Libya crisis: UN security council to meet over Gaddafi crackdown

[Kyusuibu Honbu]

Libya crisis: UN security council to meet over Gaddafi crackdown​

The United Nations security council is to meet in closed session to discuss Muammar Gaddafi's brutal crackdown in Libya amid fears of a bloodbath following the dictator's appearance on state TV to deny he had fled the country.

Libya's deputy ambassador to the UN, Ibrahim al-Dabashi appealed for international intervention, starting with a no-fly zone over the country, to help stop "a real genocide".

Runways at Benghazi airport are reported by Egyptian authorities to have been destroyed in the violence. The country's second city has been the scene of alleged massacres in recent days. The death toll in Libya passed 250 on Monday after six days of unrest, but this is a conservative estimate. The International Federation of Human Rights estimated the death toll at 300 to 400.

Gaddafi appeared briefly on Libyan state TV on Monday to deny reports that he had fled the country. "I want to show that I'm in Tripoli and not in Venezuela. Do not believe the channels belonging to stray dogs," he said, holding an umbrella in the rain and leaning out of a vehicle. The station said he was speaking outside his house.

As his forces launched air attacks against protesters amid apparent confirmation of claims that African mercenaries were being used to quell the violence, the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-Moon, condemned the "very disturbing and shocking scenes". He said he had spoken to Gaddafi and "forcefully urged him to stop violence against demonstrators." He told reporters: "This is unacceptable. This must stop immediately. This is a serious violation of international humanitarian law."

The Arab League is also to hold an emergency meeting in Cairo. At least seven Libyan ambassadors have resigned in protest at the killing, although other senior diplomats remained in post while appealing for Gaddafi to step down.

In New York, Dabashi said there must be a no-fly zone "on the cities of Libya so no mercenaries, no supplies of arms will arrive to the regime". He told a press conference he and other UN diplomats were not resigning because they served the people of Libya, not the regime.

"This is in fact a declaration of war against the Libyan people," he told reporters, surrounded by a dozen Libyan diplomats. "The regime of Gaddafi has already started the genocide against the Libyan people."

Libya's ambassador to the United States, Ali Aujali, called for Gaddafi to step down. "There's no other solution. He should step down and give the chance for the people to make their future," he told Associated Press. "How can I support the government killing our people? … What I have seen in front of my eyes now is not acceptable at all."

Aujali said he was not resigning his post, because he was on the "good side" of the Libyan government and not part of the killing. "There are many people working very hard to make things work in the right way but, unfortunately, we don't have enough power that we can change everything going on in Libya," he said.

Libya's ambassador at the UN, Abdurrahman Mohamed Shalgham, told the pan-Arab newspaper, al-Hayat, that all diplomats at Libya's mission supported Dabashi, "excluding me". Shalgham said he was in touch with the Gaddafi government and was trying "to persuade them to stop these acts".

The country's ambassador to India, who resigned over the crackdown, said African mercenaries were being employed by Gaddafi. "They are from Africa, and speak French and other languages," Ali al-Essawi told Reuters, adding he had been told there had been army defections.

"They [the troops] are Libyans and they cannot see foreigners killing Libyans so they moved beside the people."

 

[domiania96]

In my opinion, the strikes in Libya could have been prevented. If the dictator would listen to what his people want, they would have never gone out on the street to protest. Since the revolution began, it is important to think what is good for the people and how to solve this problem peacefully.
I believe that the best solution would be to come to an agreement between the government and the people by talking about the problem and trying to find a compromise, but i doubt that Muammar Gaddafi would be open to this propositon. If this would not work, the citizens of Libya could protest, but in a way that nobody would get hurt. A good idea would be to make posters, hand out fliers and report the news to the local television and radio station, so that everyone would be aware of what is happening.
Either way, I hope that the people find a solution and that Libya will soon be a safe place for everyone.

