The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Wednesday strongly opposed moves by the U.S. and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) for military intervention in Libya. The party asked the Indian government to come out against it, adding that it was for the people of Libya to decide how to resolve the problem.
Reacting to reports that the U.S. had positioned its warships off the coast of Libya and that there was talk of imposing a ‘no-fly zone' over Libya, the CPI(M) Polit Bureau said that both the U.S. and British government leaders had talked about using all options to end the crisis.
“It is for the people of Libya to decide how to resolve their problems and what type of political system they require. The U.S. and its allies have no right whatsoever to violate the sovereignty of Libya in the name of a humanitarian intervention,” the Polit Bureau statement said.
It said that just as in Iraq earlier, the western powers were interested mainly in the oil wealth of Libya and were seeking to utilise the revolt against the Qadhafi regime to pursue their own interests.
The Indian government, the Polit Bureau emphasised, should “unambiguously declare” that no military intervention of any sort should be resorted to by the U.S. or NATO. Its whole concentration should be to ensure the evacuation of all Indian nationals from Libya.
CPI national secretary D. Raja said the U.S. should desist from taking any action in the situation in Libya. Any attempt to intervene militarily could prove counterproductive and against the aspirations of the people there.
Mr. Raja said the current situation was the result of the policies pursued by Washington towards regimes in the region.
