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Libya and the suspicious rush to war

March 21, 2011

Allied forces carrying out air strikes in Libya say Colonel Muammar Gaddafi himself is not a target, despite an overnight attack against his compound. The chief of UK armed forces said attacks on Libya’s leader were “not allowed” under a UN resolution calling for the protection of Libyan civilians. And a French spokesman said that even if the Libyan leader’s exact location was known, he would not be fired on. Col Gaddafi has been fighting a rebellion that broke out last month. On Sunday UK Defence Secretary Liam Fox said targeting Col Gaddafi could “potentially be a possibility”. But on Monday Britain’s Chief of Defence Staff, Sir David Richards, said he was “absolutely not” a target. “It’s not allowed under the UN resolution,” he added. The document, approved by the Security Council last week, authorises “all necessary measures” to protect civilians from pro-Gaddafi forces – including a no-fly zone.

A French defence ministry spokesman, Laurent Tesseire, also said the aim of the strikes was solely to protect civilians and Col Gaddafi himself was not a target. Asked by French radio whether the Libyan leader would be fired on if his exact whereabouts was known, he said: “The answer to that is no.” The comments came after a second night of US-led action in Libya. Ten to 12 missiles were fired, a spokesman for the US Africa Command said. In Tripoli, Col Gaddafi’s sprawling Bab al-Aziziya complex was hit. Western journalists taken to the compound were shown a ruined building. An official from one of the coalition countries, who asked not to be named, told journalists the strike had destroyed Col Gaddafi’s “command and control capability”.

It is not known whether the colonel was there at the time of the bombing. The action against Col Gaddafi began on Saturday with French air strikes in the east. A barrage of cruise missiles, launched from US and British surface ships and submarines followed. On Sunday US Navy Vice Admiral William Gortney said the coalition had control of the air space between Tripoli and the main rebel stronghold, Benghazi in the east. “The no-fly zone is effectively in place,” he said. He added that ground forces moving on rebel positions were also open to attack.

Libya and the suspicious rush to war

march 12, 2011

The House of Commons is debating the government stance on UN resolution 1973, having been invited to give its approval or withhold it. It’s a bit late, as the prime minister made a statement to the Commons on Friday and within 24 hours the bombing had started. We are presented with a fait accompli. The debate, however, takes place against a background of growing concerns about the nature of the military operation, the intensity of the air strikes, the implications for the whole region, and the real motive behind the Arab League in calling for this in the first place. India is the first country to publicly call for a cessation of air strikes. Others are likely to follow. UN security council resolution 1973 was heavily trailed as a no-fly-zone resolution. Like most UN resolutions it is very long. It specifically welcomed the appointment of the UN special envoy Abdel-Elah Mohamed Al-Khatib and in its proposals under chapter 7 of the UN charter (mandatory for all member states) demanded a ceasefire, stressed the need to find a solution to the conflict through the UN special envoy, and demanded that the Libyan authorities fulfil their international obligations under humanitarian law.

It’s not until one reaches point 6 of the resolution that the no-fly zone is mentioned, and even then it requests the secretary general to inform the security council of any actions taken in support of the no-fly zone. The rest of the resolution talks of the arms embargo, the asset freeze and the appointment of a panel of experts to consider the operation of this resolution and the implications for international law. The attacks on Libya take place with no assurance that depleted uranium weapons will be banned from the operation and come only a few weeks after Britain stopped trading with Libya and training Libyan security officials. I welcome the popular demands all across the region, including Libya, for accountable government and an economic strategy that provides full employment for the burgeoning young populations. But abuses of human rights by Gaddafi’s government didn’t start three weeks ago, as any one of the Libyan opposition will attest, and a blind eye was turned to this when Libya said it was no longer developing weapons of mass destruction and British oil companies were encouraged by Tony Blair to strike long-term agreements.

The most likely outcome of this ghastly period is many more deaths, the long-term effects of depleted uranium (if it is being used), and the partition of Libya. With this strategy it is quite conceivable that the east of Libya will be partitioned into a client state centred upon Benghazi, and the west will be a pariah state led by Gaddafi. One can’t help but be struck by the rush to military involvement by politicians of all countries and all persuasions. The contrast with the western treatment of the rest of the region could not be more stark. The Palestinian people have lived with occupation for 60 years, well over 1,000 died in Gaza during Operation Cast Lead, settlements abound and Israel possesses nuclear weapons. I can’t remember anyone calling for a no-fly zone in Gaza in winter 2008-09 when phosphorous bombs were used against a largely unarmed and defenceless civilian population.

Saudi Arabia is the world’s biggest oil exporter, and the biggest importer of arms from Britain and other countries. The importance of Saudi Arabia to western economic interests cannot be overstated, otherwise why would Blair take such an extraordinary decision as to suspend the Serious Fraud Office investigation into the BAE contracts with Saudi Arabia? Britain is up to its neck in supporting the Saudi monarchy with all the denial of human rights and aggression that the regime has shown toward its opponents. Saudi armed forces have crossed into Yemen in recent times, and last week entered Bahrain to support the king in his suppression of democratic protest. News today of huge demonstrations and growing isolation of the Yemeni president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, looks like almost a replay of what happened in Tunisia. I asked a young activist in Tunis just a few weeks ago if their revolution was asking for western help, his reply was: “No, we will do it ourselves; the problem with the west is, it never knows when to leave.”

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French jets resume Libya sorties

March 20, 2011

French jets have launched a second day of operations over Libya to enforce a no-fly zone against Col Muammar Gaddafi’s forces. The 15 planes patrolled Libyan airspace but did not open fire because they met no resistance, a spokesman said. TV pictures from the capital, Tripoli, later showed anti-aircraft fire. Some of it was near Col Gaddafi’s residence, the AFP news agency reported. France also says Qatar is to about to deploy four planes to the operation. The move would make Qatar the first Arab country to play an active part in the campaign against Col Gaddafi, who has been battling a month-long revolt. Spain, Italy, Denmark and Norway have also committed more military assets. Allied forces fired more than 120 missiles against Libyan targets, mostly air defences, on Saturday night. Policy criticised The head of the Arab League, who supported the idea of a no-fly zone, has criticised the severity of the bombardment. “What is happening in Libya differs from the aim of imposing a no-fly zone, and what we want is the protection of civilians and not the bombardment of more civilians,” said Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa.

Arab League support was a key factor in getting UN Security Council backing for the resolution authorising the move. The BBC’s Jonathan Head, in Cairo, says this looks like a worrying crack in the coalition. Western governments are counting on at least symbolic participation by the air forces of some Arab states, he adds. In a news conference on Sunday, a Libyan military spokesman said its armed forces had ordered a ceasefire across the entire country, beginning at 2100 local time (1900 GMT). However, the BBC’s Allan Little in Tripoli says the government had been insisting that its troops were already observing a ceasefire order made on Friday. Despite Friday’s announcement, our correspondent adds, pro-Gaddafi troops have tried to enter Benghazi and have been in action at Misrata. A rebel spokesman in Misrata told the BBC that pro-Gaddafi forces had launched fresh attacks on Sunday with heavy shelling.

Meanwhile, US military chief Adm Mike Mullen said the initial coalition raids on Libya on Saturday night had been “successful”. US fighter planes and B-2 stealth bombers were involved, Pentagon officials said. Cruise missiles hit at least 20 air-defence sites in the capital, Tripoli, and the western city of Misrata, they said. After an attack by French planes near the rebel-held city of Benghazi, some 14 bodies were lying near destroyed military vehicles, Reuters reported. Libyan TV has broadcast footage it says showed some of the 150 people it claims were wounded in the attacks. It said 48 people had been killed. There was no independent confirmation of the deaths and Western officials said such claims should be treated with caution.

Libya air strikes: Allies claim Gaddafi’s attacks halted by missile barrage

March 20, 2011

Western allies unleashed a ferocious series of air and missile strikes against Muammar Gaddafi’s military as they mounted Operation Odyssey Dawn, the biggest assault on an Arab regime since the invasion of Iraq in 2003. The barrage has effectively established a no-fly zone over Libya, halting an offensive by Gaddafi’s forces against rebels in Benghazi, said Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff. “Operations [on Saturday] went very well,” Mullen said on NBC. “He [Gaddafi] hasn’t had aircraft or helicopters flying the last couple days. So effectively, that no-fly zone has been put in place.” Military officials are still assessing the damage after more than 110 Tomahawk cruise missiles were fired from US and British ships and submarines in the Mediterranean, targeting dozens of tanks, radar warning systems, surface-to-air missile launchers and communications centres.

Navy vice admiral William E Gortney, director of the Pentagon’s joint staff, said officials were now reviewing satellite images to confirm the damage was extensive enough to allow the launch of air patrols to enforce a no-fly zone. Tornado jets based in Norfolk took part in the air strikes, making it the RAF’s longest-range bombing mission since the Falklands war. On the road south of Benghazi, which had been attacked by Gaddafi’s forces just hours earlier, a convoy of armoured vehicles was destroyed in an air strike before dawn on Sunday. Strewn across the road lay the remains of five tanks and a rocket launcher. Half a dozen pickup trucks were consumed in a fireball and a flatbed truck was still in flames. Amid the wreckage lay dozens of bodies, some reduced to chunks of flesh. State television said 48 people had died and 150 people were wounded in the attacks.

In a live address on Sunday, Gaddafi struck a defiant tone, claiming the air strikes were “simply a colonial crusader aggression that may ignite another large-scale crusader war”. Speaking from his bunker by telephone on state television, he said: “We are not afraid of your rockets or your air raids. We do not fear you. You were defeated in Somalia, in Lebanon, in Iraq. You were beaten by Bin Laden. We will defend our honour, our families, our homeland. We are ready for a long war.” The air strikes took place less than 48 hours after the United Nations authorised the use of “all necessary force” to protect civilians from Gaddafi’s brutal attempts to regain control of his country. The patience of the international community finally ran out as Gaddafi’s troops pounded the rebel stronghold of Benghazi, hours after the Libyan dictator had promised a full ceasefire and invited foreign officials to monitor it.

Powerful explosions heard to the west of the capital were thought to be an attack on a radar station, part of the country’s air defence system. A government spokesman said military and civilian locations had been hit. Libyan television reported that the air forces of what it called the “crusader enemy” had hit a hospital on the outskirts of Tripoli. Targets in Zuwara, Misrata, Sirte and Benghazi were also hit, it said. The Jana news agency reported that ambulances were rushing to take casualties to hospitals, but there were no air-raid sirens or overt signs of a country under bombardment. Traffic continued to flow as normal in Tripoli, with many vehicles flying the green flags of Libya and passengers screaming pro-Gaddafi slogans. A large crowd of Gaddafi supporters waving flags and portraits of the leader gathered outside his house in Tripoli, in an apparent move to discourage foreign air strikes. The US president, Barack Obama, said: “Make no mistake. Today we are part of a broad coalition. We are answering the calls of a threatened people.”

US commander warns of Libya stalemate

March 20, 2011

Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, has said the military operation in Libya called for by the UN Security Council is not aimed at regime change – adding that a “stalemate” could well exist, leaving Muammar Gaddafi in power. The 64-year-old admiral also said that no-fly zone had “effectively been established”, as Gaddafi’s planes had not taken to the skies following Saturday’s overnight shelling of dozens of targets in northern Libya. Anti-aircraft fire was also heard in the Libyan capital on Sunday night, indicating a second wave of incoming jets.  Tracer rounds and machine-gun fire was also heard, though there has been no confirmation yet of further attacks. “In the first 24 hours, operations have established the no-fly zone. French air planes are over Benghazi as we speak and will do that on a 24/7 basis. The operations have taken out some ground forces near Benghazi, taken out air defences, some of his control nodes, some of his airfields, I don’t have all damage assessments, but so far [it's been] very very effective,” he said.

