Harkin opposes long term engagement in Libya

DES MOINES – U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said Wednesday he does not want to see the U.S. military get entangled in a prolonged presence in Libya where U.N.-based coalition forces are involved in enforcing a no-fly zone as part of an effort to halt sieges by Co. Muammar el-Qaddafi against rebels within the North African country.

“I am concerned that we don't get sucked into a long-term engagement in Libya,” Harkin said during a brief visit to the Iowa Capitol.

“I think the United Nations' mandate is clear. That it is only to protect civilians, not to go to war against Qaddafi. It was to enact a no-fly zone and to hold that no-fly zone,” he added. “That's the maximum that we have to be involved in and hopefully we will turn over most of the operation to that to the British and the French and others soon.”

Harkin said he did not want to see the United States involved in committing ground troops “in any way” or in any action that would be viewed as going to war against Qaddafi.

“That's not our role,” the Cummins Democrat said. “I do believe that there are times when we do have to exercise our power to protect civilians from being slaughtered. I only wish we had done a similar thing in the Balkans when we had a chance to do that, I wish we had done a similar thing in Rwanda.

“It's a judgment call about whether or not someone is so vicious that they're willing to kill hundreds of thousands of their own people in order to maintain themselves in power or retribution. I think we did it the right way,” he added.