06-06-11 Russia:NATO one step from land war in Libya

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov says NATO is one step from sending troops into Libya in a bid to help rebels remove Muammar Qaddafi from power.Ivanov said Sunday at an Asian security conference in Singapore that Russia didnt know that a United Nations resolution it supported to protect civilians and shut down Libyan air space would lead to a land operation.Russia abstained from a United Nations Security Council resolution vote in March to impose a no-fly zone over Libya.Ivanov said there has been disagreement over how to interpret the scope of the resolution.British and French attack helicopters struck for the first time inside Libya on Saturday.NATO had previously relied on attack jets generally flying above 15,000 feet (4,500 meters).The helicopters give the alliance a key advantage in close combat,flying at much lower altitudes.In the Saturday attacks,British Apaches hit two targets near the eastern oil town of Brega,according British Maj. Gen.Nick Pope,and separate Royal Air Force planes destroyed another military installation near Brega and two ammunition bunkers at the large Waddan depot in central Libya.Brega is of strategic importance to Libyas oil industry and lies on the Mediterranean coastal road to the capital.French Gazelle and Tiger helicopters struck 15 military vehicles and five military command buildings,said Col.Thierry Burkhard.All the helicopters returned safely,the French and British said.NATO airstrikes have kept the outgunned rebels from being overrun,but the rebels have been unable to mount an effective offensive against Qaddafis better equipped forces.