Gaddafi “was attacking Benghazi and we are there to stop that … we are ending his ability to attack us from the ground, so he will not continue to execute his own people.” Mullen, the most senior officer in the US military, denied that any civilians had been killed in the bombardment, which saw some 110 cruise missiles being shot from American naval vessels in the Mediterranean sea. Libyan state TV has reported that death toll from the air strikes has risen to more than 60. It’s understood that 20 of 22 Libyan targets were hit in the overnight assault, “with varying levels of damage”, a military source told Reuters. Mullen also said the US would be handing command of the operation to “a coalition” of militaries, with support coming from the Arab world, as well as NATO members.”There are forces, airplanes in particular from Qatar, who are moving into position as we speak. There are other countries who have committed – I’d rather have them publicly announce that commitment.

“It was a significant point when the Arab League voted against this guy. This is a colleague [of theirs], and we’ve had a significant number of coalition countries who’ve come together to provide capability.” Amr Moussa, secretary-general of the Arab League, said on Sunday that when the organisation endorsed a no-fly zone “what we wanted was the protection of civilians and not the bombardment of more civilians”. Hours after the international coalition launched air attacks on his forces, Muammar Gaddafi, the longtime Libyan leader, responded pugnaciously, vowing to defeat foreigners who he said had no right to interfere in the North African nation’s internal affairs. In a roughly 15-minute address on Sunday, his second since the air raids began and during which he never appeared on screen, Gaddafi promised a “long war” that his forces would win. The promise to fight came after Libyan foreign minister Musa Kousa responded to a United Nations resolution authorising force to protect civilians by promising to institute a cease fire. A second ceasefire was announced by a military spokesman on Sunday evening.

“We will fight for every square in our land,” Gaddafi said. “We will die as martyrs.” Gaddafi, the de-facto leader of the country for more than four decades, declared that Libyan “people are behind me and ready for all-out war”, and repeated his claim that his regime had “opened the depots” and distributed weapons among the populace. He drew allusions to other US-led wars, including Vietnam, as well as the Crusades, saying that air attacks by French, US and British forces amounted to a “cold war” on Islam. He also promised retribution against Libyans who sided with the foreign intervention. “We will fight and we will target any traitor who is co-operating with the Americans or with the Christian Crusade,” he said. Gaddafi mentioned the wars in Vietnam and Iraq, as well as the bloody US intervention in Somalia and the ongoing campaign to capture or kill al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. All, he said, were examples of the kind of defeat the US was about to endure in Libya. “You don’t learn,” he said. “You’re always going to be destroyed.”

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Airstrikes begin on Libya targets

The US has also launched cruise missiles from ships based in the Mediterrannean Sea, and has taken the lead in military operations during the first phase, Kimberly Halkett, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Washington DC reported. The action marks the first international military moves against the Libyan leader, and it comes a day after the UN Security Council authorised a no-fly zone over the North African country. In the first phase of the operation, named “Odyssey Dawn”, the US will target Libyan Integrated Missile Defence Systems, mainly near Tripoli and Misurata, officials said. French aircraft had initiated operations by targetting Libyan air fields. It is not clear when the second wave of operations will begin, but Al Jazeera’s Halkett reported that it would target Gaddafi’s ground forces and tanks. Other countries involved in military operations at this stage include Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Italy.

A spokesman for the French military had confirmed that his country’s fighter jets have attacked another vehicle belonging to Gaddafi’s forces. “The vehicle was clearly identified as being enemy,” army spokesman Colonel Thierry Burckhard said after the first UN-mandated air strike, describing the target as “a vehicle that was threatening the civilian population”. Alain Juppe, the French foreign minister, said that operations “will continue over the next few days” until the Gaddafi government complies with UN Resolution 1973. Libyan state television reported that civilian targets in Tripoli had been bombarded, as well as fuel stores in Misurata. The state news agency reported that there had been “civilian casualties as a result of this aggression”. The US says that no coalition military operations are currently planned for near the opposition stronghold of Benghazi. Earlier on Saturday, pro-government forces had entered the western outskirts of the city, while French Rafale and Mirage fighter jets began reconnaissance overflights of “all Libyan territory”.

Ahmad Shabani, a spokesman for the Libyan opposition’s national council, told Al Jazeera the opposition was heartened by the move. “We are very happy about that, hopefully it’s not late… and hopefully it makes a difference,” he said. Witnesses in Bengazi, in the east of the country, said they heard large explosions on Saturday. Al Jazeera’s correspondents in the city reported multiple explosions, plumes of smoke in the sky and a fighter jet belonging to the opposition getting shot down. Government troops reportedly bombed the southern Benghazi suburb of Goreshi among other places. Artillery and mortars were also fired in the centre of the city. Mustafa Abdel Jalil, head of the opposition National Libyan Council, told Al Jazeera “there is a bombardment by artillery and rockets on all districts of Benghazi”. James Bays, Al Jazeera”s correspondent in Benghazi, reported that while the air strikes by international planes were not evident, people were “cheered” by the report. He said, however, that there was a prevalent atmosphere of nervousness and fear, as well. The Libyan government firmly denied that it was attacking the city on Saturday. “There are no attacks whatesover on Benghazi. As we said, we are observing the ceasefire,” Musa Ibrahim, a government spokesman, told the Reuters news agency. Khaled Kaim, Libya’s deputy foreign minister, told the BBC “the ceasefire is real, credible and solid. We are willing to receive [international] observers as soon as possible”.

On Saturday, Moussa Khoussa, the foreign minister, requested Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations chief, to send observers to monitor the “ceasefire”, saying that his country has “fulfilled all of its obligations to the international community”. But Ibrahim Jibreel, a Libyan political activist, told Al Jazeera “we need to first consider the source” when receiving information about Libya. He said the government has “demonstrated their ability and willingness to lie time and time again”. Besides Benghazi, fresh fighting was reported on Saturday in the nearby town of Ajdabiyah, while fierce battles raged in the western town of Misurata. Reports also indicated that pro-Gaddafi forces had attacked the town of Az Zintan. Meanwhile, Abdel Fatah Younis, the former interior minister who left Gaddafi”s government to join the opposition, has denied reports on Libyan state television that he has rejoined the government. Ibrahim, the government spokesman, told reporters on Saturday that Gaddafi had sent urgent messages to the US president, the French president and the British prime minister, as well as the secretary-general of the UN.

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Mohammad Nabbous R I P

Mohammad Nabbous citizen reporter shot and killed during gaddafi attack on Benghazi

Wife’s stetement

http://www.livestream.com/libya17feb/video?clipId=pla_9745ec21-c64d-440f-abe7-a412e7db456d&utm_source=lslibrary&utm_medium=ui-thumb

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The former Libyan interior minister who defected to the opposition has denied returning to the government. Abdel Fatah Yunes told Al-Jazeera that he was still leading battlefield operations. Asked to comment on Libyan state TV pictures showing him embracing Colonel Gaddafi, he said: ”It is old footage. I’m sitting here in Benghazi.”

French military jets over Libya

March 19, 2011

French military jets have flown reconnaissance missions over “all Libyan territory” on Saturday, French military sources say. It is believed to be the first sign of intervention since the UN voted on Thursday for a no-fly zone over Libya. Western and Arab leaders have been meeting in Paris to agree a course of action. Pro-Gaddafi forces launched an assault on the Libyan rebel stronghold of Benghazi, a BBC journalist witnessed. However, the Libyan government has denied it is attacking. The French Rafale jets took off from their base at Saint-Dizier in eastern France, a military source told the Agence France-Presse news agency. The planes encountered no problems during the first few hours of their mission, the source said, and the flights will continue for the next several hours. The rebels’ leader has appealed to the international community to stop the bombardment by pro-Gaddafi forces. The new UN resolution authorised “all necessary measures” to protect Libyan civilians.

Pro-Gaddafi forces enter Benghazi

March 19, 2011

Pro-Gaddafi tanks are inside Libya’s rebel stronghold of Benghazi, a BBC journalist has witnessed, as the city came under attack. A jet appears to have been shot down over the city in spite of a declared ceasefire and a UN no-fly resolution. World leaders are due to meet in Paris to discuss military action. The rebel leader has appealed to the international community to stop the pro-Gaddafi bombardment, but the government denies claims of attacks. “Now there is a bombardment by artillery and rockets on all districts of Benghazi,” Mustafa Abdul Jalil told Al Jazeera television. “There will be a catastrophe if the international community does not implement the resolutions of the UN Security Council.

“We appeal to the international community, to the all the free world, to stop this tyranny from exterminating civilians.” UN Secretary General ban Ki-moon says the world must “speak with one voice” on Libya. The new UN resolution authorised “all necessary measures” to protect Libyan civilians. Getting ready Our correspondent saw the government tanks on a bridge inside Benghazi at around 1030 (0830 GMT), and reports suggested hundreds of people were fleeing the city eastwards as the fighting continued. Earlier, US President Barack Obama said forces loyal to Col Muammar Ghaddafi must stop attacking rebel areas or face military action. “Gaddafi must stop his troops from advancing on Benghazi, pull them back from Ajdabiya, Misrata and Zawiya and establish water, electricity and gas supplies to all areas,” he said on Friday.

But in line with the resolution, Mr Obama ruled out using US ground forces. On Friday, Col Gaddafi’s government declared a unilateral truce but there were reports that government offensives in rebel-held towns were continuing, and our correspondent says gunfire was also heard coming from the sea. He says the tanks on the streets are part of a government attempt to outflank the city. If Saturday’s fighting is confirmed as an attack by Col Gaddafi’s forces, it would be a very serious development and put more pressure on the international community to begin military action quickly, he adds. But a Libyan government spokesman said there had been “no attacks whatsoever on Benghazi”. “As we said, we are observing the ceasefire and we want international observers to come,” said the spokesman, Mussa Ibrahim.

“There are rebels attacking villages and towns trying to instigate outside military intervention.” Mr Mussa quoted a letter from Col Gaddafi to President Sarkozy of France, UK Prime Minister David Cameron and Mr Ki-moon saying the UN resolution had no authority because it was interfering in Libya’s internal affairs. “The Security Council is not authorised according to the UN charter to intervene in the internal affairs of any country,” read Mr Ibrahim. “This is injustice, it’s a clear aggression and it’s uncalculated risk for its consequences on the Mediterranean and Europe.” The Security Council vote called for an immediate ceasefire and endorsed the use of force – including a no-fly zone aimed at preventing pro-Gaddafi forces from bombing rebel-held towns.

The British and French, along with some Arab allies, are expected to play a leading role in any initial air strikes. The French ambassador to the UN, Gerard Araud, told the BBC that he expected military intervention within hours of Saturday’s summit. Mr Cameron – who is scheduled to meet Mr Sarkozy and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ahead of the summit – has said British war planes are being moved to bases in the region. “The clock is ticking and we must be ready to act quickly,” he said.

Libya: Jet shot down and shelling in Benghazi despite UN air strike threat

March 19, 2011

A fighter plane has been shot down and plunged into Benghazi after a night of large explosions and shelling in and around the Libyan rebel stronghold. Fighting has continued despite the regime declaring a ceasefire under threat of UN-backed air strikes. TV footage and photographs showed the fighter passing over, then bursting into flames and coming down with the pilot apparently ejecting. Reporters in the area confirmed the crash. There are accounts of troops entering Benghazi and the rebels putting up barricades. But the Libyan government said none of its forces were involved. “There are no attacks whatesover on Benghazi. As we said, we are observing the ceasefire and we want international observers to come,” Mussa Ibrahim, a spokesman, told Reuters.

“There are rebels attacking villages and towns trying to instigate outside military interverntion.” Muammar Gaddafi has been handed a “non-negotiable ultimatum” by Barack Obama to accept an immediate ceasefire, pull back from Libyan rebel strongholds and permit humanitarian assistance – or face the full onslaught of UN-endorsed air strikes. In an attempt to reassure Middle East opinion and his own domestic audience, Obama said the US would help to co-ordinate a no-fly-zone but not lead an operation that will include French, British and Arab jets. The US president issued his warning after Gaddafi’s foreign minister, Moussa Koussa, claimed he would accept a ceasefire in the wake of the UN security council resolution passed late on Thursday night authorising “all necessary measures short of an occupation force” to protect civilians. In a stark message, Obama said: “Muammar Gaddafi has a choice. The resolution that was passed lays out very clear conditions that must be met. The United States, the United Kingdom, France and Arab states agree that a ceasefire must be implemented immediately.”

