Review slams US training of Iraqi police

An Iraqi police officer uses a detector at a checkpoint in central Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2011. A U.S. Department of State program to train Iraqi police lacks focus, could become a "bottomless pit" of American money, and is not even appreciated by the Iraqi government, a U.S. government watchdog warned in a report released Monday. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

An Iraqi police officer uses a detector at a checkpoint in central Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2011. A U.S. Department of State program to train Iraqi police lacks focus, could become a "bottomless pit" of American money, and is not even appreciated by the Iraqi government, a U.S. government watchdog warned in a report released Monday. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

Iraqi police officers use detectors at a checkpoint in central Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2011. A U.S. Department of State program to train Iraqi police lacks focus, could become a "bottomless pit" of American money, and is not even appreciated by the Iraqi government, a U.S. government watchdog warned in a report released Monday. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

Iraqi police officers use detectors at a checkpoint in central Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2011. A U.S. Department of State program to train Iraqi police lacks focus, could become a "bottomless pit" of American money, and is not even appreciated by the Iraqi government, a U.S. government watchdog warned in a report released Monday. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

Iraqi police officers stand guard at a checkpoint in central Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2011. A U.S. Department of State program to train Iraqi police lacks focus, could become a "bottomless pit" of American money, and is not even appreciated by the Iraqi government, a U.S. government watchdog warned in a report released Monday. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

Iraqi police officers stand guard at a checkpoint in central Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2011. A U.S. Department of State program to train Iraqi police lacks focus, could become a "bottomless pit" of American money, and is not even appreciated by the Iraqi government, a U.S. government watchdog warned in a report released Monday. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

(AP) ? A U.S. State Department program to train Iraqi police lacks focus, could become a "bottomless pit" of American money and may not even be wanted by the Iraqi department it's supposed to help, reports released Monday by a U.S. government watchdog show.

The findings by the U.S. Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction paint what is supposed to be the State Department's flagship program in Iraq in a harsh light.

The report comes at a crucial time for the State Department as it assumes sole responsibility for securing U.S.-Iraqi ties as American forces leave by the end of this year.

On Oct. 1, the State Department took over the job of training Iraqi police from the Defense Department. According to the inspector general's report, the training program faces many problems.

Only a small portion ? about 12 percent ? of the millions of dollars budgeted will actually go to helping the Iraqi police, the report said. The "vast preponderance of money" will pay for security and other items like living quarters for the people doing the training, the review found.

The audit also said that although the State Department has known since 2009 it would be taking over the training program, it failed to develop a comprehensive and detailed plan for the training.

"Without specific goals, objectives and performance measures, the PDP (Police Development Program) could become a 'bottomless pit' for U.S. dollars intended for mentoring, advising and training the Iraqi police forces," the report stated.

Few dispute, however, that Iraqi police are far from ready to fully protect their country ? or even themselves.

On Monday, police and health officials said four separate attacks against traffic police in Baghdad killed two policemen and three civilians. Twelve people, including eight police, were injured.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.

In the inspector general's report, the oversight agency also found that budget concerns led to the program being significantly downsized.

In 2009, the State Department agency in charge of the training, the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, estimated it would cost about $721 million to pay for a program with 350 police advisers. That averaged out to about $2.1 million per adviser, said SIGIR.

But in December 2010, the program was downsized to 190 advisers while costs had increased, the report stated. According to SIGIR calculations, the average cost per adviser jumped to $6.2 million per year.

By July of this year, the number of advisers had dropped to 115 for what the State Department described as Phase 1 of the program. If its budget request is approved for fiscal year 2012, the program could be beefed up again to 190 advisers, State Department officials told the oversight agency.

Despite the considerable outlay in U.S. taxpayer money, the Iraqi government has yet to sign off on the program and doesn't seem to want it. The official in the Iraqi Ministry of Interior (MOI) responsible for the ministry's day-to-day operations, Adnan al-Asadi, suggested to SIGIR that the U.S. should spend the money on something for the American people instead.