 

[DV RULES]

Libya - Regional Politics

Inspired by the recent ouster of authoritarian regimes in Tunisia and Egypt, opponents of Gaddafi demanded an end to his 42-year rule. But the civil war in Libya was fundamentally different from the revolts in other countries, reflecting the fundamental geographical distinction between eastern Cyrenaica, which was liberated from Gaddafi's rule, and western Tripolitania, which remained largely loyal to the regime. Although Cyrenaica and Tripolitania had been united into Libya at independence in 1951, for the previous three thousand years these two territories had persisted as seperate and distinct entities. Decades of Liya had not overcome the differences of millennia, and a territorialy based civil war was the natural product of these distinctions.

Historically, the administration of Libya had been united for only a few years -- and those under Italian rule. Many groups vied for influence over the people but, although all parties desired independence, there was no consensus as to what form of government was to be established. The social basis of political organization varied from region to region. In Cyrenaica and Fezzan, the tribe was the chief focus of social identification, even in an urban context. Idris had wide appeal in the former as head of the Sanusi order, while in the latter the Sayf an Nasr clan commanded a following as paramount tribal chieftains. In Tripolitania, by contrast, loyalty that in a social context was reserved largely to the family and kinship group could be transferred more easily to a political party and its leader.

For more than 400 years, Tripolitania and Cyrenaica were prosperous Roman provinces and part of a cosmopolitan state whose citizens shared a common language, legal system, and Roman identity. Roman ruins like those of Leptis Magna, extant in present-day Libya, attest to the vitality of the region, where populous cities and even smaller towns enjoyed the amenities of urban life -- the forum, markets, public entertainments, and baths-- found in every corner of the Roman Empire. Merchants and artisans from many parts of the Roman world established themselves in North Africa, but the character of the cities of Tripolitania remained decidedly Punic and, in Cyrenaica, Greek. Tripolitania was a major exporter of olive oil, as well as being the entrepôt for the gold and slaves conveyed to the coast by the Garamentes, while Cyrenaica remained an important source of wines, drugs, and horses. With the definitive partition of the empire in 395, the Cyrenaica was assigned to the eastern empire; Tripolitania was attached to the western empire.

By the beginning of the second century, Christianity had been introduced among the Jewish community, and it soon gained converts in the towns and among slaves. Rome's African provinces were thoroughly Christianized by the end of the fourth century, and inroads had been made as well among the Berber tribes in the hinterland. From an early date, however, the churches in Tripolitania and Cyrenaica developed distinct characteristics that reflected their differing cultural orientations. The former came under the jurisdiction of the Latin patriarch, the bishop of Rome, and the latter under that of the Coptic (Egyptian) patriarch of Alexandria. In both areas, religious dissent became a vehicle for social revolt at a time of political deterioration and economic depression.

After World War II, the United States suggested a trusteeship for the whole country under control of the United Nations (UN), whose charter had become effective in October 1945, to prepare it for self-government. The Soviet Union proposed separate provincial trusteeships, claiming Tripolitania for itself and assigning Fezzan to France and Cyrenaica to Britain. France, seeing no end to the discussions, advocated the return of the territory to Italy. To break the impasse, Britain finally recommended immediate independence for Libya. Separate British military governments were established in Cyrenaica and in Tripolitania and continued to function until Libya achieved independence. Each was divided into several districts governed by civil affairs officers who reported to brigadiers at senior headquarters in Benghazi and Tripoli.

The new United Kingdom of Libya, which became independent in December 1951, was composed of three provinces — Tripolitania, Cyrenaica, and the southern desert area of the Fezzan. The sparse populations of these areas were widely separated from each other by the Sahara (which comprises almost 95 percent of the country), and have accordingly developed strikingly different attitudes and characteristics. There were: (a) 800,000 Tripolitanians who were partially detribalized and sedentary and divided by conflicting urban and rural interests; (b) over 300,000 semi nomadic Cyrenaicans who, on the other hand, were united by tribal bonds and still widespread allegiance to the orthodox Moslem Sanusi religious brotherhood; (c) roughly 50,000 Fezzanese oasis-dwellers and nomads, who had little contact with the coastal regions; and (d) 46,000 Italians settled in Tripolitania, who played a leading role in its economy. The vast majority of the population was illiterate and politically apathetic.

