This article is more than 9 years old

This article is more than 9 years old

Germany's foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle, has declared the country remains strongly opposed to air strikes against Muammar Gaddafi's forces or any other military intervention in Libya.

Speaking to the Guardian, Westerwelle warned the results of western military intervention were "unpredictable" and could have consequences for freedom movements in the Arab world.

"Your own instinct is to say 'We have to do something.' But military intervention is to take part in a civil war that could go on for a long time.

"Germany has a strong friendship with our European partners. But we won't take part in any military operation and I will not send German troops to Libya."

Westerwelle said other options could be used against Libya including "targeted sanctions, political pressure and international isolation".

"Considering alternatives to military engagement is not the same as doing nothing," he said. He declined to say how Germany would vote this evening at the UN security council.

Westerwelle's comments reveal the gaping divisions within the European Union on how to deal with the fast-moving situation in Benghazi and the relentless advance of pro-government forces. Britain, France and the US are pushing for a no-fly zone to protect civilians but the Germans remain deeply sceptical.

"The military solution seems so simple but is not so simple. It's risky and dangerous," Westerwell said. "We are concerned about the effects on freedom movements in north Africa and the Arab world. We admired the jasmine revolution in Tunisia ... but we want these freedom movements to be strengthened, not weakened."