, according to the Kathimerini daily. The newspaper says the decision was made ahead of EU and NATO joint training in the Mediterranean. The Phoenix Express 2016 exercise is scheduled for the summer off the island of Crete.

The explanation, however, doesn’t convince some observers, who believe that the alliance is preparing a new full-fledged military intervention in Libya. The Greek communist party demanded that the government clearly state whether NATO is preparing such an operation and what would the country’s part in it would be.

The party “denounces any intervention in Libya and demands not to take part in the Euro-Atlantic plans,” it said in a statement.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a news conference in Lisbon, Portugal April 27, 2015. REUTERS/Rafael Marchante

Earlier on Tuesday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance “stood ready” to act on a request of the country’s new reconciliation government. It was formed in a bid to bridge a gap between two rival governments, which had been ruling different parts of the disjointed country for months.

“I spoke recently with [Libyan] Prime Minister Sarraj on how NATO can assist and he will soon send a team of experts to NATO to identify how we can help the new Libyan Government of National Accord,”Stoltenberg said a joint press conference with the Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.

Russia’s upper parliamentary chamber foreign relations committee chief, Konstantin Kosachev, suggested that any NATO action would cause “chaos,” and that the alliance should seek UN support.

“Any international interference should be based on the decision of the UN Security Council, and nothing else,” he told RT.

NATO played a key role in 2011 by bombing Libyan government forces and helping armed groups oust and brutally kill strongman Muammar Gaddafi. The intervention, which was based on an overstretched interpretation of a UN mandate to form a no-fly zone in Libya, was hailed as a great success by the victors.

Since then Libya has de facto disintegrated into three historic parts and degraded into a state of constant armed struggle and poverty. It also became a major hub for asylum seekers, trying to reach Italy. Lately, the Iraqi-Syrian terrorist group Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) gained a foothold in eastern coastal part of Libya, slowly gaining control over what is left of the country’s oil exports.

US, British and French special forces are operating in Libya trying to undermine IS’ powerbase. In February, the US conducted a major bombing operation against a suspected IS training camp in Libya, killing dozens of militants.

Some members of the alliance, particularly Germany and France, are skeptical about escalating NATO’s or EU’s mission in Libya and the Mediterranean, a development favored by the US and Italy, according to Reuters. Berlin and Paris want a support role only for themselves, ruling out deployment of ground troops.

Originally reported by RT.

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