"What tangible benefit will Iraqis see from this police training program? With most of the money spent on lodging, security, support, all the MOI gets is a little expertise, and that is if the program materializes. It has yet to start," al-Asadi said.

The inspector general said the State Department did not fully cooperate with their audit.

"There were delays in gaining access to key officials and in obtaining documents. Moreover, the documents provided were incomplete," the audit read. One meeting in May was canceled an hour before it was to start because State Department officials needed additional "Department guidance," SIGIR wrote.

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad did not respond to a request for comment.

In a letter to SIGIR, the State Department said it "generally agrees" with the report's recommendations but defended its efforts.

State Department Assistant Secretary William Brownfield wrote that because they were unsure of whether they would get all the money they'd requested, they decided to start with a smaller number of trainers, and they could ramp up to 190 trainers if the funds come through.

Brownfield also said an independent organization was supposed to do a detailed assessment of Iraqi law enforcement capabilities but did not have access to people on the Iraqi side to finish the assessment in time. He said it would be done by November.

The fact that Iraq still does not have a permanent in interior minister has hampered efforts to come up with an agreement on implementing the training program, Brownfield wrote. But he said the MOI was committed to the program. He also wrote that the State Department hoped to reduce costs in the coming years and to hire more Iraqi support employees.

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Online:

http://www.sigir.mil/directorates/audits/auditReports.html

__

Rebecca Santana can be reached at http://twitter.com/@ruskygal

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-10-24-ML-Iraq/id-85d511b43b424b8489d918f8009e9769

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Mark Twain Prize: Will Ferrell Wins Nation's Top Humor Honor In Kennedy Center Ceremony

WASHINGTON ? Will Ferrell, who refined his impersonation of President George W. Bush on "Saturday Night Live" and later took his presidential act to Broadway, was awarded the nation's top humor prize Sunday night.

The TV star went on to make movies and co-found the popular website FunnyorDie.com, which won him the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

It was the Bush impression, though, that might have made the Washington crowd laugh ? and cringe ? the hardest Sunday.

"Washington is not a city much known for its comedy ? at least not the intentional kind," said PBS news anchor Gwen Ifill, who mentored Ferrell on his journalistic skills for the movie "Anchorman."

She introduced a clip of Ferrell playing Bush in "You're Welcome, America: A Final Night with George W. Bush" on Broadway. Dressed in a flight suit under a banner that read "Mission Accomplished," he explained how Morocco had sent a special unit of 2,000 trained monkeys to fight terrorism "and make children laugh."

With that kind of comedy, Ferrell had accomplished something amazing, Ifill said.

"He got Democrats to pay and see and applaud George W. Bush," she said.

Conan O'Brien, Jack Black, Matthew Broderick, Ben Stiller and the rock band Green Day performed Sunday in Ferrell's honor, joined by Molly Shannon, Tim Meadows and Andy Samberg from Ferrell's "SNL" days.

The show will be taped for broadcast Oct. 31 on PBS stations nationwide.

Black opened the show with a song-and-dance routine for his friend and tried to lead the crowd in chanting "Will, Will, Will, will rock you."

"Will Ferrell, did you notice how I changed it from `We Will Rock You?" he said.

"It's about time he got some official Washington, D.C., props," Black said, noting that Ferrell had "reigned supreme" on "SNL" for seven years. "He's crazy funny. He makes you laugh so hard you cry and pee simultaneously."

Shannon, who said she met Ferrell while she was a waitress in Los Angeles, said that contrary to his TV persona, Ferrell is very serious and sweet to work with. As for the award, she joked "Will's agents and manager clearly bought this for him."

Some of Ferrell's famous sketches from "SNL" were played on the big screen, including his "Cow Bell" routine and "Craig the Spartan Cheerleader."

When he was finally awarded the prize, a bronze bust of Twain, Ferrell promptly dropped it on stage and tried to pick up the pieces. He joked that he had turned the prize down 13 times before but decided to accept this time because of the prize money (there's not any) and to be watched on PBS "by hundreds of people across this country."

He thanked his wife, Viveca Paulson, but told her the night was about him, not her. And he thanked the Kennedy Center as "one of the few places that uphold comedy as what it truly is, an art form."

