Arab League Chief Says Group 'Respects' U.N Action after Criticizing Coalition

The head of the Arab League said on Monday that the group respected the U.N. resolution authorizing military action in Libya, a day after criticizing the coalition of nations which has been bombing Iraq since Saturday.

On Sunday, Amr Moussa, who heads the league, criticized the bombing assaults of Libya by British, French and American jets, saying casualties among civilians had occurred.

On Sunday, Vice Adm. Bill Gortney, Director of the Joint Staff, said the U.S. Defense Department had no indications of civilian casualties.

The Libyan government has claimed 48 people were killed.

[The Arab League] respects the U.N. Security Council resolution, and there is no contradiction, Amr Moussa told reporters

We will continue working to protect civilians, and we will ask everybody to take this into consideration in any military operation, he added.We have received assurances that these issues, especially the protection of civilians, will remain a unanimous goal for the U.N. and the Arab League.

The Arab league is a voluntary group of 22 Arab nations. The group includes some of the largest Arab nations in the middle East and northern Africa including Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia.

The head of the six-nation gulf Cooperation Council on Monday would not clarify the role of Qatar or the United Arab Emirates in Libyan operation, according to the Associated Press. On Sunday, French Defense Ministry spokesman Laurent Teisseire, said Qatari planes would join French ones on establishing a no-fly zone over Libya.

British, French and American jets conducted bombing and attack operations over the country on Sunday to enforce a no-fly zone meant to stop leader Muammar Gaddafi's forces from killing civilians.