Britain 'undecided' about the helicopter Libya

LONDON - There has been no decision made about the use of Apache helicopters owned by the British in the Western military mission to Libya, the British government asserted, was quoted by the Guardian on Wednesday (25/05/2011).

This statement is contrary to the claims made by a French minister some time ago.

British Defence Secretary, Nick Harvey, forced to explain the situation to members of parliament when the Labour Party urged to ask questions about the "escalation" of the NATO-led mission in Libya.

The opposition has complained that parliament is holding something back after the French defense minister, Gerard Longuet, said Britain would follow France in spreading the helicopter to the North African country.

"Britain, which has assets similar to ours, will also do the same thing as soon as possible. This is currently being considered by the British, "said Longuet told reporters during a meeting of the European Union on Monday (24 / 5).

But Harvey said was, "What I know that the French did indeed take the decision to deploy their helicopters in Libya."

"I state again for the avoidance of doubt from all sides: the decision must be taken by the United Kingdom. This is the option we are considering and there is absolutely no point in hiding the parliament regarding this decision. "

Use of this helicopter will not cause escalation of the attack, he insisted, but merely a tactical shift to increase the capability to attack targets in the right.

He spoke at the French Defense Ministry said the plane RAF Tornado and Typhoon fighters attacked a large military vehicle depot in the complex Muammar Gaddafi in the capital Tripoli.