Ferrell is the son of a teacher and Roy Lee Ferrell, a guitarist for the Righteous Brothers. He grew up in Irvine, Calif., went to college at the University of Southern California and got his start in comedy with the Los Angeles improv group, The Groundlings.

That's where he was discovered by "SNL."

Ferrell went on to make some outlandish movies including "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy," "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" and "Old School." He has also tried his hand at drama, including this year's independent film "Everything Must Go." One of his upcoming projects is a Spanish-language comedy, "Casa de Mi Padre."

Ferrell told the Associated Press he has tried different avenues as movie studio budgets tightened. He opted for projects with smaller budgets but more creative freedom.

Longtime collaborator Adam McKay and Ferrell also took their comedy to the Internet with the 2007 creation of the popular video website FunnyorDie.com. Since then, it has drawn an audience of millions for its original Web programming.

McKay, a former head writer on "SNL," said it was Ferrell's "Cow Bell" sketch that has always made him laugh the hardest.

Before the show, Ferrell said playing the Bush character is one of his favorite memories for its political laughs, especially when he took the character to Broadway.

"We hit it at the perfect time when people wanted some sort of comedy after the eight years we just went through," he said.

Thirteen other people have won the Mark Twain Prize since 1998, including Tina Fey, Bill Cosby, Steve Martin and Whoopi Goldberg. It recognizes people who have followed the tradition of Samuel Clemens, the writer known as Mark Twain who used social commentary and satire to have an impact on society.

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Follow Brett Zongker on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DCArtBeat

___

Online:

Mark Twain Prize for Humor: http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/specialevents/marktwain/

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Asian shares mixed ahead of Europe plan (AP)

TOKYO ? Asian shares were mixed Tuesday as investors waited for European leaders to unveil a plan to tackle the continent's ongoing debt crisis.

Markets turned cautious after solid gains in Asia the previous day, unable to extend a Wall Street rally overnight.

European leaders have said they made progress at a weekend summit and plan to unveil comprehensive plans for containing the crisis by Wednesday.

Among measures, the 17-nation eurozone is set to shore up its bailout fund, and German lawmakers said the plan could boost the fund's lending capacity to more than euro1 trillion ($1.39 trillion).

Credit Suisse describes the eurozone as "inching forward" and that "there are as many questions as answers." But for any plan to be effective in the long term, it says, leaders must spur growth in Europe.

"At a minimum, we believe the crisis in the periphery will not end until there are current account surpluses... or clearly cheap currencies," the Credit Suisse report said. "We believe that the (European Central Bank) has to expand its balance sheet to weaken the euro and thereby create growth."

Japan's Nikkei 225 stock average slipped 0.5 percent to 8,800.40, with exporters struggling in the face of a strong yen. The dollar hovered near the 76-yen line, just above a new record low of 75.78 yen hit before the weekend.

Finance Minister Jun Azumi said Japan would take measures to slow the yen's acceleration if necessary, firing a shot at speculators who may be adding to the volatility.

The yen's sharp climb "does not reflect the real economy, and we have to believe that this is a speculative move," Azumi told reporters, according to Kyodo News agency. "If this goes further, then we will take decisive action."

His comments did little to stem selling in export-reliant sectors like high-tech and autos, which are now also struggling with lost production to the flooding in Thailand. Toyota Motor Corp. fell 1.6 percent, and Canon Inc. was down 1.4 percent.

Elsewhere, South Korea's Kospi lost 0.3 percent to 1,892.64, and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.6 percent to 4,230.50.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose 0.5 percent to 18,873.10. Benchmarks in India, Taiwan, New Zealand also advanced modestly.

Thailand's SET index was 2 percent higher at 934.58, even though the country is being battered by its worst flood in decades. Ratings agency Moody's says it does not expect the floods ? the worst to hit Thailand in decades ? to affect its creditworthiness.

"The government will have ample fiscal space to absorb flood-related costs without prompting a permanent deterioration in its debt ratios," Moody's said in a report.

