Nato head says Libya 'will not be safe until Gaddafi goes'

Nato's secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen says civilians will not be safe in Libya until Colonel Gaddafi is removed from power.

But speaking after a meeting of Nato foreign ministers in Berlin, Mr Fogh Rasmussen reiterated that NATO was strictly conforming to the UN mandate to protect civilians, and 'regime change' was not part of their operation.

Earlier, in an open letter the British, French and American leaders insisted Colonel Gaddafi had to go. Mr Rasmussen said although he was not consulted about the letter, he was happy with what it said.