Cameron said he had ordered British Tornado and Typhoon fighter jets to be deployed to bases in the region, along with air-refuelling equipment. He said: “This is not another Iraq. There will be no foreign occupation of Libya.” He maintained that military action would be in the national interest. “If Gaddafi’s attacks on his own people succeed, Libya will become once again a pariah state, festering on Europe’s border, a source of instability, exporting strife beyond her borders. A state from which literally hundreds of thousands of citizens could seek to escape, putting huge pressure on us in Europe. We cannot stand back and let a dictator whose people have rejected him kill his people indiscriminately. To do so would send a chilling signal to others.” Cameron said he had given his cabinet time to read legal advice from the attorney general, Dominic Grieve, setting out why a no-fly zone and other actions would be lawful. The cabinet was also addressed by the chief of the defence staff, Sir David Richards. A summary of the legal advice will be handed to MPs on Monday, when they will be asked to vote on a substantive motion to support military action.

Cameron won wide praise in the Commons, including support from the Labour leader, Ed Miliband, for his role in securing diplomatic support for a no-fly zone after it looked as if Britain and France were going to be left isolated. But the prime minister has been ambiguous about the extent to which his aim is to remove Gaddafi from power, and still faces questions on how long British pilots will have to police a no-fly zone if an impasse emerges on the ground. He said: “It is almost impossible to envisage a future for Libya that includes him [Gaddafi]. It is not in our national interest for this man to lead a pariah state on the southern banks of Europe with all the problems that could entail.” But he also accepted that the UN resolution did not endorse regime change. “The UN resolution is not about choosing the government of Libya. That is an issue for the Libyan people.”

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Egypt Said to Arm Libya Rebels

March 17, 2011

CAIRO—Egypt’s military has begun shipping arms over the border to Libyan rebels with Washington’s knowledge, U.S. and Libyan rebel officials said. The shipments—mostly small arms such as assault rifles and ammunition—appear to be the first confirmed case of an outside government arming the rebel fighters. Those fighters have been losing ground for days in the face of a steady westward advance by forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. The Egyptian shipments are the strongest indication to date that some Arab countries are heeding Western calls to take a lead in efforts to intervene on behalf of pro-democracy rebels in their fight against Mr. Gadhafi in Libya. Washington and other Western countries have long voiced frustration with Arab states’ unwillingness to help resolve crises in their own region, even as they criticized Western powers for attempting to do so.The shipments also follow an unusually robust diplomatic response from Arab states. There have been rare public calls for foreign military intervention in an Arab country, including a vote by the 23-member Arab League last week urging the U.N. to impose a no-fly zone over Libya. The vote provided critical political cover to Western powers wary of intervening militarily without a broad regional and international mandate. On Thursday evening, the U.N. Security Council voted on a resolution endorsing a no-fly zone in Libya and authorizing military action in support of the rebels.Within the council, Lebanon took a lead role drafting and circulating the draft of the resolution, which calls for “all necessary measures” to enforce a ban on flights over Libya. The United Arab Emirates and Qatar have taken the lead in offering to participate in enforcing a no-fly zone, according to U.N. diplomats. Libyan rebel officials in Benghazi, meanwhile, have praised Qatar from the first days of the uprising, calling the small Gulf state their staunchest ally. Qatar has consistently pressed behind the scenes for tough and urgent international action behind the scenes, these officials said.

Qatari flags fly prominently in rebel-held Benghazi. After pro-Gadhafi forces retook the town of Ras Lanuf last week, Libyan state TV broadcast images of food-aid packages bearing the Qatari flag. The White House has been reluctant to back calls from leaders in Congress for arming Libya’s rebels directly, arguing that the U.S. must first fully assess who the fighters are and what policies they will pursue if they succeeded in toppling Col. Gadhafi. U.S. officials believe the opposition includes some Islamist elements. They fear that Islamist groups hostile to the U.S. could try to hijack the opposition and take any arms that are provided. The Egyptian weapons transfers began “a few days ago” and are ongoing, according to a senior U.S. official. “There’s no formal U.S. policy or acknowledgement that this is going on,” said the senior official. But “this is something we have knowledge of.”Calls to Egypt’s foreign ministry and the spokesman for the prime minister seeking comment went unanswered. There is no means of reaching Egypt’s military for comment. A Egyptian official in Washington said he had no knowledge of weapon shipments.The U.S. official also noted that the shipments appeared to come “too little, too late” to tip the military balance in favor of the rebels, who have faced an onslaught from Libyan forces backed by tanks, artillery and aircraft. “We know the Egyptian military council is helping us, but they can’t be so visible,” said Hani Souflakis, a Libyan businessman in Cairo who has been acting as a rebel liaison with the Egyptian government since the uprising began. “Weapons are getting through,” said Mr. Souflakis, who says he has regular contacts with Egyptian officials in Cairo and the rebel leadership in Libya. “Americans have given the green light to the Egyptians to help. The Americans don’t want to be involved in a direct level, but the Egyptians wouldn’t do it if they didn’t get the green light.”Western officials and rebel leaders in Libya said the U.S. has wanted to avoid being seen as taking a leadership role in any military action against Mr. Gadhafi after its invasions of Iraq and Afganistan fueled anger and mistrust with Washington throughout the region.

But the U.S. stated clearly it wants Mr. Gadhafi out of power and has signaled it would support those offering help to the rebels militarily or otherwise.A spokesman for the rebel government in Benghazi said arms shipments have begun arriving to the rebels but declined to specify where they came from.”Our military committee is purchasing arms and arming our people. The weapons are coming, but the nature of the weapons, the amount, where it’s coming from, that has been classified,” said the spokesman, Mustafa al-Gherryani. The U.S. official said Egypt wanted to keep the shipments covert. In public, Egypt has sought to maintain a neutral stance toward the rebel uprising in Libya. Egypt abstained during the Arab League’s vote calling for the U.N. to impose a no-fly zone on Mr. Gadhafi, according to people familiar with the internal Arab League deliberations. Hundreds of thousands of Egyptian laborers are believed to still be in Libya. On the other hand, the Egyptian military’s covert support for the rebels suggests that it has calculated that Mr. Gadhafi is unlikely to remain in power, at least in the eastern half of the country, and therefore Egypt is eager to begin to build good relations with the rebels. Rebel forces in the past 24 hours appeared to make some progress fending off pro-Gadhafi forces’ assaults and have rolled out new weapons for the first time since the uprising began last month. Among them are rebel tanks that have taken up positions on the front lines in recent days. Rebels also launched fighter-jet attacks on government positions on Wednesday for the first time so far. The tanks and fighter jets are believed to have been among the weapons seized by rebels from defected units of the Libyan army in the eastern half of the country, but they have received spare parts or trained mechanics from outside the country to help them deploy them, some rebel officials have speculated.

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Libya No-Fly Zone Approved By U.N. Security Council

March 17, 2011

UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. Security Council on Thursday approved a no-fly zone over Libya and authorized “all necessary measures” to protect civilians from attacks by Moammar Gadhafi’s forces. The action came as the Libyan leader was poised to make a final push against rebels holding out in Bengazhi, Libya’s second largest city. The vote in the 15-member council was 10-0 with five abstentions, including Russia and China. The United States, France and Britain had pushed for speedy approval. French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said if the resolution was approved, France would support military action against Gadhafi within hours. The U.S. said it was preparing for action. Several Arab nations were expected to provide backup. Gadhafi vowed to launch a final assault on Benghazi and crush the rebellion as his forces advanced toward the city and warplanes bombed its airport Thursday.

Gadhafi said in an interview broadcast Thursday on Portuguese public broadcaster Radiotelevisao Portuguesa that he rejected any U.N. threats of action. “The U.N. Security Council has no mandate,” Gadhafi said. “We don’t acknowledge their resolutions.” He warned that any military action would be construed as “colonization without any justification” and would have “grave repercussions.” The text of the resolution calls on nations to “establish a ban on all flights in the airspace of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya in order to help protect civilians.” It also authorizes U.N. member states to take “all necessary measures … to protect civilians and civilian populated areas under threat of attack in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, including Benghazi, while excluding a foreign occupation force of any form on any part of Libyan territory.”

UN approves no-fly zone over Libya

March 17, 2011

The UN Security Council has approved a no-fly zone over Libya and authorised “all necessary measures” to protect civilians from attacks by Moammar Gaddafi’s forces. The vote tonight was 10-0 with five abstentions, including Russia and China. The United States, France and Britain pushed for speedy approval because Gaddafi’s forces are advancing toward opposition-held Benghazi. The Libyan leader vowed tonight to oust the rebels from their eastern stronghold. French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said if the resolution was approved, France would support military action against Gaddafi within hours. The US said it was preparing for action.

Foreign Secretary William Hague said the UN resolution was necessary “to avoid greater bloodshed and to try to stop what is happening in terms of attacks on civilians”. The UK’s three criteria for a no-fly zone – a demonstrable need, a clear legal basis and broad regional support – were now all met, he said. “This places a responsibility on members of the United Nations and that is a responsibility to which the United Kingdom will now respond”. The resolution also tightened sanctions and introduced measures to make it harder for Gaddafi to employ foreign mercenaries.

UN set to discuss action on Libya

March 17, 2011

The United Nations Security Council is due to meet in New York to discuss action in Libya. Western countries want a no-fly zone to halt the advance of forces loyal to Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi. In recent days pro-Gaddafi forces have retaken several towns seized by rebels during an uprising. Addressing the people of Benghazi, the rebels’ main stronghold, Col Gaddafi said his troops were coming “tonight” and there would be “no mercy”. He told rebels to go home, adding that “whoever lays down his weapons” would be pardoned. The US, UK and France propose action short of an invasion, but Russia and China often oppose the use of force against a sovereign country. Moscow and Beijing – both of whom wield vetoes on the Security Council – oppose such external intervention in the internal affairs of another country, believing it sets a dangerous precedent.

A copy of the draft resolution before the UN Security Council backs action “to protect civilians and civilian populated areas under threat of attack in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, including Benghazi, while excluding an occupation force”. US Undersecretary of State William Burns had earlier said the administration supported international measures in Libya “short of boots on the ground”. He told the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee that a no-fly zone over Libya could have “an important, positive, practical” effect, but it was still necessary to consider other measures. British Foreign Secretary William Hague told MPs the resolution “includes demands for an immediate ceasefire, a complete end to violence, a ban on all flights in Libyan air space with the exception of humanitarian flights”. The Libyan military has warned that any foreign operations against Libya will expose all maritime and air navigation in the Mediterranean Sea to danger, state TV reports. “All civilian and military activities will be the target of a Libyan counter-attack. The Mediterranean Sea will be in serious danger not only in the short term but also in the long term,” a screen caption said.

Libya crisis: Britain, France and US line up for air strikes against Gaddafi

March 17, 2011

British, French and US military aircraft are preparing to protect the Libyan rebel stronghold of Benghazi after Washington said it was ready to support a no-fly zone and air strikes against Muammar Gaddafi’s forces. Jets could take off from French military bases if a no-fly zone is approved in a fresh United Nations security council resolution authorising “all necessary measures short of an occupation force” to protect civilians. France, which has led the calls for a no-fly zone along with Britain, has offered the use of military bases on its Mediterranean coast about 750 miles from the Libyan coast. Several Arab countries would join the operation. The finalising of military preparations came as Gaddafi’s forces closed in on Benghazi and issued a strong warning that it would target all maritime traffic in the Mediterranean if it is targeted by foreign forces. In a statement broadcast on Libyan television the defence ministry said: “Any foreign military act against Libya will expose all air and maritime traffic in the Mediterranean Sea to danger and civilian and military [facilities] will become targets of Libya’s counterattack.” “The Mediterranean basin will face danger not just in the short-term, but also in the long-term.” Gaddafi warned Libyan rebels that his forces would invade Benghazi and show no mercy to fighters who resisted them. “No more fear, no more hesitation, the moment of truth has come,” the Libyan leader declared as he warned Benghazi residents that soldiers would search every house in the city and people who had no arms had no reason to fear. “There will be no mercy. Our troops will be coming to Benghazi tonight.”