While Tripolitania adhered to the concept of a united kingdom through fear of renewed domination by Italy, the Cyrenaicans were largely separatist in outlook, fearing domination by more populous Tripolitania. After the UN decision of 1949 in favor of a united Libya, Tripolitania reluctantly accepted as monarch the Amir Sayyid Idrisal-Sanusi of Cyrenaica, who was almost equally reluctant to head the new state. Time only widened the breach between the two areas; King Idris I constantly reasserted his preference for Cyrenaica, and the Tripolitanians showed increasing distaste for their “Shepherd Chieftain.”

The separateness of the regions is much more than simply geographical and political, for they have evolved largely as different socioeconomic entities--each with a culture, social structure, and values different from the others. Cyrenaica became Arabized at a somewhat earlier date than Tripolitania, and beduin tribes dominated it. The residual strain of the indigenous Berber inhabitants, however, still remains in Tripolitania. Fezzan has remained a kind of North African outback, its oases peopled largely by minority ethnic groups.

The border between Tripolitania and Tunisia is subject to countless crossings by legal and illegal migrants. No natural frontier marks the border, and the ethnic composition, language, value systems, and traditions of the two peoples are nearly identical. The Cyrenaica region is contiguous with Egypt, and here, too, the border is not naturally defined; illegal as well as legal crossings are frequent. In contrast, Fezzan's borders with Algeria, Niger, and Chad are seldom crossed because of the almost total emptiness of the desert countryside. Other factors, too, such as the traditional forms of land tenure, have varied in the different regions. In the 1980s their degrees of separateness was still sufficiently pronounced to represent a significant obstacle to efforts toward achieving a fully unified Libya.



Libya - Regional Politics

 

[ejaz007]

World tightening noose on Gaddafi: Obama

WASHINGTON: US President Barack warned on Friday the world was “tightening the noose” on Gaddafi, but admitted he was “concerned” about the Libyan strongman’s capacity to cling onto power. Obama announced he would appoint an envoy to Libyan opposition forces as part of a bid to “change the balance” of the military situation in Libya, and warned the world had an obligation to avoid a Rwanda-style massacre. The president also defended his efforts to turf Gaddafi out of power so far, amid criticism that he has been too slow or not offered sufficient leadership, adding he was gauging support for a no-fly zone with regional powers. “Across the board, we are slowly tightening the noose on Gaddafi,” Obama said in a White House news conference scheduled to discuss rising energy prices but dominated by the Libyan revolt and the Japanese tsunami tragedy. afp

Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan

 

[ejaz007]

Pro-Gaddafi forces appeared to be in control of the centre of Az Zawiyah on Friday evening [AFP]

 

[ejaz007]

Shouldn't we have one dedicated thread regarding Libya Crisis.

 

[ejaz007]

Gaddafi army penetrates rebel areas

Government forces bomb Ajdabiya, the last town before rebel stronghold as state TV says Gaddafi offers amnesty to rebels
Last Modified: 14 Mar 2011 11:47 GMT

The town of Ajdabiya is seen as the last defence against Benghazi, the rebel capital [EPA]

As Muammar Gaddafi's forces ratchet up their military offensive against the rebels, shells have fallen six kilometres west of the key Libyan town of Ajdabiya, which the rebels have vowed to defend against government forces.

Journalists for AFP news agency saw two craters of some four metres across and five metres apart near a road junction, after Monday's shelling.

Rebels said there had been no casualties, but the attack on Ajdabiya is seen, from the rebels' viewpoint, "as the last line of defence," said Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley, reporting from Benghazi.

Meanwhile, Gaddafi has reportedly offered an amnesty to rebel fighters if they agree to lay down their arms, Libyan state television reported on Monday.

Al Jazeera's correspondent in the capital Tripoli said the offer will play on very anxious rebel forces who don't know how they are going to be able to put up a fight against Gaddafi's forces, given the overwhelming superiority of his military forces.

