Six Belgian F-16 fighter jets are currently stationed at the Greek air base of Araxos, near the city of Patras. The fighter jets together with a frigate in the Mediterranean Sea have been deployed in the context of a possible NATO military intervention against Libya. The Belgian government is ready to participate in a military action in Libya NATO umbrella, European Affairs Minister Oliver Chastel said Friday. The government decided to “tell NATO that we are available, offer what we have and wait for a common command” Chastel told reporters after a government meeting (AFP ). It has not been revealed when the F-16 arrived in Greece.
Prime Minister and Socialist International President George Papandreou departed for Paris on Saturday in order to attend a meeting organised by French President Nicolas Sarkozy to discuss the UN Security Council resolution for Libya.
A warplane crashed in flames in a residential area of Benghazi (photo), triggering celebratory gunfire from the rebels, but an insurgent commander later admitted it was one of theirs and had been shot down by Gaddafi’s forces.
The pilot ejected from the aircraft, which was initially identified as a Russian-built MiG-23 fighter but said later to have been a French-made Mirage.
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