Residents and a rebel spokesman reported three air strikes on the outskirts of the city on Thursday, including at the airport, and another air raid further south. There was also heavy fighting in residential areas of nearby Ajdabiya, where around 30 people were killed, the TV station al-Arabiya reported. The increase in Libyan rhetoric came as diplomats intensified their negotiations over a fresh UN security council resolution, tabled by Britain, France and Lebanon, to authorise a no-fly zone. The three countries need the support of a further six further members of the security council – and to avoid vetoes from Russia and China – to pass the resolution. A security council source said the resolution would impose a no-fly zone over Libya but that was no longer enough. “The resolution authorises air strikes against tank columns advancing on Benghazi or engaging naval ships bombarding Benghazi,” he said. A source at UN headquarters in New York said military forces could be in action soon after a security council resolution calling for states to protect civilians by halting attacks by Gaddafi’s forces by air, land and sea. Nato would have to meet after the vote to review the military planning that has already been completed. The security council was scheduled to vote on the new resolution on Thursday evening and its backers expressed confidence that it would go through after hours of negotiation earlier in the day. The move marks a last-gasp attempt to keep the Libyan uprising alive.

David Cameron spoke to leaders of Arab countries on Wednesday night and on Thursday to persuade them to take part. The US had demanded Arab involvement to ensure that the west cannot be accused of imposing its will on the Arab world. The prime minister also spoke to African and European leaders. Nigeria, Gabon, South Africa and Germany currently have seats on the security council. Speaking outside the UN security council in New York, Alain Juppé, the French foreign minister, said there was “reason to anticipate that some Arab countries will participate.” But he said a land invasion was out of the question. “For us and in the resolution itself there is no question of having people on the ground in Libya.” Germany, which is opposed to a no-fly zone, is expected to abstain. In an interview with the Guardian, Germany’s foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle, said Berlin remained strongly opposed to any military intervention in Libya or the use of air strikes against Gaddafi. Westerwelle warned that the consequences of western military intervention were unpredictable and could affect 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,” he said, Instead, Westerwelle said there were non-force options that could still 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 ahead of this evening’s vote in the UN security council. “Clearly there is a race against time at the present time and the situation on the ground is increasingly concerning,” the prime minister’s spokesman said.A Downing Street spokesman said: “The prime minister has been making a series of calls on Libya. He has spoken to a number of Arab and African leaders. We can now confirm that he has also spoken to several European leaders. “In all his calls, the prime minister has made the case for strong action by the UN security council, to increase the pressure on Gaddafi and put a stop to the campaign he is waging against the Libyan people. The prime minister will be making further calls this evening.”

After weeks of procrastination by the US, Washington backed the resolution after the Arab League joined the calls for a no-fly zone. The Obama administration was stalled by a split between the secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, who favoured a no-fly zone, and the defence secretary, Robert Gates. The White House, caught in the middle, dithered. Gates, although opposed to the no-fly zone, redeployed US naval vessels close to the Libyan coast and told the president that the military was capable of fighting on a third front. The US crucially insisted that it would only act if there was Arab support in order to avoid it being seen as purely Western intervention. Several Arab countries have promised to provide planes, but insisted on their identity being withheld until the resolution was passed. Speculation as to which countries would participate included Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Supporters of the resolution, speaking before the vote, said they were confident of achieving the necessary nine votes in the 15-member chamber. A source who was present said China and Russia indicated they would abstain. Brazil and India expressed scepticism about military action but their votes were not needed to secure a majority.

John Kerry, chairman of the Senate foreign affairs committee, speaking before the UN vote, said: “The international community cannot simply watch from the sidelines as the Libyan people’s quest for democratic reform is met with violence.Time is running out for the Libyan people. The world needs to respond immediately.” William Burns, the US under secretary of state, said Washington supported international measures in Libya that are “short of boots on the ground”. Burns told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that a no-fly zone could have “an important, positive, practical” effect, though Washington was still keen to consider other measures. William Hague, the foreign secretary, indicated the level of military planning that is taking place when he told MPs that the no-fly zone would be imposed from land and not from aircraft carriers. “It is not the case that carrier borne aircraft are necessary to do such a thing,” Hague said. “In the contingency planning of all the nations [the operation] may involve, none of them involve an aircraft carrier.” Hague warned that the negotiations at the UN would be tough. “I must not pretend that agreement on this will be easy, even on large elements of it,” he said. “We will do our utmost to ensure the passing of a resolution which places the maximum pressure on the Libyan regime and which extends protection to the beleaguered and oppressed civilian population of Libya.”

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Unconfirmed Report -

The pilot who flew his plane into Baab Al Aziziyah took off as part of a 2 plane team with the mission of bombing strategic points in Al Guradibya base in Sirte. Their orders were to return immedietly after completing the mission. One pilot followed orders while the other flew to Tripoli where he emptied what he had left of ammunition on Baab Al Aziziyah and then crashed his plane into it.

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Libya: Government and rebels still battling for Brega

March 15, 2011

Heavy fighting has been continuing in Libya between government and rebel forces for the oil town of Brega. The town has changed hands several times over recent days. Reports now suggest the rebels are losing control. In the west, government forces appear to have retaken Zuwara and are shelling Misrata city.  After a meeting in France, the G8 group of nations urged action against Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi, but made no mention of a no-fly zone. United Nations diplomats have meanwhile said they expect to circulate a draft resolution on Libya to UN Security Council members later on Tuesday. Government planes have also been bombing the outskirts of Ajdabiya, the last town before the rebel base in Benghazi. The sound of rocket fire has been getting louder in the town, while the frequency of ambulances and trucks bringing wounded to the main hospital has been increasing, AFP news agency reports. Libyan state TV says the government has gained control of the town, but this has not been independently verified, and reports suggest that fighting is continuing. In Brega, it seems rebel fighters have been hiding inside the oil installation in the daytime, in the belief that the government does not want to shell the facility, says the BBC’s Jon Leyne in Benghazi. Opposition sources are also saying there are divisions within the government ranks, with some troops apparently reluctant to fire on civilians, our correspondent adds.

Meanwhile, a convoy of five civilian vehicles travelling to Brega is reported to have been attacked, killing a number of women and children. A German writer and former member of parliament said he was driving near Brega when he was overtaken by the convoy. He later found the vehicles destroyed and everyone killed, and said he believed it was a ground attack using rocket-propelled grenades. The German man said his own vehicle also came under fire and his driver was killed, while the rest of the passengers walked seven hours through the desert to safety. Meanwhile, it appears that government troops have taken over Zuwara, the last rebel town in the west, near the Tunisian border. A resident in Zuwara said security forces were trying to round up anyone suspected of links to the rebels. “They have lists of names and are looking for the rebels,” the resident told Reuters news agency. “They also took a number of rebels as hostages.”  According to a report from Libyan state TV, an aircraft carrying people who it called “traitors” landed in an airport in Benghazi on Tuesday and stayed for about two hours. “It is thought that it had carried a number of leading traitors and agents,” the channel reported. The G8 group of foreign ministers, who have been meeting in France, have called on the UN to increase pressure on the Gaddafi regime. But despite recent talk of the imposition of a no-fly zone – an idea backed by France – the group made no mention of the prospect in its final communique. G8 foreign ministers “agreed that the UN Security Council should increase the pressure, including through economic measures, for Muammar Gaddafi to leave”, said the French minister, Alain Juppe.

The Arab League has been pushing for a no-fly zone that would ground Libyan aircraft to protect people from assault by forces loyal to Col Gaddafi. The US, Russia and other EU countries had reacted cautiously to the no-fly zone proposal ahead of the Paris meeting. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton – who attended the Paris meeting – has met a leader of the new opposition in Libya, Mahmoud Jibril, for 45 minutes at a Paris hotel and discussed ways the US could assist beyond humanitarian aid. Divisions over the idea of military intervention also emerged in a UN Security Council meeting on Monday.  A UN diplomat has said the plan is to circulate a draft resolution on Libya to Security Council members on Tuesday afternoon. The BBC’s Barbara Plett says it is expected to be in two parts, according to the diplomat.  The first will lay out what the Arab League wants in a no-fly zone and be presented by Lebanon, while the second will present tougher measures wanted by the international community, such as tightening sanctions and action against mercenaries, the diplomat said. In effect this places the onus for the no-fly zone on the Arabs, apparently as a way to overcome divisions on the issue in the council, our correspondent says.  “It’s important that the no-fly zone is seen as coming from the region rather than as a silver bullet from the West,” the diplomat said, adding that Arab states would be expected to participate in implementing it, not just support it.  But Mr Juppe suggested in a radio interview that events on the ground in Libya have already outpaced diplomatic efforts.  Mr Juppe also said that China, a veto-wielding member, is blocking UN Security Council action on Libya while the US has yet to define its position. UN envoy Abdul Ilah Khatib travelled to Libya on Monday and met Foreign Minister Moussa Kusa in the capital, Tripoli. In the meeting, Mr Khatib, a former Jordanian foreign minister, reiterated demands for an end to the violence and requested access for humanitarian groups, a UN spokesman said.

Libya: UK, France and Lebanon table no-fly zone plan

March 15, 2011

Britain, France and Lebanon have tabled a draft United Nations resolution which would impose a no-fly zone on Libya. The draft resolution would also ban commercial flights from bringing arms and mercenaries into Libya. Britain and France have led moves to prevent air attacks on rebels by pro-Gaddafi forces – Germany and Russia are said to oppose plans. The Arab League has backed the idea but a meeting of G8 foreign ministers in Paris earlier failed to do so. It comes as fierce fighting continues between Colonel Gaddafi’s troops and opposition groups. Government planes have been bombing the outskirts of Ajdabiya, the last town before the rebel base in Benghazi. Talks on a no-fly zone have been held in recent days between British representatives at the UN and their US, German and Lebanese counterparts.  Nick Robinson said he understood that the US had not yet agreed to the plan – but Britain and France were tabling it anyway, to “force the pace”. A no-fly zone was also discussed by Nato defence ministers last week, who agreed a clear UN mandate would be needed should Nato be involved.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the Arab League had not “formalised” its decision to back a no-fly zone on Saturday, adding that it had stated in the same declaration that it was “categorically opposed to any foreign intervention, particularly military intervention, in Libyan affairs”. And on Tuesday German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle warned against military intervention, adding: “We do not want to get sucked into a war in North Africa and we would not like to step on a slippery slope where we all are at the end in a war.” The BBC’s Barbara Plett at the UN said there was still much dissent at the UN, and in Europe, over a no-fly zone.  She said the US was believed to be reticent about getting involved in a no-fly zone and there was a great fear about getting sucked into another war. She said diplomats would consult with their capital cities overnight and negotiations were expected to start on Wednesday. A UN diplomat told the BBC the draft resolution would establish a ban on all flights in Libya, would authorise member states to enforce it and call on them to participate in it.  Aside from the no-fly zone it also urges stronger enforcement of the arms embargo, adds names, companies and entities to the sanctions list, bans commercial flights from bringing arms and mercenaries into Libya and would set up an expert panel to monitor implementation.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron said last week that a no-fly zone would have to be “necessary, legal and win broad support” but added Europe must be “ready to act” if the situation in Libya required it. Rebel leaders in Libya have appealed for international help in limiting Col Gaddafi’s resources as his forces maintain their onslaught on rebel positions in the east of Libya. Col Gaddafi said on state television that the Libyan people would take up arms, if a no-fly zone was imposed by Western nations or the UN.