"There is an enormous degree of anxiety. It's an all or nothing game now," Anita McNaught said.

"If the rebels do not manage to hold out against Gaddafi and establish some kind of protective zone in the east of the country it is almost certain there would be in the wake of this some dreadful purge of those who dared to raise their hands against the Gaddafi administration.

"People know that unless they are able to in some way keep Tripoli at bay that the alternative is almost too awful to contemplate. Those fears apply equally in Tripoli; they are just not expressed as opening as they are in the east."

'Final phase'

On the battle field, rebel fighters say they have re-taken parts of the oil town of Brega and captured Gaddafi troops - but government forces contest that claim, saying that they are now in control of it.

Fighting has also reportedly resumed in the towns of Ajdabiya and Zuwarah.

General Abdel Fatah Yunis, a rebel commander who resigned as Gaddafi's interior minister soon after the uprising began in mid-February, said that Ajdabiya, little over 100 kilometres to the west, was "a vital city".

"It's on the route to the east, to Benghazi and to Tobruk and also to the south. Ajdabiya's defence is very important... We will defend it," he told reporters.

From Ajdabiya one road runs north along the coast to Benghazi, Libya's second city, with a population of one million, which the rebels have made their capital.

Another road goes straight across the desert eastward to the oil port of Tobruk, which to date has given rebels full control up to the Egyptian border.

Al Jazeera's Birley said "Gaddafi forces are advancing and It seems that fighting is carrying on and coming close to Benghazi.

"It seems like we are entering the final phase of the conflict but whether this revolution will fail or succeed, that will only be determined in the coming weeks."

Meanwhile, the Reuters news agency reports that France was stepping up efforts on Monday to persuade world powers to impose a no-fly zone over Libya.

France said it would consult other powers "in the coming hours" to try to set up such a zone to assure the protection of civilians "in the face of the terrible violence suffered by the Libyan population".

The Arab League's weekend call on the United Nations to impose such a zone satisfies one of three conditions set by NATO for it to police Libyan air space.

The UN Security Council is meeting on Monday to consider options on Libya but no resolution expected yet.

International delay

However, analysts say that by the time the international community agrees on a response to Gaddafi's onslaught against a popular revolt, it could all be over.

"The international community is dragging its feet," Saad Djebbar, a London lawyer and expert on Libyan affairs, told the Reuters news agency.

"The diplomatic pace is very slow. There is an urgency to act quickly before those people are finished off by Gaddafi's forces."

"The international community has to act now - not only to protect Benghazi from an onslaught but because of what it means for the rest of the world if Gaddafi is allowed to remain the leader of Libya," said Geoff Porter, a US-based political risk consultant who specialises in North Africa.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Tarik Yousef, a senior research fellow at the Dubai school of government said that, "What has been missing is a strong sense of what the US wants to do.

"They need to sort through a lot of ideas they have about a post-Gaddafi Libya, but the time that they are taking, I am afraid it will come at a great cost to Libyan civilians."

'Arm the rebels'

Britain has also been pushing for the imposition of a no-fly zone to shield Libyans from Gaddafi's air power.

William Hague, British foreign secretary said that international powers should consider the option of arming Libyan rebels and take swift action to prevent Gaddafi forces from crushing a popular rebellion.

Hague said it would be a nightmare for Libya's people if Gaddafi managed to hold on to 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 for some time to come,"Hague told BBC Radio.

Of the UN's veto-yielding members, China has been against the imposition of a no-fly zone, while Russia has appeared reluctant and the United States, Germany and Italy have taken a cautious line on intervention.

However, Dmitry Medvedev, Russian president has banned Gaddafi and 15 members of his family and immediate circle from Russia and from carrying out financial transactions in the country , the Interfax news agency reported.

Besides the ruling family, the financial restrictions also apply to the head of Libya's military intelligence service, who is Gaddafi's brother-in-law, Interfax said.

