France does rebels a disservice

By recognising the rebels' council in Libya and presenting plans for military intervention French President Nicolas Sarkozy is putting the cart before the horse, writes the left-liberal daily Der Standard: "No doubt one major incentive for Sarkozy's action was to polish France's faded image in North Africa - and to get out of his own personal slump in domestic politics. The question of a military operation has dogged him for days now: at the start of the week he was still rejecting the idea of a no-fly zone on the grounds that the West 'couldn't afford another Afghanistan'. Now he seems to have changed his mind completely, and this all has a very improvised air to it. Quick decisions are sometimes necessary in times of war. But it would doubtless be better for the EU members to first agree on how to deal with this emergency before plans are made public. Providing the wrong kind of help can only work against the rebels."

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