Libya: Rebels say Brega re-taken from Gaddafi troops

March 14, 2011

Rebel forces in Libya say they have re-taken the eastern oil town of Brega, capturing a number of elite government troops and killing others. The statement has not been independently confirmed. It came hours after the rebels had themselves been driven from the town by air and ground attacks by forces loyal to Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi. Elsewhere, the rebel-held town of Ajdabiya is reported to have come under heavy aerial bombardment. On the diplomatic front, France is stepping up its efforts to persuade the United Nations Security Council to impose a no-fly zone over Libya. The rebel statement admitted that they have no answer to Col Gaddafi’s air power, and backed demands for a no-fly zone, says the BBC’s Jon Leyne in the opposition stronghold of Benghazi. Those demands can only get louder if and when Col Gaddafi’s forces come closer to the major population centre of Benghazi, our correspondent says.

The British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, has said Libya risks becoming a “pariah state” if Col Gaddafi holds onto power. “If Gaddafi went on to be able to dominate much of the country, well this would be a long nightmare for the Libyan people, and this would be a pariah state,” he told BBC Radio 4′s Today programme. But Mr Hague said the international community was taking steps to help those fighting against Col Gaddafi’s forces. “We’re not arming the rebels, but what we do on a no-fly zone will depend on the international discussions that we are now having,” he said. “But we have done everything diplomatically and peacefully possible so far to tighten the pressure on the Gaddafi regime, with the European Union sanctions imposed at record speed and the resolution of the UN security council passed unanimously two weeks ago.”

Libya no-fly zone: point of decision is approaching, says Hague

March 14, 2011

The international community is approaching the “point of decision” on military intervention in Libya to protect the population from Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s warplanes, the foreign secretary, William Hague, has said. After the Arab League backed calls for a military no-fly zone, he said the international community must now consider the rebels’ request for help. Hague, who is scheduled to meet fellow G8 foreign ministers in Paris on Monday night, also indicated that the government could consider arming the rebels to help them combat the superior firepower of Gaddafi’s security forces. “We are now reaching a point of decision, very clearly, on what happens next,” Hague told BBC Radio 4′s Today programme. “Clearly a no-fly zone is one of the leading propositions. It isn’t the answer to everything but it has been called for by the Arab League and is something which the international community must now consider.”

He indicated that while the “cleanest and simplest” way of securing a legal basis for a no-fly zone would be a resolution of the United Nations security council, it was not necessarily essential. “In cases of great, overwhelming humanitarian need, then nations are able to act under international law, even without a resolution of the security council,” he said. Hague also expressed sympathy for a call by the former foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind for an “open and urgent” supply of weapons to the rebels, to avoid repeating the “mistake” of the Bosnian war in the 1990s. Writing in the Times, Rifkind said: “Having been defence secretary at the time I have, in retrospect, felt that (the arms embargo) was the most serious mistake made by the UN.” Hague said all arms exports to Libya – including to the rebels – were subject to a UN embargo, although he suggested that this could change.

“I wouldn’t exclude various possibilities on this score,” he said. “I think Malcolm Rifkind makes a very good case. Again, this is the kind of subject which has to be discussed with our international partners.” He said that if Gaddafi was able to push back the rebels and re-establish control, the future for the country would be bleak. “If Gaddafi went on to be able to dominate much of the country, this would be a long nightmare for the Libyan people and this would be a pariah state for some time to come,” he said.

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Arab League backs ‘Libya no-fly zone’

March 12, 2011

The Arab League has backed the idea of a no-fly zone over Libya, reports say, as rebels continue to be pushed back by Colonel Gaddafi’s forces. A special meeting in Cairo voted to ask the UN Security Council to impose the policy, diplomats told news agencies. The UK and France have pushed for the idea, but have failed so far to win firm backing from the EU or Nato. Libyan rebel forces have meanwhile suffered fresh setbacks including the loss of the key oil port of Ras Lanuf. Reports suggested that the rebel front line had been pushed back even further back, towards the town of Uqaylah. The Arab League vote for a no-fly zone was opposed only by Syria and Algeria, reports from the Cairo meeting said. Nato has previously cited regional support for the idea as a key plank before it could possibly go ahead.  Russia, which wields a veto on the UN Security Council, has expressed serious reservations on the issue. And the US defence secretary, Robert Gates, was quoted on Saturday as saying it was still not clear whether it was a wise policy. The policy would be aimed at preventing Col Gaddafi’s forces using warplanes to attack rebel positions, although no clear position has emerged on exactly how this would be achieved.

Arab League prepares to back no-fly zone

March 12, 2011

The Arab League is preparing to accept a UN-backed no-fly zone over Libya when foreign ministers meet in Cairo on Saturday, a move that would provide much-needed Arab cover to international intervention. Hisham Youssef, a senior Arab League official, told the Financial Times that Libyan leader Muammer Gaddafi’s actions had crossed lines, making it difficult for foreign ministers not to back a no-fly zone that would protect civilians against regime attacks. “States would want a UN Security Council resolution that addresses the no-fly zone so it would not be unilateral action,” he said. “The league is moving towards accepting this.” The Cairo meeting follows an unusually strong statement on Thursday by Arab Gulf states which said the Gaddafi government was no longer legitimate. The Gulf Cooperation Council statement also called on the UN to protect Libyan civilians, including a no-fly zone. Acquiescence by the Arab League has become one of the prerequisites of western allies for a no-fly zone or other military intervention. Nato and the European Union said they would not act unless the League and the UN both signed off on a military response.

US president Barack Obama said on Friday the world had to increase pressure on Libya as he voiced concern that Col Gaddafi could defeat the country’s rebels. At a White House press conference, he said Nato was in contact with Arab and African countries to “gauge their support” for a no-fly zone. But US military and political officials have reservations that a no-fly zone could prove ineffective while drawing Washington into the conflict. At a summit of European leaders in Brussels on Friday, heads of government rebuffed a French and British demand for specific backing of a no-fly zone. The leaders said they would “examine all necessary options” to protect civilian populations as long as they received UN approval and “support from the region”. Nato defence ministers adopted almost identical language on Thursday. Mr Youssef said Arab support for a no-fly zone would make it difficult for Russia and China to oppose the move in the UN Security Council, where the two states have veto power.

Nicolas Sarkozy, French president, had been pushing the EU for the option of us-ing “defensive” air-strikes against Gaddafi forces in the event that they resorted to chemical weapons attacks or used air power on defenceless protesters. “The British and ourselves are wondering what happens if civilians, who are demonstrating peacefully and non-violently, are targeted by Mr Gaddafi,” Mr Sarkozy said after the summit. “Should we simply stand by or should we act?” David Cameron, British prime minister, had joined the French call for a no-fly zone, but British officials later had to distance themselves from Mr Sarkozy’s rhetoric on air strikes. Still, Mr Sarkozy was able to get agreement from fellow EU leaders that Col Gaddafi was “no longer an interlocutor” for Europe and that the National Council would become its “political interlocutor” in Libya. The French president had earlier recognised the opposition Libyan National Council – and Tripoli later announced suspension of its diplomatic relations with Paris.  European leaders also called for a summit of the EU, the Arab League and the African Union to co-ordinate a response.  The US and Germany resist military action, arguing it could draw western powers into a civil war on the side of groups the west knows little about.

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David Cameron says EU must show unity over Libya

March 11, 2011

European leaders must show “political will” and unity in saying Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi must go, David Cameron has said in Brussels. Arriving for an emergency EU summit, Mr Cameron said he expected it to step up measures to isolate the Gaddafi regime. London and Paris are trying to build support for a UN resolution to authorise a no-fly zone in Libya. Meanwhile forces loyal to Col Gaddafi are reported to have made gains against rebels in Zawiya and Ras Lanuf. A special meeting of the European Council has been called in Brussels to discuss the crisis as pro-Gaddafi forces wrest back control of territory previously held by the opposition following a major military offensive. The UK has accused the Gaddafi regime of “waging war against their own people”, using aircraft and helicopters to mount attacks. Arriving at the summit on Friday, UK Prime Minister David Cameron said: “I think it’s important that the countries of Europe show political will, show ambition, show unity in being clear that Colonel Gaddafi must go and that his regime is illegitimate that what it is doing to his people is completely unacceptable. “We are going to step up today, in the European Council, measures to isolate that regime and measures to put pressure on that regime and we should plan for every eventuality as I’ve been arguing now for around two weeks, this is absolutely vital work.

He also said it was the moment for Europe to show real ambition about the “democratic awakening” in North Africa – to offer new partnerships, open up markets and welcome greater democracy and freedoms: “This is a potentially good moment for our world and we should grab it, seize it and shape it.” London and Paris are trying to build support for a UN resolution to authorise a no-fly zone in Libya, which they say is an absolute prerequisite for such action, alongside the support of the international community – particularly the Arab world – and a “demonstrable” case for intervention. “We support continued planning to be ready to provide support for all possible contingencies as the situation evolves,” Mr Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy wrote in a letter to the president of the European Council. “This could include a no-fly zone or other options against air attacks.” President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy opened the meeting by saying EU leaders had to “take some urgent concrete decisions and to set the direction of our response”. The summit is considering a draft declaration insisting Col Gaddafi “relinquish power immediately” which says Libya should “rapidly embark on an orderly transition to democracy”. In a question-and-answer session with students ahead of the Liberal Democrat spring conference in Sheffield, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said Col Gaddafi was a “complete tyrant” but the international community must work together on whether there should be a no-fly zone.

He added: “If Col Gaddafi were to continue to brutalise and go to war with his own people and create a monstrous humanitarian crisis – I think it would be very, very difficult and I would argue wrong, for the international community to simply turn its back.” After meeting on Thursday, Nato defence ministers said further planning was needed on how to initiate and enforce any potential air exclusion zone in Libya and that this could only happen with a “clear mandate” from the UN – likely to need US, Chinese and Russian support. Mr Cameron and Mr Sarkozy called again for an immediate stop to government attacks on civilians and said members of the regime would be held accountable for their actions. “The world is witnessing on a daily basis an unacceptable continuation of violence and repression in Libya,” they added. “It is clear to us that the regime has lost any legitimacy it may have once had. “To stop further suffering of the Libyan people, Muammar Gaddafi and his clique should leave.” The two men also called for strict enforcement of the arms embargo against Libya and for the UN to closely monitor the humanitarian situation in the country.

Gaddafi Rains Rockets On Rebels In Oil Port

March 11, 2011

BREGA, Libya — Moammar Gadhafi loyalists shelled around a key oil port Friday trying to dislodge rebels who have dug in and are struggling to regroup after their fighters were scattered in a heavy regime offensive. The rebels appeared to have a tenacious hold around the oil facilities at Ras Lanouf, taking refuge among the towering storage containers of crude oil and gas. Government forces stopped directing their fire at those positions, apparently to avoid blowing up the facility’s infrastructure, according to fighters. Instead, the pro-Gadhafi troops, positioned in Ras Lanouf’s residential about 10 miles (16 kilometers) east of the oil port across a barren desert no man’s land, were raining rockets and shelling along the main coastal highway, targeting rebel vehicles trying to reinforce and bring supplies to the port, said Mohammed Gherani, a rebel fighter. The bodies of at least three opposition fighters killed in the shelling were brought to rebel-held Brega, a larger oil port to the west, bringing the toll from two days of battles at Ras Lanouf to at least nine. The standoff in Ras Lanouf was an attempt by the rebels’ ragtag force to halt a dramatic shift in the momentum of Libya’s upheaval, which is shaping into a potential civil war. Last week, opposition forces that hold the entire eastern half of the country came charging along the Mediterranean coast westward, trying to push toward the capital Tripoli, Gadhafi’s strongest bastion. But the regime struck back with an overwhelming force, backed by warplanes, artillery, rockets and tanks, that over the past few days pushed the rebels back to Ras Lanouf, 380 miles, 615 kilometers, southeast of Tripoli. On Thursday, pro-Gadhafi forces barraged the port for hours, reportedly adding warships shelling from off shore to their arsenal, in an assault that stunned the once-confident rebels and sent hundreds of their volunteer fighters fleeing in an unorganized retreat.