Gaddafi army penetrates rebel areas - Africa - Al Jazeera English

 

[mil-avia]

Map of Libya's tirbes :

 

[Veritas]

Nothing is going to happen in UN, the Russians love the Colonel, so they would VETO it. Libya is a small country with 6 million people, so the world can look other ways .. as loan as Gadddaffi supplies cheap oil to Italy and Germany it seems there is no consequence..

 

[desioptimist]

Also, there is no unity of libyan voice(unlike egypt).
If you take one side, other side will not feel good about it.

 

[ejaz007]

G-8 Drops Libya No-Fly Zone Plan
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Published: 15 Mar 2011 10:13

PARIS - Group of Eight powers dropped French-led proposals for a no-fly zone to end bombardment in Libya, making no mention of it in a closing statement read out by French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe on March 15.

The statement welcomed measures under way at the United Nations Security Council "as a matter of urgency" to protect Libyans from the fighting between forces loyal to ruler Moammar Gadhafi and rebels.

His statement made no reference however to French and British proposals for a no-fly zone, which had been met with caution by the United States, Russia and the European Union.

"Ministers called on Moammar Gadhafi to respect the legitimate claim of the Libyan people to fundamental rights, freedom of expression and a representative form of government," Juppe said.

G-8 Drops Libya No-Fly Zone Plan - Defense News

 

[mil-avia]

Map of Libya's tirbes :

Map of foreign air raids in Libya :

 

[ejaz007]

Qatar Becomes First Arab State to Overfly Libya
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Published: 25 Mar 2011 15:39

DOHA - Qatari warplanes have flown over Libya, becoming the first Arab state to take part in military operations to enforce a no-fly zone under a U.N. resolution, its air force announced March 25.

The air force said an undisclosed number of planes had "overflown sister Libya as part of the international coalition" to enforce the no-fly zone imposed on Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's forces "to protect civilians."

It did not specify a date for the start of Qatari operations nor a location for the first flights, in a brief statement carried by state news agency QNA.

But two Qatari Mirage jet fighters and a C-17 Globemaster transport plane landed on March 22 in Cyprus for refueling on their way to deployment. State television said they were headed for a U.S. air base on Crete.

The United Arab Emirates, like Qatar a key U.S. ally, said on March 24 it has committed six F-16 and six Mirage fighters to help enforce the no-fly zone over its fellow Arab country and that its flights would start "in the coming days."

The 22-member Arab League endorsed the no-fly zone before Western warplanes under Security Council Resolution 1973 launched attacks on the air defenses of Gadhafi's forces battling an armed revolt.

But with Arab states seen as slow to contribute, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said earlier this week that Washington expected "more announcements" of Arab participation in the days ahead.

Qatar Becomes First Arab State to Overfly Libya - Defense News

 

[ejaz007]

Russia's Top General Says Libyan Air Strikes 'Failed'
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Published: 26 Mar 2011 18:26

MOSCOW - Russia's top general called air strikes in Libya unsuccessful on March 26 and gave his opinion that a ground operation would likely be needed to topple the Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.

"Air (strikes) as I see it have not given them results," the chief of staff of Russia's armed forces, Gen. Nikolai Makarov told the Interfax news agency in Moscow.

"If their aim was to topple the regime of Gadhafi, then probably they will not manage without a ground phase," he was quoted as saying. "I would not rule it out."

He reaffirmed Russia's position that it would not take part in the international operation, saying that "there is not even any thought of this."

The general's comments came after Russia's envoy to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, warned on March 26 that any ground operation would be classified as an occupation of Libya.

Earlier this week, a Kremlin foreign policy adviser, Sergei Prikhodko, said Russia believed a ground operation would become inevitable if the air strikes got bogged down.

Russia abstained from last week's Security Council vote allowing a no-fly zone, while opting not to use its veto, and President Dmitry Medvedev has expressed concern about the "indiscriminate use of force."

Medvedev in a phone call on March 24 urged his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama to avoid civilian casualties and to limit the international operation to the wording of the U.N. resolution.

But in a rare rift, Medvedev publicly rebuked Prime Minister Vladimir Putin for using unacceptable language after the strongman premier harshly criticized the operation and compared it to a medieval call to crusades.

