LONDON, May 25 (AP): President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday promised a relentless and punishing pummeling of Moammar Gadhafi's forces in Libya, pressing for his ouster. Obama ruled out a deadline for ending NATO's military assault and said it would be over "in a timely fashion."
"There will not be a let-up in the pressure we are applying" on Gadhafi, the visiting president said Wednesday at a joint news conference with Cameron, ahead of an address that Obama was to make to both houses of the British Parliament mid-way through his Europe tour. "Ultimately this is going to be a slow, steady process in which we're able to wear down the regime forces," Obama said. "I believe that we have built enough momentum that, as long as we sustain the course we're on, he will step down," the president said.
Cameron rallied behind Obama's approach, saying what was needed in Libya was "patience and persistence." In a wide-ranging question and answer session that exposed a disagreement over Mideast peacemaking strategy, Obama and Cameron reaffirmed their joint resolve on Libya. The statements of mutual support came despite complaints among some NATO countries about the reduced U.S. role since NATO took the lead after the initial days of the two-month-old campaign against Gadhafi.
"We've been extraordinarily successful in avoiding civilian casualties," Obama said at one point. And he once again ruled out ground forces in Libya. "That means that sometimes we may have to be more patient than people would like," he conceded. Said Cameron: "I would agree that the two key things here are patience and persistence." He said "we're extremely strong together in wanting to see the same outcomes."
France among other NATO countries has pushed for a more aggressive military approach in Libya, but Obama gave no indication that increased firepower would be forthcoming from the U.S. Instead he pushed back against what he called a "false perception that there are a whole bunch of secret, super-effective air assets that are in a warehouse somewhere that could just be pulled out and that would somehow immediately solve the situation in Libya. That's not the case."
At the same time, the president said the U.S. is "strongly committed to seeing the job through, making sure that, at a minimum, Gadhafi doesn't have the capacity to send in a bunch of thugs to murder innocent civilians and to threaten them." The international community has stepped up both the air campaign and diplomatic efforts against the regime in a bid to break a virtual stalemate between the rebels in the east and Gadhafi, who maintains a stranglehold on most of the west.
The military campaign in Libya began with what seemed a narrowly defined mission: to enforce a no-fly zone and protect civilians from attack. Two months later, the campaign has evolved into a ferocious pounding of the country's capital, Tripoli, in what appears an all-out effort to oust Gadhafi. But that goal remains elusive.
"There will not be a let-up in the pressure we are applying" on Gadhafi, the visiting president said Wednesday at a joint news conference with Cameron, ahead of an address that Obama was to make to both houses of the British Parliament mid-way through his Europe tour. "Ultimately this is going to be a slow, steady process in which we're able to wear down the regime forces," Obama said. "I believe that we have built enough momentum that, as long as we sustain the course we're on, he will step down," the president said.
Cameron rallied behind Obama's approach, saying what was needed in Libya was "patience and persistence." In a wide-ranging question and answer session that exposed a disagreement over Mideast peacemaking strategy, Obama and Cameron reaffirmed their joint resolve on Libya. The statements of mutual support came despite complaints among some NATO countries about the reduced U.S. role since NATO took the lead after the initial days of the two-month-old campaign against Gadhafi.
"We've been extraordinarily successful in avoiding civilian casualties," Obama said at one point. And he once again ruled out ground forces in Libya. "That means that sometimes we may have to be more patient than people would like," he conceded. Said Cameron: "I would agree that the two key things here are patience and persistence." He said "we're extremely strong together in wanting to see the same outcomes."
France among other NATO countries has pushed for a more aggressive military approach in Libya, but Obama gave no indication that increased firepower would be forthcoming from the U.S. Instead he pushed back against what he called a "false perception that there are a whole bunch of secret, super-effective air assets that are in a warehouse somewhere that could just be pulled out and that would somehow immediately solve the situation in Libya. That's not the case."
At the same time, the president said the U.S. is "strongly committed to seeing the job through, making sure that, at a minimum, Gadhafi doesn't have the capacity to send in a bunch of thugs to murder innocent civilians and to threaten them." The international community has stepped up both the air campaign and diplomatic efforts against the regime in a bid to break a virtual stalemate between the rebels in the east and Gadhafi, who maintains a stranglehold on most of the west.
The military campaign in Libya began with what seemed a narrowly defined mission: to enforce a no-fly zone and protect civilians from attack. Two months later, the campaign has evolved into a ferocious pounding of the country's capital, Tripoli, in what appears an all-out effort to oust Gadhafi. But that goal remains elusive.
