Clinging to Power
Libya replaces ambassador who defected: US
The United States said it received word Monday that Libya has got rid of its ambassador in Washington after he defected to the opposition, and has now replaced him with a regime supporter.
FACTBOX-Libya’s military: what does Gaddafi have left?
LONDON, March 1 (Reuters) – On paper, Libya’s military has some 100,000 troops, more than 2,000 tanks, 374 aircraft and a navy and includes two patrol submarines. What Colonel Muammar Gaddafi actually has left to call on is a different matter.
Also, a message for the U.S.:
(Photo: libyafeb17.com)
And more news from Libya:
Battles rage in Libya
Forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi struggle to regain control of strategic cities amid growing humanitarian concerns.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/03/20113195230586880.html
Qaddafi’s forces repelled in bid to retake western Libya city
An attack by Muammar Qaddafi’s forces on Zawiyah, Libya, was turned back by opposition forces Monday. Neither side seems able to gain the upper hand.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/beazbT9M134/Qaddafi-s-forces-repelled-in-bid-to-retake-western-Libya-city
Gaddafi forces mass as world raises pressure on Libya
Forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi were massed near the Tunisian border on Tuesday, residents said, and the United States said it was moving warships and air forces closer to Libya.
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/03/01/139680.html
Gaddafi says air force bombed only military sites–ABC
WASHINGTON, Feb 28 (Reuters) – Embattled Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi on Monday denied using his air force to attack protesters but said planes had bombed military sites and ammunition depots, ABC television network reported. Gaddafi, interviewed by ABC’s Christiane Amanpour in a restaurant on a coastal road on Tripoli’s Mediterranean coast, also invited the United Nations to conduct a “fact-finding” tour of the North African country.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/gaddafi-says-air-force-bombed-only-military-sites–abc
Libyan warplanes circle rebel-held town -official
BENGHAZI, Libya, Feb 28 (Reuters) – Military aircraft circled a town in rebel-held eastern Libya on Monday, a security official said, adding that an earlier report they bombed an arms dump was incorrect. “Two military aircraft came to Djabiya, circled and returned,” said Fathi Abidy, a member of the security council set up by the temporary administration in Libya’s main eastern city Benghazi.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/libyan-warplanes-circle-rebel-held-town–official
Gadhafi: The West has abandoned me in fight against ‘terrorists’
In interview with ABC, Libyan leader says U.S. has forsaken alliance to combat Al-Qaida, adding ‘Perhaps the [U.S.] wants to occupy Libya’.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/gadhafi-the-west-has-abandoned-me-in-fight-against-terrorists-1.346299?localLinksEnabled=false
Gaddafi to fight till his last breath- Sources
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat- Libyan sources confirmed that the Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi will not leave Tripoli, except as a dead body.
http://www.aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=1&id=24329
Gaddafi aide ‘to talk to rivals’
Move comes even as Libyan opposition sees no room for negotiation with the regime.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/africa/2011/02/2011228153557564360.html
Source: Libya government to send envoy, aid to rebel-held Benghazi
Report: Gadhafi names foreign intelligence chief to negotiate with new eastern leadership; security forces clamp down on fresh protests in Tripoli.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/source-libya-government-to-send-envoy-aid-to-rebel-held-benghazi-1.346279?localLinksEnabled=false
Gadhafi clings to power amid growing support for protests
Tripoli, Libya (CNN) — Embattled Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi on Monday denied the existence of the protests that have threatened his hold on power.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/02/28/libya.protests/index.html?hpt=T1
Report: Libya warplanes bomb rebel-held arms depot, as anti-Gadhafi protesters amass in Tripoli
Source: Libya government to send envoy, aid to rebel-held Benghazi; Libya opposition training youth to fight pro-Gadhafi forces in West; Gadhafi: All my people love me.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/report-libya-warplanes-bomb-rebel-held-arms-depot-as-anti-gadhafi-protesters-amass-in-tripoli-1.346294?localLinksEnabled=false
Christiane Amanpour Gets First Interview With Gaddafi
Christiane Amanpour nabbed the first U.S. interview with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi on Monday. Amanpour joined the Times of London and the BBC in the interview, Gaddafi’s first with the foreign press since the uprising in Libya began. Speaking to ABC’s Diane Sawyer, Amanpour said Gaddafi remained defiant during the talk. On Twitter, Amanpour wrote that Gaddafi “refused to acknowledge that any demonstrations took place in the streets of Tripoli,” and said that “all my people love me. They would die to protect me.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/28/christiane-amanpour-gaddafi_n_829208.html
Gaddafi: My people will die to protect me
Embattled Libyan leader says West abandoned his government; claims demonstrators under influence of drugs supplied by Qaeda.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4035789,00.html
Gaddafi: ‘All my people love me’
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi tells the BBC he is loved by all his people and denies there have been any protests in the capital, Tripoli.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-africa-12603259
Gaddafi blames al-Qaeda
Muammar Gaddafi has told America’s ABC network that al-Qaeda was to blame for the unrest in his country.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVYRoke5iFA&feature=youtube_gdata
Qaddafi Son Incites Massacre of Protesters, Juan Cole
Saif al-Islam Qaddafi, son of the besieged dictator, has been caught on a smart phone video whipping up a crowd of ‘police’ and other supporters last Saturday to massacre protesters (he asks them ‘do you need guns?’ They shout, ‘yes.’)
