“My hope is that these operations will have such an initial force that they decisively change the political situation in the country. And in that respect I think that the next few days are the most crucial,” Bildt wrote in his blog on Saturday night.

Bildt thinks that the effects of the military intervention will be visible in a week’s time. By then it will be possible to discern whether the intervention can change into a more political stage or if further military action is needed.

According to Bildt the threat against the civilian population of Benghazi has now decreased considerably. He wrote that Benghazi would never have been an easy match, as the city has historically always been against Qaddafi. The military action by the Western powers has made it even more difficult.

“My guess is that Qaddafi now will attempt to consolidate control over the areas he is more or less already controlling,” Bildt wrote in his blog Saturday evening.