“They came from the air, they came from the sea, and there were rockets everywhere. It was a big surprise for us,” one rebel fighter, Mustafa Mehrik, a 39-year-old coffeeshop owner, said in Brega. “Everyone is worried. Today they say there will bring heavy weapons from Benghazi.” In Tripoli, Gadhafi’s son Seif al-Islam vowed to retake the eastern half of the country. If government forces take Ras Lanouf, they could threaten the opposition’s bastions further east. “I have two words to our brothers and sisters in the east: We’re coming,” he told a cheering crowd of young supporters late Thursday. The son depicted Libyans in the east as being held “hostage” by terrorists. The rebel force at the Ras Lanouf front appeared thinner Friday, perhaps a sign they had yet to regroup from Thursday’s blow. The core of the opposition port holding out at the oil facilities appeared to be the more disciplined soldiers from army units that defected and joined the uprising. At Brega’s western entrance, facing Ras Lanouf, there were few rebel fighters to be seen at the checkpoint – usually the scene of many fighters waving their automatic weapons. Few fighters or equipment were seen passing through on the way to Ras Lanouf, except an occasional pickup truck with an anti-aircraft gun mounted on the back. Doctors in Brega said six people were killed in Thursday’s fighting, raising their previous count of four. The assault on Ras Lanouf was a sign of greater confidence in the Gadhafi camp after it first seemed to reel in confusion for the much of the uprising that began Feb. 15.

Nicolas Sarkozy calls for air strikes on Libya if Gaddafi attacks civilians

March 11, 2011

Nicolas Sarkozy has called for targeted air strikes against Muammar Gaddafi’s regime if his forces use chemical weapons or launch air strikes against civilians. As the EU foreign policy chief, Lady Ashton, warned that a no-fly zone could risk civilian lives in Libya, the French president told an emergency EU summit in Brussels that air strikes may soon be justified. “The strikes would be solely of a defensive nature if Mr Gaddafi makes use of chemical weapons or air strikes against non-violent protesters,” Sarkozy said. The French president qualified his remarks by saying he had many reservations about military intervention in Libya “because Arab revolutions belong to Arabs”. Sarkozy said he had won the support of David Cameron for his plan which would have to be approved by the UN, Arab states and Libyan opposition groups. Downing Street sources declined to be drawn on his remarks. But Sarkozy appears to have set out the key events – use of chemical weapons or air strikes against civilians – that would give legal cover for military action. In a joint letter issued on the eve of Friday’s summit, Sarkozy and Cameron warned that Gaddafi might be guilty of crimes against humanity. This could give Britain and France the necessary legal cover under the Geneva conventions for a no-fly zone or targeted air strikes.

The tough rhetoric from Sarkoy came as Cameron faced his first major public confrontation with Ashton as she used the EU emergency summit to dismiss Anglo-French calls for a no-fly zone over Libya. Emboldened by unease among Nato members for the proposal, Ashton has been telling the EU’s 27 leaders that a no-fly zone would be highly risky and could end up killing large numbers of civilians. One EU diplomat said: “The risks are high for potential civilian casualties and potential collateral damage. The efficiency of a no-fly zone is very questionable. Apart from anything else, European command and control facilities would not be able to get a no-fly zone up and running in less than five or six weeks, and Nato is suggesting it would take at least three to four weeks. “The question is whether, in political terms, a no-fly zone can achieve what you want it to achieve.” Downing Street declined to be drawn on Ashton’s decision to set herself so forcefully against one of Cameron’s central proposals for responding to the Libyan crisis. One British source said: “We proposed planning for a no-fly zone so early because it will take some time. That work has not been completed.” Ashton will argue that it is her role to act as the voice of all 27 EU member states. Cameron and Sarzkoy, who were the driving forces behind the emergency summit, appear to be ahead of most leaders. As he arrived at the summit Cameron said Europe must seize the moment to send a clear signal to Gaddafi that his behaviour was unacceptable and that he must stand down.

The prime minister said: “It’s important that the countries of Europe show political will, show ambition and show unity in being clear that Colonel Gaddafi must go, that his regime is illegitimate and what he is doing to his people is completely unacceptable. “We are going to step up today in the European council measures to isolate that regime and measures to put pressure on that regime and we should also plan for every eventuality as I’ve been arguing now for around two weeks. This is absolutely vital work. “But at the same time I think it is the moment for Europe to understand we should show real ambition about recognising that what’s happening in north Africa is a democratic awakening and we should be encouraging these countries down a democratic path. “It’s a moment for Europe to say what we’ve done in the past hasn’t always worked. Now we should be reaching out to these countries, offering them a new partnership, opening up our markets and welcoming their approach of greater democracy, greater freedom, greater human rights. This is a potentially good moment for our world and we should grab it and seize it and try and shape it.” British officials were playing down prospects of a major breakthrough at the summit. The main focus will be to toughen the arms embargo against Libya and co-ordinate European efforts if a humanitarian disaster is declared in Libya. Britain is also pressing for a reform of the EU’s £1bn “neighbourhood policy” which provides support to countries in north Africa and the Middle East.

The tough Anglo-French rhetoric has been met with deep scepticism across the EU. Sarkozy’s unilateral decision to recognise Libya’s transitional council as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people was seen as grossly premature. “Sarkozy is being irresponsible,” one EU diplomat said. Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister, said: “I find it a crazy move by France. To jump ahead and say ‘I will recognise a transitional government’ in the face of any diplomatic practice, is not the solution for Libya.” Cameron’s tough language about the need for Europe will be seen as a signal that the EU should avoid a repeat of its failures when Yugoslavia collapsed into civil war in 1991. It took American intervention – the negotiations at Dayton in 1995 and in the Kosovo military action in 1999 – before the war was finally brought to an end.

Zawiya town centre devastated and almost deserted

March 10, 2011

Gaddafi’s men are cleaning up Zawiya, the town they have finally taken after bombarding it for a week. They have brought in road sweepers to brush away the evidence of the worst fighting between Libyans in a century. It is certainly the worst devastation I’ve seen in any town centre. Mix a huge IRA bomb with a tank battle and add the aftermath of an artillery barrage, and you get some idea of the damage to the centre of this town of 250,000 people. At least it used to be home to that number. When I arrived, the first journalist to enter after the fighting ended, the streets were almost deserted for half a mile in every direction beyond the main square. The only people were bands of Gaddafi’s men, high on victory and bent on revenge, searching buildings for any sign of the rebels who had held them at bay for a week. A resident told us by phone two days ago that there wasn’t an animal in the street or a bird in the air above Zawiya. She was right. Dozens were killed in the battle for Martyrs’ Square. There are now many more “martyrs” buried there. I counted more than 20 new graves. Clean-up crews swept furiously, trying to make the square look normal.

Soon there will be no sign of what I saw: blackened tanks being loaded on to transporters; militia vehicles burned and peppered with bullet holes; the clothing of the newly dead, shot in a battle in Gaddafi’s backyard. The town, 30 miles from Tripoli, fell to Gaddafi’s son Khamis, who runs the 32nd Brigade, described by US diplomats as the best trained and best armed of all Gaddafi’s forces. They’re also known as the Deterrent Battalion and they are now involved in a second and rather more chilling clean-up operation. They are sweeping through Zawiya, rounding up young men they suspect might have been involved in the rebellion. As we left, we saw one young man inside a speeding jeep, bloodstains on his shirt and a soldier virtually standing on him. Troops are going house to house, according to one resident, rounding up dozens of suspects. We talked to one man who said: “People are being arrested for no reason, people who stayed in their homes for the whole seven days of the fighting. You cannot imagine what is happening here.” He put the death toll at around 150. Looking at the rocket and bullet holes in the town’s buildings, it would not be surprising to learn Gaddafi’s troops had fired tens of thousands of rounds. The minaret of the mosque, perhaps once 100 feet high, has been shorn in two, the top now a mess of mangled concrete.

We left the square to go to the hospital where doctors had told me on Sunday they believed Gaddafi was guilty of war crimes, including killing doctors. I hoped to talk to them. At the gate where we had been stopped by soldiers I saw one of the doctors. He made a sign with his hand warning me not to acknowledge him. He was clearly scared. He knows he treated rebels. He also treated government soldiers. He abided by the Hippocratic oath. But he knows his comments about war crimes could get him killed. We tried to get into the hospital. Not only were we refused permission, we were taken away under armed escort to a superior officer. He and six of his men took our cameras, stripped our car and bags and took every piece of TV equipment they could find – our tapes with the story we had shot in Zawiya, everything. We feared we might be detained and beaten, like the BBC team who tried to get into Zawiya earlier in the week. They suffered mock executions and a night in a cell amid the screams of tortured detainees before they were eventually freed. But we avoided that. On state television they have been showing off weapons and ammunition left behind by the rebels.

The reporter says they were captured from “terrorists, dogs and traitors”. Then, a threat: “These rats will be chased from house to house, from farm to farm and from one city to another city. The armed people’s force have started from al-Zawiya and will continue to cleanse the whole country. The armed people’s force is announcing that every citizen should report to them any rat if they know of their whereabouts. Libya will remain great thanks to its leader.” The death toll may never be known in Zawiya. But Gaddafi will count this as a great victory. And indeed it does mean that all of western Libya is now in his grip. Only the border frontline between east and west will now be contested. But Zawiya may not be the victory Gaddafi thinks it is. The survivors have a story to tell; the doctors know what they have seen and the injuries they have treated. They are clear. Zawiya may prove a pyrrhic victory for the Great Leader.

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BBC journalists tortured in mock execution ordeal

March 10, 2011

Three BBC journalists have described how they were subjected to a terrifying ordeal – including mock executions, being held in a cage and, for one of them, repeated beatings – after being arrested by Libyan security forces near the flashpoint town of Zawiyah. The three BBC employees – a Palestinian refugee using a Syrian passport, a Turk, and a Briton – flew out of Libya last night after being detained for almost 24 hours since their arrest on Monday afternoon at a checkpoint six miles south of Zawiyah while travelling without an official “minder”. The Briton, Chris Cobb-Smith, said yesterday that they and their local driver had at one point a sub-machine gun fitted pointed at each of them in turn to the back of their necks before the gun was fired twice. “The shots went past my ear.” Earlier, the Palestinian Feras Killani, who the men say was subjected to the worst physical attacks, was accused of being a British spy and suffered multiple beatings.

Zawiyah, 30 miles west of Tripoli, has reportedly been the scene of fierce fighting between pro and anti-Gaddafi forces since the Libyan leader was quoted as warning his supporters nearly two weeks ago that the town was “slipping away” from the regime’s control. While it has been difficult to establish the outcome of the fighting in Zawiyah with any certainty, Libyan officials said the town was now largely under the regime’s control with only small “pockets of violence”. Journalists were taken late last night in government buses to a sports club in one district of the town where there were around 300 pro-Gaddafi demonstrators chanting slogans amid a noisy firework display. The BBC men said that they were initially held for around 45 minutes at a checkpoint six miles south of Zawiyah on Monday afternoon, where their BBC IDs were checked. Their cameras and most of their mobile phones were taken but they were otherwise not treated badly at this stage. But after the team was taken next to a barracks known as Kilometre 27 Centre, and asked if they had official permission to be out reporting, another security force captain arrived and began questioning Mr Killani in Arabic. He was then beaten with fists, boots, knees a plastic pipe and a stick.