Overnight in New York, the Dow Jones industrial average finished with a gain of 104.83 points, or 0.9 percent, at 11,913.62.

The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index rose to 1,254.19, marking the highest close for the S&P 500 since Aug. 3, just as Washington was resolving a showdown over raising the country's borrowing limit.

In currencies, the dollar rose slightly to 76.14 yen from 76.07 yen late Monday in New York. The euro stood at $1.3904 from $1.3951.

Benchmark crude for December delivery was up 52 cents at $91.79 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose $3.87, or 4.4 percent, to settle at $91.27 in New York on Monday.

Brent crude was down 5 cents at $111.40 a barrel on the ICE Futures Exchange in London.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/stocks/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111025/ap_on_re_as/world_markets

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NATO tries to remove Kosovo Serb roadblocks (AP)

MITROVICA, Kosovo ? NATO-led peacekeepers tried to remove roadblocks in northern Kosovo on Saturday, but were prevented by Serbs guarding the blockade that has paralyzed travel in the tense region.

The troops in full riot gear tried overnight to push through three of the 16 roadblocks formed from vehicles, rocks, mud and logs. But they were met by hundreds of Serbs who sat on the roads to stop the advance.

No force was used and no injuries were reported during the tense six-hour standoff.

Kosovo Serbs have been blocking roads to stop the country's ethnic Albanian leadership from extending its control over the part of the country populated mostly by ethnic Serbs.

Serbs reject Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence and consider the region a part of neighboring Serbia. They say the peacekeepers are biased against them.

The NATO-led troops say they want to establish freedom of movement for all citizens and ensure supply of their troops stationed in Kosovo.

In July, ethnic Albanian authorities deployed their security forces to two border posts in northern Kosovo to enforce a trade ban with Serbia. Serbs reacted by blocking roads and triggering clashes with Kosovo police that left one police officer dead.

Kosovo Serb leaders say they are willing to negotiate free passage for the 5,500-strong peacekeeping force ? known as KFOR ? but only if it doesn't transport Kosovo officials.

"As long as KFOR tries to deploy Kosovo authorities in the north of Kosovo by force, freedom of movement is impossible," said Kosovo Serb official Slavisa Ristic.

The Serb officials later met Kosovo's NATO commander and the head of the 3,000-strong European Union rule of law mission ? known as EULEX ? but failed to resolve the deadlock.

"We expect freedom of movement to be re-established for everyone so that people can go about their normal daily lives without restrictions," the head of EULEX, Xavier bout de Marnhac, said after the meeting.

"People want freedom of movement and the rule of law," he said. "Those who put up the roadblocks should bring them down."

On Friday, the commander of NATO-led peacekeepers in Kosovo Maj. Gen. Erhard Drews again told Serbs to remove their roadblocks, warning that otherwise force would have to be used.

___

Dusan Stojanovic contributed to this report from Belgrade.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111022/ap_on_re_eu/eu_kosovo_tense_north

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World stocks up on hopes of debt crisis resolution (AP)

MILAN ? World markets rose Monday as European leaders worked their way toward a long-awaited plan to fight the continent's 2-year-old debt crisis and China and Japan posted strong economic data.

European leaders failed to make tough decisions over the weekend, but pledged to unveil concrete plans by Wednesday. They are likely to include measures to recapitalize the region's banks, which are expected to accept steep losses on Greek debt, as well as boosting the eurozone bailout fund.

"All eyes are very much on European leaders' attempts to find a workable solution to the ongoing debt crisis," said Stan Shamu of IG Markets. He noted "encouraging signs of progress emerging over the weekend" helped boost early trading in stock markets."

Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi ? who received stern words from the French and German leaders over the weekend ? has convened his Cabinet to come up with a package of plausible growth measures by Wednesday, as demanded by EU leaders. Italy is seen as the next likely victim in the debt crisis, but the third largest eurozone economy would be too expensive to bail out.

Confidence-building measures will be sorely needed as European economic indicators continue to point downwards.

