Nato Awacs plane at Trapani airbase in Sicily, 22 March There have been differences within Nato on taking over command
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Libya Crisis
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Major partners in the alliance enforcing a UN resolution against Colonel Gaddafi's Libya have been thrashing out a new command structure.
After talks between the US, French and UK leaders, France said there was an agreement on how to use Nato.
The US has been keen to tone down its leading role but there was concern among some Nato members on taking over.
The coalition has conducted air strikes against Col Gaddafi's forces as they continue fierce fighting with rebels.
Last week's UN Security Council resolution authorised force in Libya in the protection of civilians and set up a no-fly zone.
Late on Tuesday, Col Gaddafi made brief remarks on state television, saying: "We will be victorious in the end."
Turkish anxiety
US President Barack Obama, UK Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy spoke by telephone on Tuesday after Nato talks in Brussels had failed to secure an agreement on how to proceed.
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At the scene
image of Allan Little Allan Little BBC News, at the site of a coalition strike in Tripoli
You can see from the size of this massive crater the force with which the missile struck. It happened at about nine o'clock last night. It was the first of the big blasts, the big explosions that we heard early on in those first air raids.
And it's only one of three craters that we found in this vicinity. The other two are slightly smaller. But they've had the effect of destroying this marine workshop or warehouse. It's clearly a military location, there's absolutely no disputing that.
Further down, there are missile transporters and missiles themselves, missiles used by the Libyan navy. The government insists that many civilians have been killed and many more injured in the past three nights. Everybody here agrees this place was deserted last night and nobody was killed or injured here. We've repeatedly asked them to show us evidence to support their contention that civilians have been killed and injured but so far they've been unable to do so.
The US has taken a leading role so far, but Mr Obama said on Monday that he wanted a transfer of command "in a matter of days and not in a matter of weeks".
The US Africa Command, based in Germany, and joint task force commander US Adm Samuel Locklear have effectively been in control.
After the talks between the leaders, Mr Sarkozy's office said there was agreement "on how Nato's command structure will be used to support the coalition", without providing further details on the key question of whether Nato would take over enforcement of the no-fly zone.
The White House and Mr Cameron simply said they had agreed that Nato should play a key role in commanding the campaign.
Mr Obama said on a visit to El Salvador there had already been a "significant reduction" in US flights over Libya.
"I have absolutely no doubt that we will be able to transfer the control of this operation to an international coalition," he added.
The BBC's Chris Morris in Brussels said the earlier discussions there had failed to reach an agreement on the command-and-control system, but that there were indications that a form of words could be agreed that would allow Nato's structures to take part.
France had expressed fears that a Nato lead would not please the Arab world.
Italy said it could withdraw its bases without a co-ordinated Nato structure and Norway said its jets would not take part in the action as long as it was unclear who was in overall command.
Turkey wanted limits on Nato involvement and said the air strikes had already gone beyond the UN resolution.
However, one US official told Reuters news agency Turkish concerns had been eased.
"I do believe the Turks have largely resolved the questions they had before," the official said.
Reports from Brussels said Germany was also more on board than earlier in the week.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe has now proposed a new body bringing together foreign ministers of participating states and the Arab League to act as a political overseer.
One matter Nato did resolve on Tuesday was how to enforce a UN arms embargo on Libya. It will use aircraft and ships in the Mediterranean to "conduct operations to monitor, report and, if needed, interdict vessels suspected of carrying illegal arms or mercenaries".
Airmen rescued
The allies will be anxious to form a long-term command system to tackle the fierce fighting that continues on the ground and counter calls from Russia and China for a ceasefire.
Misrata - the last rebel-held city in western Libya - is one of the bloodiest battlegrounds.
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