G8 Talks for Libyan No-Fly Zone Break Down

Germany has blocked plans for military intervention as Gadhafi’s forces close in on the rebel capital.

At a meeting of G8 ministers in Paris, Germany has shot down French and British ministers pushing for the imposition of a no-fly zone over Libya to prevent Moammar Gadhafi from making further progress in his efforts to crush a powerful uprising against his 41-year rule. German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said his country did not wish “to be sucked into a war in North Africa.” The French foreign minister said Europe had left it too late to aid the Libyan rebels, who have been pushed back by Gadhafi’s forces after capturing several key cities last month. There is now only one town between government forces and Benghazi, Libya’s second-largest town and the heart of the rebellion.