NATO secretary-general Angers Fogh Rasmussen has announced that NATO will be increasing the presence of its maritime assets in the central Mediterranean, and to "direct NATO military authorities to begin detailed planning with regard to supporting humanitarian operations", as well as more active work on enforcing an arms embargo.

Rasmussen was speaking at a meeting in Brussels, where NATO leaders also decided that the military alliance would only act if it had "a clear legal mandate" and "strong regional support".

Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher reports from Brussels, Belgium.