A key survey on Monday showed that activity in the eurozone's private sector fell more than expected in October. Momentum in both manufacturing and services continued to weaken, with the so-called purchasing managers' index falling to 47.3 and 47.2 respectively. A figure below 50 denotes contraction.

Economists said it showed that overall economic contraction was possible in the eurozone in the fourth quarter, but traders largely overlooked the report to focus on the likelihood that a European crisis plan would be ready by another leaders' summit on Wednesday.

Britain's FTSE 100 gained 0.5 percent to 5,518.15 and Germany's DAX added 0.8 percent to 6,018.27. France's CAC-40 gained 0.3 percent to 3,179.16.

Wall Street was headed for another day of gains, with Dow Jones industrial average futures up 0.2 percent at 11,783 and S&P 500 futures rising 0.3 percent to 1,238.30.

Investor sentiment remains fragile, however, according to analysts at Credit Agricole CIB.

"Markets will remain nervous ahead of Wednesday's EU summit, hoping that officials can settle their differences and emerge with a concrete solution. In this respect, the risk of disappointment is high," the analysts told clients in a research note on Monday.

Asian shares closed with solid gains earlier in the day as economic data from Japan and China showed a measure of strength.

Japan's Nikkei 225 index added 1.9 percent to close at 8,843.98 after the government said exports grew for a second straight month in September. The country's trade suffered a five-month decline in the wake of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated northeast Japan.

Mainland Chinese shares rose after HSBC said its preliminary China Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index, which measures industrial production, rose to 51.1 in October from 49.9 in September. A result above 50 indicates expansion but the preliminary indicator is often subject to substantial revision.

In currencies, the euro rose to $1.3867 from $1.3864 Friday in New York. The dollar rose to 76.17 yen from 76.12 yen.

Benchmark crude for December delivery was up 45 cents at $87.85 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose $1.33 to settle at $87.40 in New York on Friday.

Brent crude was up 58 cents at $110.14 a barrel on the ICE Futures Exchange in London.

____

Pamela Sampson contributed from Bangkok.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/japan/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111024/ap_on_bi_ge/world_markets

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Perry: Obama is endangering troops

Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry walks to a truck Saturday Oct. 22, 2011, before a hunting trip near Merrill, Iowa.

(Credit: AP Photo/Dave Weaver) Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry accused President Obama Saturday of endangering U.S. troops by announcing plans to end the nation's military role in Iraq by Christmas.

"The last thing you want to do is put those men and women's lives in peril, and I think that's what the president's done by making a political statement to his base that he's going to be out of Iraq by a date certain," Perry said.

The Texas governor, who had joined a number of his Republican rivals in criticizing the president's planned troop withdrawal on Friday, got more pointed as he spoke to reporters in Iowa, where Perry was joining one of the state's Republican members of Congress, Steve King, on a pheasant hunt.

Perry, an Air Force veteran who noted that he was also "commander in chief of a fairly substantial group of individuals in the National Guard of Texas," called Mr. Obama's decision "bad public policy" and "bad tactics."

"He needs to be working with the commanders on a timetable to remove those troops, but obviously not telling the bad guys when it's going to happen," he added.

Continuing the fight he started at the presidential debate Wednesday with GOP rival Mitt Romney over immigration, Perry accused the former Massachusetts governor of being "part of the problem" by adding to "the magnet of jobs" that attracts foreigners to move to the United States illegally.

The reference was to Romney's hire of a lawn care company that later was found to be employing illegal immigrants.

Perry also minced no words on another politically sensitive issue: The outcome of Saturday's football game between the Iowa State University Cyclones and his alma mater, Texas A&M University.

"When my beloved Texas Aggies are playing, I'm on the sidelines rooting for the Aggies," said Perry, who as a student served as a "yell" leader at A&M games but who is actually scheduled to be meeting voters when the two teams kick off. "Even standing in Iowa. I'm not going to be one of those people that roll into Iowa and say, 'Yeah, I'm for the Cyclones because I'm running for office.' People see through that real quick."

Perry is the first of two Republican presidential hopefuls that King, an outspoken conservative, is escorting to the weekend pheasant hunt. On Sunday, ex-Sen. Rick Santorum will join the congressman.