They were put in a car with an armed guard who kept a gun pointed at the prisoners and was ordered by the captain to shoot Mr Cobb-Smith if he asked a question and Mr Killani if he said “one word” in English. The Turkish member of the team, Goktay Koraltan, said: “They took us out of the car and in the middle of the compound there was a cage, they put three of us in the cage and the last thing I saw before the door shut they hit Feras with an AK 47.” Mr Killani recalled: “They knocked me down to the ground with their guns, AK-47s. I was down on my knees and I heard them cocking their guns. I thought they were going to shoot me. It was a fake execution.” In the morning the three men were reunited and moved to another location where they were lined up facing a wall. Mr Cobb-Smith said: “A man with a small sub-machine gun was putting it to the nape of everyone’s neck in turn. He pointed the barrel at each of us. When he got to me at the end of the line, he pulled the trigger twice. The shots went past my ear… They all laughed as though it was very funny.” It was their last ordeal before being releasaed.

[yputube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=187Su5F_kY0]

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Libya’s war intensifies but Nato shows no sign of intervening

March 9, 2011

Libyan government forces launched new air raids on the eastern oil city of Ras Lanuf, while the western town of Zawiya was engulfed in heavy fighting as Muammar Gaddafi’s forces attempted to retake it. Ras Lanuf was hit by rocket fire as fighter jets circled overhead, bombing the rebel frontline. The oil tanks at nearby Es Sider were also hit as opposition fighters fired back. Al-Arabiya TV reported heavy bombardment of Zawiya, 30 miles from Tripoli, with residents describing how Gaddafi’s forces pushed to regain control after using tanks and snipers to drive rebels out of their stronghold in the main square. Reuters said that at least 40 people, and probably more, had been killed during the day. There was no sign that Nato was likely to agree a no-fly zone to shoot down any planes loyal to the Libyan leader, in support of the rebels.

In Brussels, prior to a two-day defence ministers’ meeting, Nato’s secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said the alliance had no intention of intervening and would only do so if the security council called for it. “However, it is an evolving situation and I can’t imagine the international community and the UN would stand idly by if Gaddafi and his regime continue to attack their own people,” he added. Britain and France are drafting a resolution for the UN security council that includes a no-fly zone, but they have yet to win US support. In any event, Russia or China would almost certainly veto any military intervention. Britain believes there are four priorities for the meeting. These were agreed by David Cameron and Barack Obama in a telephone conversation yesterday. They are: surveillance of Libya as a possible precursor to a no-fly zone; humanitarian assistance; work on a no-fly zone; and a tightening of the arms embargo on Libya aimed at members of Gaddafi’s regime.

Britain will be pressing for a no-fly zone at the meeting, though Turkey, Nato’s third-largest member, is opposed. Russia, which wields a veto at the UN security council, is also opposed. Britain would like to have a UN security council resolution but is keeping its options open by saying only that a no-fly zone needed to operate on an “appropriate legal basis”. The US defence secretary, Robert Gates, is resisting pressure over the zone. His scepticism reflects the views of US commanders, who are reluctant to open up a new front when they already feel stretched by involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. A Nato source said not only would there be no decision on a no-fly zone by the notoriously slow-moving organisation, but it was unlikely there would be a joint communique either. Gaddafi, in spite of outrageous acts against his own people, had not done enough to trigger intervention under international law, the source admitted. Nato has set out three principles for intervention: a major atrocity by Gaddafi against civilians, a strong case under international law, and regional support.

The rebel movement in eastern Libya said it did not see any problem over obtaining more weapons. Mustafa Gheriani, media officer for the rebel National Libyan Council in Benghazi, said: “Our military committee is assessing what we need. A no-fly zone will be great, but our troops will also be facing tanks. We will see whether we need to make [arms] purchases. I do not see getting arms as an issue. Qatar and many other countries have offered to help.” The White House said the UN arms embargo on Libya contained enough flexibility to allow the arming of the rebels if such a decision were made. The EU’s foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, met Libyan opposition representatives in Strasbourg on Tuesday after the council called on the EU to recognise it as the sole legitimate representative of the Libyan people. Its delegation will today talk to EU foreign ministers about the Libyan situation. European officials last night denied reports that Gaddafi had sent his own delegation to Brussels. Gaddafi, in power for 41 years, has repeatedly said he would die in Libya rather than flee. But that has failed to stem speculation about his plans. Noman Benotman, a Libyan-born analyst, said that Gaddafi’s inner circle had reached out to countries in Africa and Latin America about providing him refuge in the event he had to flee. “It’s provisional, it’s a testing of the waters, it’s just preparing for the future,” Benotman told Reuters. “It may also be a deception, to try to unsettle the international community. But the contacts definitely happened.”

Gaddafi threatens armed resistance against no-fly zone

March 9, 2011

Colonel Muammar Gaddafi has warned that the imposition of a no-fly zone in Libyan airspace will be met with armed resistance and taken as proof that western powers are trying to steal his country’s oil. His defiant remarks came as pro-Gaddafi forces continued their assault on the city of Zawiyah and the country’s rebel leadership pleaded for the international community to close down Libyan airspace. Britain and the US have discussed the creation of an internationally backed no-fly zone as a contingency plan in case Gaddafi refuses to step down in response to the popular uprising that erupted last month. In an interview broadcast on Wednesday by Turkey’s state-run TRT news channel, Gaddafi said: “If they take such a decision it will be useful for Libya, because the Libyan people will see the truth, that what they want is to take control of Libya and to steal their oil.

“They want to take your petrol,” he said. “This is what America, this is what the French, those colonialists, want.” But he warned: “The Libyan people will take up arms against them.” Barack Obama and David Cameron have agreed “to press forward with planning, including at Nato, on the full spectrum of possible responses, including surveillance, humanitarian assistance, enforcement of the arms embargo, and a no-fly zone”. The US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, has made it clear that Washington believes any decision to impose a no-fly zone is a matter for the UN and should not be a US-led initiative. Opponents of Gaddafi on the front line between the rebel-controlled east and the regime’s forces in the west have become increasingly frustrated at the international community’s failure to act. Rebels constantly fire machine guns into the air to try to fend off attacking warplanes. “They had a no-fly zone in Iraq,” a rebel volunteer, Naji Saleh, told Reuters near the oil town of Ras Lanuf. “Why is Gaddafi their darling and Saddam Hussein was not?”. The rebel leadership in the eastern city of Benghazi said their representatives were in touch with foreign capitals about the imposition of a no-fly zone.

“We are concentrating our diplomatic efforts and working hard. But as always, they [foreign powers] are reluctant. One day we think they will take action soon,” said Iman Bugaigis, a spokesman for the rebel February 17 coalition. An opposition group fighting Gaddafi’s regime has called for a no-fly zone over Libya even without the UN’s blessing, but has ruled out the presence of foreign troops on Libyan soil. Speaking at the European parliament, an official with the umbrella group for eastern rebels said that if it came to a choice between preventing people being slaughtered or accepting political disagreement within the UN security council, the decision was easy. Mahmoud Jebril said the only condition would be to enforce the zone from outside Libya. EU parliament groups meeting in Strasbourg are preparing to call on member states to recognise Jebril’s newly created interim governing council in Benghazi. Gaddafi has also accused the UN security council of bypassing its own processes to act against Libya and repeated his claims that the revolt had been inspired by foreign al-Qaida militants who have freed prisoners and paid young men to fight for them. He has accused western governments and media of falling for al-Qaida propaganda that blamed government forces for unleashing violence on the Libyan people.

In an interview with France’s LCI television, Gaddafi said: “I’d have to be mad to shoot at peaceful demonstrators. I’d never have done that. I’d never have allowed anyone to be shot.” He also warned the international community that the collapse of Libya would bring an end to security in the region, telling TRT: “The world will change its attitude towards Libya because Libyan stability means the security of the Mediterranean sea. “It will be a huge disaster if al-Qaida takes over Libya. Al-Qaida would flood Europe with immigrants. We are the ones who prevent al-Qaida from taking over control. They would drag the whole region into chaos … Al-Qaida would take over north Africa.” Meanwhile, Libyan forces loyal to Gaddafi have closed in on rebels in the western city of Zawiyah, surrounding them with tanks and snipers in the main square, according to a resident and a rebel fighter. “We can see the tanks. The tanks are everywhere,” Ibrahim told Reuters by phone from inside Zawiyah, the closest rebel city to the capital, Tripoli. A resident added: “They have surrounded the square with snipers and tanks. The situation is not so good. It’s very scary. There are a lot of snipers.” Ibrahim said forces loyal to Gaddafi were in control of the main road and the suburbs.

Although rebel forces still controlled the square, pro-Gaddafi fighters were about 1,500 metres away. Ibrahim said army snipers were on top of most of the buildings, shooting at anyone who dared to venture from their homes. “There are many dead people and they can’t even bury them,” he said. “Zawiyah is deserted. There’s nobody on the streets. No animals, not even birds in the sky.” A government spokesman said that while troops were mostly in control of Zawiyah, there was still a small pocket of 30-40 “desperate” resistance fighters. Foreign reporters have been prevented from entering Zawiyah, 30 miles west of Tripoli, and other cities near the capital without an official escort. Human rights activists estimate more than 1,000 people have been killed since the uprising began in mid-February.

New air raids hit Libyan oil city

March 9, 2011

Forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi have launched new air raids on the oil city of Ras Lanuf and are closing in on the western town of Az Zawiyah. Fresh reports of rockets landing on Ras Lanuf came on Wednesday, with Al Jazeera’s correspondent there saying there was intense fighting taking place between rebels and the government’s fighter jets. “What we are hearing is intense and repeated attacks by Gaddafi’s airplanes on the rebels,” Jacky Rowland said.”The air force is concentrating on the big junctions at the entrance to the town. The opposition fighters are extremely panicked.” She said the oil facility there had been hit in three places. “There are huge plumes of smoke leaping into the air. We can see mortar fire from Gaddafi troops and the rebels are firing rockets towards the west.” Khaled Kwafi, a member of the opposition forces based on the outskirts of Ras Lanuf, told Al Jazeera that people were killed and injured in the attack.

“An hour ago we saw warplanes in the sky. We heard very huge explosions and lots of smoke. Our people tried to go there but they were stopped,” he said. “We heard there are people killed and injured there. In addition to attacks in Ras Lanuf, forces loyal to Gaddafi launched a bombardment near rebel positions around the east Libyan oil terminal of Sidrah on Wednesday, blowing up storage tanks at the facility. Rebels retaliated by firing back with rockets as a fireball exploded from one of the oil tanks and the sky above the terminal filled with black smoke. Clashes were also reported from the town of Bin Jawad, where a witness told Reuters that the Libyan military was using “gunboats” against opposition forces. Other witnesses reported seeing warplanes bomb oil facilities. Fresh violence was also reported from the town of Az Zawiyah, which has been the focus of repeated battles between pro- and anti-government forces. Late on Wednesday, a witness told Reuters that rebels had retaken the town square, after being driven from it earlier in the day. The Gaddafi government disputed that claim, saying that it had retaken the town. The claims cannot be independently verified, as the government has refused journalists access to the city, despite promises to conduct a tour.

A doctor told Reuters the earlier offensive had left many bodies lying in the streets, with at least 40 people said to have been killed.Gaddafi’s forces are also reported to have surrounded the rebel-held town of Az Zawiyah, close to the capital Tripoli. Tanks of forces closed in on the rebel-held main square of on Wednesday and their snipers shot at anything that moved, rebel and resident sources said. They said bodies were lying unrecovered in the ruins of many buildings destroyed in air raids earlier in the week and there was no one in the streets of the centre. “We can see the tanks. The tanks are everywhere,” a rebel fighter told Reuters by phone from inside the city. One doctor there said that at least forty people were killed in the day’s fighting. The Libyan government claims it has taken back the coastal town of Bin Jawad after heavy shelling there. Gaddafi himself remains as defiant as ever, saying the Libyan people will take up arms if western powers get involved in events in Libya. On Wednesday, three of his private planes left Tripoli. At least one of them, carrying a high-ranking official for talks with the head of the Arab League, landed in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.