http://www.juancole.com/2011/03/qaddafi-son-incites-massacre-of-protesters.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+juancole%2Fymbn+%28Informed+Comment%29
Libyan government faxes Libyana employees telling them to rally in support of government
Libyan government sent out a fax to Libyana, asking employees to come out to Saha El-Khadra for a pro-Gaddafi rally. Libyana is one of the two mobile phone providers in Libya. Both Libyana and Madar were owned up until recently by Muhammad Gaddafi. Libyan tweeter @Doma is in Tripoli, and has reported that “Downtown closed off, processions of pro-regime demonstrators driving around.”
http://feb17.info/latest-news/libyan-government-faxes-libyana-employees-telling-them-to-rally-in-support-of-government/
Attacks Against Libyans/Eyewitness Accounts/The Martyrs
Personal Request: Abdulrahman Swaihey kidnapped in Tripoli
Ahmed Swaihey, the son of opposition leader Abdulrahman Swaihey, has told Al Jazeera that his father was kidnapped from their home in Tripoli early this morning. He said that his brothers had earlier been kidnapped, and that witnesses said that their home was full of “mercenaries and troops” this morning, and his father was missing.
http://feb17.info/media/personal-request-abdulrahman-swaihey-kidnapped-in-tripoli/
Terror in Tripoli: Libyan-American Describes Country in State of Fear, But Hopeful of Gaddafi’s Ouster
The Libyan regime has launched a new assault on the opposition amidst growing international pressure. Forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gadaffi tried to re-take two rebel-controlled towns overnight, but both attacks appear to have been repelled. Speaking to western journalists, Gaddafi said that he is loved by all his people and has denied there have been any protests. We speak to Tareq, a Libyan-American just back from Libya after a spending week with his family. He discusses the situation in the capital Tripoli.
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/3/1/terror_in_tripoli_libyan_american_describes
Gov’t truck trying to run over protestors in Libya
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwYMDeB1Vc4&feature=player_embedded
Pro-Gadhafi force opens fire on Tripoli protest, casualties reported
Demonstration in Tajoura neighborhood gathered close to 10,000 people; Libya warplanes bomb circle rebel-held district in east; government vows to send aid to Benghazi, but says won’t rule out military force against rebels.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/pro-gadhafi-force-opens-fire-on-tripoli-protest-casualties-reported-1.346302?localLinksEnabled=false
Anti-Gaddafi Protester murdered in alleyway of Fashloom, Tripoli (*Graphic*)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8mQWK34b7Y&feature=player_embedded
In Libya, an unlikely hero of a youth-led revolution
BENGHAZI, LIBYA – Mehdi Mohammed Zeyo was the most unlikely of revolutionary heroes. The bespectacled 49-year-old worked in the supplies department of the state-owned oil company. He was a diabetic with two teenage daughters. But something snapped inside him as a youth-led uprising in Libya against the government of Moammar Gaddafi quickly turned bloody.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/28/AR2011022805298.html?hpid=topnews&sid=ST2011022805422
The Opposition is Growing Each Day
Rebel-held city near Tripoli celebrates battle win
Residents of the rebel-held city closest to Libya’s capital passed out sweets and cold drinks to fighters today and celebrated with a victory march after they managed to repel an overnight attack by pro-Gaddafi forces.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/rebelheld-city-near-tripoli-celebrates-battle-win-2228867.html
Rebels in Libya Gain Power and Defectors
Rebels challenging Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi showed their firepower and military coordination as defecting officers in the east took steps to establish a unified command.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/28/world/africa/28unrest.html
More military defections in Libya
The head of Al Wahat Security Directorate, Brigadier Musa’ed Al Mansouri, and the head of Jabel Al Akhdar Security Directorate, Brigadier Hassan Ibrahim Al Qarawi, have defected and joined the ‘revolution’.
