A government motion seeking Parliament’s approval for the mission was presented to Parliament on Wednesday and is expected to be discussed in Parliament today. NATO military officer Brig. Gen. Pierre St. Amand said naval operation Unified Protector “is now under way” with six vessels involved on the first day of patrols. Turkey is an integral part of the naval blockade, he said at a news briefing in Brussels. St. Amand said the NATO mission was authorized to use armed force to enforce the embargo. Turkey, which has vowed never to send combat forces to fight Libyans, said it was ready to send frigates to help enforce the arms embargo and help distribute humanitarian aid to Libyans. Outlining contributions from member states, St. Amand said the alliance had offers of 16 ships to implement the decision to launch a mission undertaken by NATO on Tuesday. He said the ships included a command-and-control ship from Italy; 10 frigates, including four from Turkey and one each from Britain, Spain, Greece, Italy, Canada and the United States; submarines from Spain, Italy and Turkey; and auxiliary ships from Italy and Turkey.
