Gates: Libya Not A "Vital Interest" For The U.S.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Sunday that Libya is not a “vital interest” to the U.S.

“I don’t think it’s a vital interest for the United States, but we clearly have interests there, and it’s a part of the region which is a vital interest for the United States,” Gates said during an appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who appeared alongside Gates, added that the ongoing intervention in the country was a top concern for the international community.

“When it comes to Libya, we started hearing from the UK, France, Italy, other of our NATO allies.  This was in their vital national interest,” Clinton said. “The UK and France were the ones who went to the Security Council and said, ‘We have to act because otherwise we’re seeing a really violent upheaval with a man who has a history of unpredictable violent acts right on our doorstep.’”