http://www.libyafeb17.com/?p=3104
Gaddafi’s friend turns foe
Libya’s former interior minister says he stepped down to support the revolution and he now leads a growing rebel army.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2011/02/2011228232312771972.html
Libya’s growing resistance
Muammar Gaddafi’s regime has thus far avoided falling to the will of the Libyan people, who continue to demand the leader’s ouster. But the resistance is growing, particularly among cities in the east of the country. A town 30 minutes away from Tripoli – the capital and Gaddafi’s stronghold – has fallen under protester control. Gaddafi’s armed forces have also been switching allegiances over the past few days, raising more questions about the embattled leader’s fighting force.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81_i10TyFQ4&feature=player_embedded
More towns fall to Anti-Gaddafi forces
The Libyan capital appears to be a lonely outpost for supporters of Muammar Gaddafi as the anti-Gaddafi camp gains control of more cities. The areas reported to be now under control of anti-government forces include Az-Zawiya, Misurata, Benghazi and Al Baida. According to reports, the country’s second most important military airport, not far from Benghazi, has fallen to the protesters. Meanwhile, military personnel say they have joined the people’s revolution, and private jets and civilian aircraft at the Al Banin airport were seen grounded. With more on the opposition’s growing area of control, Al Jazeera’s Jacky Rowland reports from the eastern city of Benghazi.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IL-n_mpG_Ys&feature=youtube_gdata
Women join popular uprising in conservative Libya
BENGHAZI, Libya: In a whirlpool of paint, Najah Kablan is busy making banners for the uprising against Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi’s four-decade rule in the traditionally conservative nation. “I have come to make my contribution,” said Kablan, a school inspector of English-language teaching who wears the veil like the majority of women in the overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim country. Many women chip in to create artistic ammunition for the revolt against the Gadhafi regime.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=125424#ixzz1FK4l2Ejd
Libya rebel army says training before Tripoli push
BENGHAZI, Libya, Feb 28 (Reuters) – Libya’s eastern rebel army is urging young men eager to dash west and engage Muammar Gaddafi’s forces to wait so they can turn them into an effective fighting force. Hundreds from the eastern city of Benghazi are setting off each day across the desert to Libya’s capital, some carrying knives and assault rifles, residents told Reuters.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/libya-rebel-army-says-training-before-tripoli-push
In eastern oil city, Libyan rebels brace for attack
Armed men at a checkpoint in Port Brega, which provides fuel to much of the country, expect the pro-Kadafi army to be heading their way soon. ‘If there is going to be a confrontation, it will be here,’ one says. At the westernmost checkpoint in liberated eastern Libya, a white car pulled up quickly and a man in a bulky black jacket jumped out.
http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/51EMSa_jcbI/la-fg-libya-checkpoint-20110301,0,2147871.story
‘Voice of Free Libya’ battles Qaddafi – on air
Broadcasters once forced to praise Muammar Qaddafi as the “king of all Africa” open Libya’s first uncensored radio station in decades.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/dGnnLqlJJjM/Voice-of-Free-Libya-battles-Qaddafi-on-air
Announcement from liberated Jdabiya (Feb. 28)
http://feb17.info/videos/announcement-from-liberated-jdabiya-feb-28/
Translated: Statement from the tribes of Zintan
Statement from the tribes of Zintan to all the Libyan people from all tribes and backgrounds. To all the Libyan cities, that they should not bow down to the moves of the crumbing regime of Gaddafi which is trying to sow discourse amongst the tribes. We are one nation and we will remain with the help of God one nation. We sacrifice ourselves with the vim and bravery of the Libyan youth. We also salute all the politicians, ambassadors and all army officers and all those who joined the revolution of 17th February for their noble stance with their people and families in order to liberate Libya from the oppressive regime of Gaddafi and his children. We also hope from the loyalists to this rotten regime, and they are few, that will join this revolution so that they may not miss the opportunity to be pardoned and forgiven.
