Qatar flies first Arab sortie over Libya

TRIPOLI, Libya -- Tiny Qatar became the first Arab country to fly combat missions over Libya on Friday after NATO agreed to take command of the no-fly zone part of air operations against Moammar Gadhafi's regime.

French and British jets struck Libyan military targets around a besieged eastern city, as talks in the Ethiopian capital to find a way out of the crisis produced a statement from the Libyan government delegation saying the country was ready to talk with rebels and accept political reform, possibly including elections.

The Qatari fighter jet flew its first sortie alongside a French jet on Friday, and the United Arab Emirates pledged 12 warplanes to the effort to thwart Gadhafi. The international effort has no other countries from the Arab League, a 22-member group that was among the driving forces behind the UN Security Council decision to impose a no-fly zone over Libya.

"Qatar has been a great ally from Day One," said Mustafa Gheriani, spokesman for opposition Benghazi city council.

The United States has provided millions of dollars in equipment to many of the league's countries, including Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

Meanwhile in Washington, the White House announced that President Barack Obama on Monday will offer Americans and Congress his most expansive explanation of the U.S. role in the Libyan war, delivering a speech that is expected to cover the path ahead and his rationale about the appropriate use of force.

Britain's senior military spokesman said the mission was succeeding.

"We have not been able to stop all Col. Gadhafi's attacks, and we would never pretend that we could," Maj. Gen. John Lorimer told reporters in London Friday.