Det kan virke som om Qatar og Emiratene bare gir politisk støtte til bombingen av Libya, og ikke deltar militært. Samarbeidsrådet for Golfen uttalte seg svevende om støtten mandag.

«What is happening now is not an intervention. It is about protecting the people from bloodshed,» said Abdul Rahman bin Hamad al-Attiyah, secretary general of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council.

But he did not clarify the role of Qatar or the UAE in the Libyan operations or whether they have taken part in warplane missions so far. The statement came as U.S., British and French planes targeted Gadhafi’s anti-aircaft sites for a second night and also destroyed a line of his tanks moving onto the rebel capital in eastern Libya.

On Sunday, the Arab League chief, Amr Moussa, raised questions about Arab participation in the coalition after saying the attacks on Moammar Gadhafi’s forces go beyond the mandate to impose a no-fly zone to halt Libyan air raids on rebel strongholds. Libya has claimed dozens of civilians have been killed in the strikes by the U.S. and European forces.
In London, a Foreign Office spokesperson denied those claims.

«Unlike Gadhafi, the coalition is not attacking civilians. The U.N. resolution authorizes all necessary measures to protect the Libyan people,» the spokesperson said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with department policy. «All missions are meticulously planned to ensure every care is taken to avoid civilian casualties.»

Talsmannen uttalte seg under et møte Rådet hadde i Abu Dhabi mandag.