Russia's Top General Says Libyan Air Strikes 'Failed' - Defense News

 

[ejaz007]

Powers Unlock $1 Billion For Libya Rebels
BY IMED LAMLOUM, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Published: 10 Jun 2011 12:37

TRIPOLI, Libya - Key powers have vowed to unlock a billion dollars for hard-pressed Libyan rebels in talks to map out a "post-Gadhafi Libya" as a fresh volley of NATO air strikes rocked the capital on June 10.

Mikhail Margelov, the special envoy of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, meanwhile said he was preparing to visit Tripoli to find a solution to the Libya conflict after meeting the opposition in their Benghazi stronghold.

Libya's former foreign minister, Abdurrahman Shalgam, said the rebel National Transitional Council needed at least $3 billion over the next four months to pay its expenses as it battles to oust Moammar Gadhafi.

In a boost to the opposition, the United States joined Australia and Spain in recognizing the NTC as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people, with pressure mounting on the veteran leader to step down.

"Gadhafi's days are numbered. We are working with our international partners through the UN to plan for the inevitable: a post-Gadhafi Libya," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told talks in Abu Dhabi on June 9.

"Time is on our side," the chief U.S. diplomat said, adding international military, economic and political pressure was mounting on the Libyan colonel to abandon his four decades in power at the helm of the north African nation.

Clinton was meeting counterparts from NATO and other countries participating in the air strikes against Gadhafi's forces for a third round of Libya talks.

The chief U.S. diplomat said later that "people close to Gadhafi" have been making continuous contacts with many different interlocutors about the "potential for a transition" to a new regime.

"There is not a clear way forward yet," she told a news conference, also referring to the NTC as "the legitimate interlocutor" of the Libyan people.

Clinton offered no direct U.S. financial contribution to the rebels, pledging instead another "$26.5 million to help all the victims of this conflict, including Libyan refugees."

Such money will likely be distributed through relief agencies.

But Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said Rome would provide the rebel council with loans and fuel products worth 300 to 400 million euros ($438 million to $584 million). And his French counterpart, Alain Juppe, said Paris would release 290 million euros ($420.9 million) of frozen Libyan funds for the NTC.

In a sign of the continued pressure on the Gadhafi regime, a fresh wave of NATO air strikes hit the Libyan capital very early June 10, with three strong explosions shaking central Tripoli at around midnight. Other more distant explosions followed.

In the past two days, Tripoli has been targeted by the most intense NATO air raids since the international military campaign began on March 19.

The nominee to be the next U.S. defense secretary, Leon Panetta, said the sustained economic, diplomatic and military pressure would likely lead Gadhafi to step down.

"I think there are some signs that - if we continue the pressure, if we stick with it - that ultimately Gadhafi will step down," Panetta told U.S. lawmakers.

"Frankly, I think there are gains that have been made. We have seen the regime weakened significantly. We have seen the opposition make gains, both in the east and the west."

Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade urged Gadhafi to step down as he became the first head of state to visit the rebels' bastion of Benghazi in eastern Libya.

"I look at you in the eyes... the sooner you go, the better," Wade said.

A member of the NTC said on the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi meeting that an international fund aimed at helping Libya's rebels had "become operational" from Thursday.

A State Department official later told reporters "we have got commitments of something about $300 million that came out of today's meeting," including $180 million from Kuwait and $100 million from Qatar.

In Moscow, envoy Margelov called on Gadhafi to step down, saying the Libyan leader needs to take a "responsible, courageous decision about his future."

"I am now involved in preparations for a Tripoli trip," he told reporters after returning from his visit to rebel-held eastern Libya and Egypt.

Margelov said Medvedev had not ordered him to meet Gadhafi and instead planned to hold talks with the Libyan prime minister and foreign minister. He did not give any details on when the trip would take place but said the Russian side was waiting for NATO to arrange a transport corridor so that the visit could go ahead in full security.

Powers Unlock $1 Billion For Libya Rebels - Defense News