http://www.libyafeb17.com/?p=3143
Mass Protests in Misrata (Feb. 28)
http://feb17.info/videos/mass-demonstration-in-misrata-feb-28/
Video: Flag of Independence raised in Gheryan
http://www.libyafeb17.com/?p=3154
Cartoon on the wall in Benghazi
http://www.libyafeb17.com/?p=3040
Libya Independence flag raised above embassy in Malta
The pre-Gaddafi Libyan flag has been raised on the flagpole of the Libyan embassy amid cheering by Libyan anti-government protesters in Attard. The ambassador said he would stay on and said he accepted any flag which represented the Libyan people.
Protesters first met the ambassador and draped the flag on the embassy balcony before raising it on the flagpole replacing the all-green Libyan flag.
http://www.libyafeb17.com/?p=3139
Humanitarian Crisis
Malta: Save Libyan Civilians and Grant Asylum to Libyan Pilots
A few weeks ago two Libyan pilots allege that they were ordered to attack civilian protesters by Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. They faced an unimaginable choice: bomb their countrymen or face likely execution if they returned without carrying out the attacks.
http://www.change.org/petitions/malta-save-libyan-civilians-and-grant-asylum-to-libyan-pilots
UN worried over Libya access
Humanitarian chief says unrest is preventing the world body from assessing the situation in Tripoli and western Libya.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/02/2011228191419265337.html
Inside Story – Libya’s humanitarian crisis
As protests in Libya continue, medical supplies are running dangerously short, as well as fuel and food.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5DU7gUtaA4&feature=youtube_gdata
Libya crisis: neighbors brace as tide of refugees rises
Nearly 50,000 people have crossed Libya’s eastern border into Egypt, but the real crisis is on the western border with Tunisia, where refugees keep arriving as fighting intensifies.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/ijpoV2MxYNI/Libya-crisis-neighbors-brace-as-tide-of-refugees-rises
MIDDLE EAST: Egyptian volunteers among first humanitarian responders
CAIRO, 1 March 2011 (IRIN) – Egyptian charities and international organizations have stepped up efforts to deliver aid to people affected by the growing humanitarian crisis in Libya, where violence has forced hundreds of thousands to flee to neighbouring countries.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/middle-east-egyptian-volunteers-among-first-humanitarian-responders
Palestinians rescued from Libya deny receiving claimed embassy aid
Palestinian students returning home after being caught in the violent unrest sweeping Libya have denied statements by the PA ambassador claiming to have come to their aid.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcO
Gadhafi forces detain Palestinian students
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Libyan forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi detained Palestinian students Monday in Misurata, officials said. Reports from informed sources said Gadhafi’s forces detained Palestinians studying at a military college in the northwestern city after they refused to join the pro-regime forces. Palestinian military intelligence director Nidhal Abu Dukhan told Ma’an that PA officials were in constant contact with Palestinian students in Libya.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=364160
Developments
Live Blog – Libya March 1
As the uprising in Libya continues, we update you with the latest developments from around the world.
http://english.aljazeera.net/http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/live-blog-libya-march-1
The Lede: Latest Updates on Middle East Protests
On Monday, The Lede is tracking the uprising in Libya and protests across North Africa and the Middle East.
http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=4a6a7c104d1da7114cba95fe3bfcf61c
ICC announces preliminary Libya probe
The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday announced a preliminary probe of possible crimes against humanity committed in Libya, after a referral by the United Nations.
