北约各国外交部长在柏林开始两天会议之际淡化处理他们的分歧。会议将讨论这个军事同盟在利比亚开展行动的范围。法国外长朱佩星期四说，北约国家都认同让利比亚人民享受民主自由的目标。外长们还指出了结束卡扎菲上校统治的共同目标。
不过，在如何达到这些目标的问题上出现了分歧。德国决定不参与反对卡扎菲效忠者的军事行动，其中包括用来保护平民的禁飞区。尽管进行了三个星期的空袭，可是由法国、英国和美国领导的行动没能结束战乱。法国敦促北约盟国做更多工作来支持军事行动。
NATO foreign ministers downplayed their differences as they began a two-day summit in Berlin to discuss the scope of the military alliance’s operations in Libya. French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said Thursday the NATO nations share the objective of allowing the Libyan people to enjoy democratic freedoms. The ministers also indicated the common goal of ending the Colonel Moammar Gadhafi’s rule in Libya.
However, the differences arise in how to achieve that objective. Germany decided not to take part in the military operation against Gadhafi loyalists, which includes a no-fly zone designed to protect Libyan civilians. The operation, which has been led by France, Britain and the United States, has failed to end the fighting despite three weeks of airstrikes.France has pressed its NATO partners to do more to support military operations.