Brazilian Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota on Thursday criticized NATO's air strike campaign in Libya, saying it went beyond the spirit of the UN Security Council resolution authorizing the action.

"In the case of Libya, there is a gap between what was authorized by the Security Council and NATO's action," Patriota said in an editorial published in the Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo.

"The international order is not strengthened by liberal interpretations of Security Council mandates," said the foreign minister, whose country is currently a non-permanent member of the council.

"The use of force can only be considered as a measure of last resort," he wrote.

In March, the council authorized NATO military action to defend Libya's civilian population from attacks by Moamer Kadhafi's regime.

Rebels launched their battle in March to wrest power from the strongman, who ruled the North African country for more than four decades but is now a fugitive.

Libya is now under the control of a rebel interim government.

Patriota said Brazil condemned the "violations" committed by the regimes in Libya and in Syria, and said his government supported the movement for "more freedom of expression and political progress" in the Arab world.

Related Links

Tweet