Earlier, in his second televised speech in as many days, Gaddafi once again alleged involvement of foreigners in the rebellion against his more than 41-year-old rule. In an address on state TV early on Wednesday he warned of a plot to colonise Libya. As proof, he said his security forces had captured several foreigners during a raid on Monday.”Yesterday, the mosque that the security forces regained power over, they had in this mosque, they had weapons and alcohol as well. Some of them come from Afghanistan, some of them come from Egypt, some of them come from Algeria, just to misguide our children,” Gaddafi said. His address followed an offer by the rebels, granting him a safe exit. “If he leaves Libya immediately, during 72 hours, and stops the bombardment, we as Libyans will step back from pursuing him for crimes,” Mustafa Abdel Jalil, head of the opposition National Council, told Al Jazeera on Tuesday. “Conditions are that firstly he stops all combat in the fields, secondly that his departure is within 72 hours; thirdly we may waive our right of domestic prosecution … for the crimes of oppression, persecution, starvation and massacres,” Jalil said. The offer came amid reports that Gaddafi had sent feelers to the opposition movement, expressing willingness to negotiate his exit.

Unconfirmed reports indicated that Gaddafi was willing to step down in return for having war crimes charges against him dropped and a guaranteed safe exit for him and his family. He also reportedly wanted guarantees from the UN that he will be allowed to keep his money. Libyan state television has, however, denied the reports. An official from the Libyan foreign ministry described the reports as “absolute nonsense”. Hoda Abdel-Hamid, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in the eastern city of Benghazi, said she was hearing conflicting accounts of what happened. “The head of the opposition National Council says there were indirect talks with people from Tripoli, who were given the green light from the regime,” she said. “But the spokesman for the National Council denies any of that.”

February 27, 2011

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Video shows Libya army ‘executions’

March 8, 2011

Al Jazeera has received pictures that purportedly show Libyan army officers killed for refusing to fire on the rebels, evidence of how Gaddafi deals with “traitors”. It is claimed the soldiers refused to shoot rebels in the mountainous region west of the capital, Tripoli. The pictures were sent to Al Jazeera by a rebel group in the area. A survivor of the killings says the men were rounded-up, their legs tied before being shot in the head or back from close range. It is impossible to independently verify the authenticity of the video. The pictures emerged as rebel fighters face perhaps their greatest challenge yet as they take stock of what seems a slowing of momentum in their campaign. Libyan state media has also reported that a rebel base was recaptured by the army in the western city of Az-Zawiyah. There are also reports that tank shelling of the city on Monday has been the fiercest so far. This comes despite earlier claims that the military had taken full control. Rebels are regrouping in towns in the east of the country. The military and pro-Gaddafi forces have at least for the time being halted their advance to the Libyan leader’s home town and stronghold of Sirte. A report on Libyan state television showed pictures it said were of rebel fighters killed in battle. A man describes the dead bodies as “rats serving a foreign conspiracy”.

Barack Obama raises pressure on Gaddafi as no-fly zone gains support

March 7, 2011

Barack Obama has stepped up pressure on Colonel Gaddafi, saying the US and Nato allies were considering a military response to violence in Libya, with the list of options including arming the rebels. Obama’s remarks came as Britain and France made progress in drafting a resolution at the UN calling for a no-fly zone triggered by specific conditions, rather than timelines. Downing Street is hopeful that a resolution with clear triggers such as the bombing of civilians would not be subject to a Russian veto at the security council. The foreign secretary, William Hague, told the Commons a no-fly zone would have to be supported by north African countries and rebel leaders and would also need an appropriate legal basis. He said he was looking at ways of restricting the money going to the Libyan regime from oil revenues, with one option being money going into an escrow account for the use of the Libyan people. Many Tory backbenchers voiced concerns about a no-fly zone, including the chairman of the foreign affairs select committee, Richard Ottaway, who argued they had not worked in Bosnia or Iraq. The international shift towards support for a UN-endorsed no-fly zone has seen influential US senators such as John Kerry and John McCain backing the plan. There is growing concern that the rebels will be crushed unless they are given some practical military support, even if it is limited to disabling Libyan air control radar.

Speaking at the White House, Obama said: “The violence that has been taking place and perpetrated by the government in Libya is unacceptable.” He said Muammar Gaddafi’s government “will be held accountable for whatever violence continues to take place there”. Last week Obama said Gaddafi must stand down. Behind the scenes, US officials are engaged in discussions at the UN and at Nato in Brussels on options ranging from cyber-warfare attacks to arms drops to the rebels, as proposed by some Republicans. There is at present an arms embargo on Libya. Meanwhile, a powerful US air and naval force is assembling off Libya. Kerry, chairman of the foreign relations committee, argued at the weekend that a no-fly zone would not amount to military intervention, adding: “One could crater the airports and the runways and leave them incapable of using them for a period of time.” The Republican McCain is also pushing for a more proactive policy to support the rebels. Obama is believed to oppose US military intervention in Libya, partly because it could boost Gaddafi’s standing. But if civilian deaths mount and the humanitarian crisis worsens, his hand may be forced. The US is also concerned that a golden chance to topple Gaddafi may be lost if the crisis is allowed to deteriorate into a low-intensity stalemate, with neither side able to best the other. Nato defence ministers will meet to discuss options on Thursday. An EU summit on the same subject is due on Friday. The language among British government officials is more positive than last week, perhaps reflecting less hostile noises coming out of Washington after distinctly cautious comments earlier from the US defence secretary, Robert Gates. Senior British military officials have warned David Cameron about the dangers of committing British forces to Libya when they may be needed in the event of crises in other countries, notably Bahrain and Oman, officials confirmed. The Gulf states, bases for British warships and aircraft, are of greater significance strategically for the UK than Libya, whose main interest is commercial, they indicated.

Libyan Rebels Try To Regroup After Setback

March 7, 2011

RAS LANOUF, Libya – Libyan rebels said Monday they will regroup and bring in heavy weapons after forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi pounded opposition fighters with helicopter gunships, artillery and rockets to stop the rebels’ rapid advance toward the capital. Mohamad Samir, an army colonel fighting with the rebels, told The Associated Press that his forces need reinforcements from the east after Sunday’s setback. Sunday’s fighting appeared to signal the start of a new phase in the conflict, with Gaddafi’s regime unleashing its air power on the rebel force trying to oust the ruler of 41 years. Resorting to heavy use of air attacks signaled the regime’s concern that it needed to check the advance of the rebel force toward Sirte — Gaddafi’s hometown and stronghold. Anti-Gaddafi forces would get a massive morale boost if they captured Sirte, and it would clear a major obstacle on the march toward the gates of Tripoli. The uprising against Gaddafi, which began Feb. 15, is already longer and much bloodier than the relatively quick revolts that overthrew the longtime authoritarian leaders of neighboring Egypt and Tunisia. Libya appears to be sliding toward a civil war that could drag out for weeks, or even months. Both sides seem to be relatively weak and poorly trained, though Gaddafi’s forces have the advantage in numbers and equipment.

Hundreds if not thousands of people have died since Libya’s uprising began — tight restrictions on media make it near impossible to get an accurate tally. More than 200,000 people have fled the country, most of them foreign workers. The exodus is creating a humanitarian crisis across the border with Tunisia — another North African country in turmoil after an uprising in January that ousted its longtime leader. The turmoil is being felt more broadly still in the form of rising oil prices. Libya’s oil production has been seriously crippled by the unrest. The conflict in Libya took a turn late last week when government opponents, backed by mutinous army units and armed with weaponry seized from storehouses, went on the offensive. At the same time, pro-Gaddafi forces have conducted counteroffensives to try to retake the towns and oil ports the rebels have captured since they moved out of the rebel-held east. An opposition force estimated at 500 to 1,000 fighters has been cutting a path west toward Tripoli. On the way, they secured control of two important oil ports at Brega and Ras Lanouf. If the rebels continue to advance, even slowly, Gaddafi’s heavy dependence on air power could prompt the West to try to hurriedly enforce a no-fly zone over the country. The U.N. has already imposed sanctions against Libya, and the U.S. has moved military forces closer to its shores to back up its demand that Gaddafi step down. Enforcing a no-fly zone could take weeks to organize, however, and U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has noted that it must be preceded by a military operation to take out Libya’s air defenses. British Foreign Minister William Hague said Sunday that a no-fly zone over Libya is still in an early stage of planning and ruled out the use of ground forces.

Gaddafi forces hit key rebel town

March 7, 2011

Pro-Gaddafi forces have launched several air strikes on Libya’s rebel-held oil port of Ras Lanuf. One attack destroyed a car carrying a family, killing at least one person, Reuters agency reported. Bin Jawad, 50km (30 miles) to the west, has fallen to forces loyal to Libyan leader Col Gaddafi, correspondents say, checking the rebels’ westward progress. The UN says 200,000 people have fled the violence, where the revolt is well into its third week. Nato is considering military options in response to the situation in Libya, US President Barack Obama has said. “We send a very clear message to the Libyan people that we will stand with them in the face of unwarranted violence and the continuing suppression of democratic ideals that we have seen there,” he said. Throughout Monday, rebels fought off an intense counter-offensive by Gaddafi forces, which have been attacking towns both near Tripoli and in the east after recent rebel gains.

The Gaddafi regime is in a belligerent, confident mood, says the BBC’s Wyre Davies in Tripoli. But, he adds, it is increasingly difficult to know how much is fact and how much is propaganda, as the Libyan government is making it almost impossible for journalists to visit areas where many people are thought to have been killed in the fighting. As well as the attacks on Ras Lanuf, 600km (400 miles) east of the capital, pro-Gaddafi forces launched a renewed tank and artillery attack on Zawiya, a rebel-held town 50km west of Tripoli, Reuters reported an exiled Libyan opposition group as saying. In Misrata, 200km (125 miles) east of the capital, a local doctor told the BBC that 21 bodies and more than 100 wounded people had been brought to his hospital, which he said was also targeted by government troops. He said the fighting went on for at least six hours, with residents saying the city centre was “seriously destroyed”. With a population of 300,000, Misrata is the largest town controlled by rebels outside their stronghold in the eastern part of the country.

Residents have called for the international community to establish a no-fly zone over Libya to prevent Col Gaddafi’s air force from attacking. The UK and France have drawn up elements of a UN resolution authorising such a no-fly zone, a British diplomat says. This was contingency planning in case world leaders decided such a zone was necessary, the diplomat told the BBC: there were no current plans to table the resolution or launch negotiations. Possible triggers for such a move might be a massive humanitarian emergency or gross and systematic violations of human rights, diplomats say. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has reiterated his opposition to military intervention in Libya, the RIA Novosti news agency reports. Russia has the power to veto any UN Security Council resolution. Events in Libya were “absolutely outrageous”, Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told the BBC, adding that “systematic attacks against the civilian population may, as stated by the UN Security Council, amount to a crime against humanity”. However, he said Nato had no plans to intervene, and any operational role would be pursuant to a UN mandate. The Gulf Arab states have also condemned the use of violence by pro-Gaddafi forces, and demanded that the UN Security Council enforce a no-fly zone over Libya.

The UN’s latest figures show at least 191,748 people have fled the violence in Libya since the fighting began, and that more want to leave but have not made it to a border or are constrained from crossing. Meanwhile, Libyan Foreign Minister Mussa Kussa openly ridiculed the UK and other Western governments for trying to make contact with rebel leaders in the country’s east. Six soldiers and two Foreign Office officials were detained for two days by rebels in eastern Libya, but were freed on Sunday and left the country. UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said the men were withdrawn after a “serious misunderstanding” over their role. Mr Kussa said that by sending a special forces unit to escort a diplomat in rebel-held territory, the UK was part of “a conspiracy to divide Libya”. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Jordan’s former foreign minister, Abdelilah al-Khatib, as his special envoy to Libya, adding that Libya had agreed to accept the immediate dispatch of a humanitarian assessment team to its capital.

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