King said he's not ready to endorse any of the candidates. "I respect them all and I just want to encourage them all to engage in this race," he said.


Source: http://feeds.cbsnews.com/~r/CBSNewsMain/~3/UPbIHAms3zc/

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RolePlayGateway is proudly powered by obscene amounts of caffeine, duct tape, Wordpress, Moodle, phpBB, AJAX Chat, Mantis, and the efforts of many dedicated writers and roleplayers. It operates under a "don't like it, suggest an improvement" platform, and we gladly take suggestions for improvements or changes.

The custom-built "roleplay" system was designed and implemented by Eric Martindale as of July 2009. All attempts to replicate or otherwise emulate this system and its method of organizing roleplay are strictly prohibited without his express written and contractual permission; violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

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How to set up iOS 5 Twitter integration for iPhone or iPad

If you’re new to iPhone or iPad and have just gotten started with iOS 5, you might be wondering how to set up the new Twitter integration feature. It gives you the ability to tweet directly from Photos, YouTube, Safari, Maps, and any other third party applications that request...

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Gaddafi Dead: NATO DId Not Know Colonel Was In Bombed Sirte Convoy

BRUSSELS -- NATO said its commanders were not aware that Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi was in a convoy that NATO bombed as it fled Sirte, as NATO's governing body gathered Friday to decide how to end its bombing campaign in Libya.

The success of NATO's seven-month military operation in Libya has helped reinvigorate the Cold War alliance and polished the reputation of France and Britain, the two countries that drove it forward. Analysts attributed its success to the fact that NATO remained steadfast over the summer during a long and grinding stalemate against Gadhafi loyalists and avoided the temptation to send ground troops into Libya.

In a statement Friday, the alliance said an initial Thursday morning strike was aimed at a convoy of approximately 75 armed vehicles leaving Sirte, the Libyan city defended by Gadhafi loyalists. One vehicle was destroyed, which resulted in the convoy's dispersal.

Another jet then engaged approximately 20 vehicles that were driving at great speed toward the south, destroying or damaging about 10 of them.

"We later learned from open sources and allied intelligence that Gadhafi was in the convoy and that the strike likely contributed to his capture," the statement said.

After Libya's former rebels killed Gadhafi on Thursday, officials said they expected the aerial operation to end very soon. But the North Atlantic Council may also decide to keep air patrols flying for several more days until the security situation on the ground stabilizes.

The final decision will depend on the recommendation of Adm. Jim Stavridis, the supreme allied commander, and the Military Committee, the highest military organ.

NATO's Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says the end of the campaign "has now moved much closer." He has also hailed the success of the mission, saying that it demonstrated that the alliance continues to play an "indispensable" role in confronting current and future security challenges.

NATO warplanes have flown about 26,000 sorties, including over 9,600 strike missions. They destroyed Libya's air defenses and over 1,000 tanks, vehicles and guns, as well as Gadhafi's command and control networks.

The daily airstrikes finally broke the stalemate that developed after Gadhafi's initial attempts failed to crush the rebellion that broke out in February. In August, the rebels began advancing on Tripoli, with the NATO warplanes providing close air support and destroying any attempts by the defenders to block them.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Friday that "the operation has reached its end." But how to draw down the campaign will be decided "with our allies and also with input from the (interim government)."

But in London, Britain suggested that NATO may not immediately complete its mission in Libya, wary over the potential reprisal attacks by remaining Gadhafi loyalists.

"NATO will now meet to decide when the mission is complete, and once we are satisfied that there is no further threat to the Libyan civilians and the Libyans are content, NATO will then arrange to wind up the operation," British Defense Secretary Philip Hammond told BBC radio.

Sarkozy, British Prime Minister David Cameron and President Barack Obama discussed the NATO campaign in a video conference late Thursday.

"They discussed the need to maintain the NATO-led operation while a threat remained to civilian life," a spokeswoman for Cameron's office said, on customary condition of anonymity.

___

Associated Press writers Elaine Ganley in Paris and David Stringer in London contributed to this report.

___

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