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/02/28/139608.html
World ratchets up pressure on Gadhafi
TRIPOLI: The United States and other foreign governments discussed military options for dealing with Libya on Monday as Moammar Gadhafi scoffed at the threat to his government from a spreading popular uprising. With government forces massing to try to take back strategic coastal cities from rebels, the United States said it was moving U.S. naval and air forces closer to Libya. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said Washington was in talks with its NATO partners and other allies about military options. British Prime Minister David Cameron said his government would work to prepare for a “no-fly” zone in Libya to protect the people from attacks by Gadhafi’s forces.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=125443#ixzz1FK54pP8t
Gaddafi is ‘delusional’, says US
A senior US diplomat says Colonel Gaddafi is “unfit to lead” after the embattled Libyan leader’s interview with Western journalists.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-africa-12605179
‘U.S. discussing military options against Gadhafi’
Ambassador to UN Susan Rice says U.S. in talks with NATO partners and other allies to that regard; Clinton: Gadhafi must go now; EU joins UN, U.S. in imposing sanctions on Libya.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/u-s-discussing-military-options-against-gadhafi-1.346324?localLinksEnabled=false
NATO invasion of Libya ‘disgusting idea’
RT talks with Pepe Escobar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGi5iCDtcjE&feature=player_embedded
Cameron says world could supply arms to Libyan rebels
David Cameron yesterday warned the Libyan regime that world leaders could impose a no-fly zone over the country and even arm rebel leaders, as international attempts to pressure Muammar Gaddafi to relinquish power intensified.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/cameron-says-world-could-supply-arms-to-libyan-rebels-2228510.html
France urges aid, not military action for Libya
PARIS, March 1 (Reuters) – France said on Tuesday humanitarian aid must be the priority in Libya rather than military action to oust Muammar Gaddafi, a day after Washington said it was moving warships and air forces closer to Libya.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/france-urges-aid-not-military-action-for-libya
Exile an option for Gaddafi, White House says
WASHINGTON, Feb 28 (Reuters) – Going into exile would be one way for Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to meet international demands that he leave power, the White House said on Monday. After days of violent unrest in Libya, President Barack Obama said on Saturday it was time for Gaddafi to leave, but he did not spell out how he envisioned that happening. “Exile is certainly one option for him,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said on Monday.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/exile-an-option-for-gaddafi-white-house-says
Qatar urges Gaddafi to quit, avert more bloodshed
DUBAI, Feb 28 (Reuters) – Muammar Gaddafi should take a “brave decision” to avoid more bloodshed and destruction in Libya, Qatar’s prime minister said on Monday, in a rare Arab call on the Libyan leader to resign. “It is not too late for a decision. It is impossible for anyone to win in this revolution but the Libyan people,” said Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani, urging a solution that would reduce bloodshed and suffering and avert the destruction of Libya. “What is the value of leadership? What does it lead to? I believe he should now take a brave decision,” he said in remarks aired on Al Jazeera television.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/qatar-urges-gaddafi-to-quit-avert-more-bloodshed
U.S. says $30 bln of Libyan assets blocked
WASHINGTON, Feb 28 (Reuters) – A U.S. Treasury Department official said on Monday that about $30 billion of Libyan assets in the United States have now been blocked from access by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his family. David Cohen, acting Treasury under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said the sum was the largest ever blocked. President Barack Obama signed an executive order freezing the assets last Friday in response to Gaddafi’s bloody crackdown on an uprising against his 41-year rule.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/us-says-30-bln-of-libyan-assets-blocked
EU agrees Libya arms embargo, travel ban
BRUSSELS Feb 28 (Reuters) – European Union governments approved a package of sanctions against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his closest advisers on Monday, including an arms embargo and bans on travel to the bloc. The 27 EU states also agreed to freeze the assets of Gaddafi, his family and government, and ban the sale of goods such as tear gas and anti-riot equipment that can be used against demonstrators.
http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFLDE71R1NI20110228
How the U.S. sought, but failed, to get a green light for military action to protect civilians, installations in Libya
While the U.N. Security Council spent last week debating sanctions and the pursuit of an investigation into crimes against humanity in Libya, the U.S. delegation had another idea on its mind. U.S. diplomats sought to insert language into the U.N. resolution on Libya that would have raised the possibility of an international military intervention, two Security Council members familiar with the discussions told Turtle Bay.
http://turtlebay.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/02/28/how_the_us_sought_but_failed_to_get_a_green_light_for_military_action_in_libya?sms_ss=twitter&at_xt=4d6bb0386d1a6af4,0
U.S. to reposition forces around Libya as world pressure on Gadhafi grows
Clinton: Gadhafi must go now, without further violence or delay; EU joins UN, U.S. in slapping sanctions on Libya.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/u-s-to-reposition-forces-around-libya-as-world-pressure-on-gadhafi-grows-1.346296?localLinksEnabled=false
African mercenaries in Libya nervously await their fate
Mercenaries captured in Libya are facing an uncertain future, writes Nick Meo in Al-Bayda.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8349414/African-mercenaries-in-Libya-nervously-await-their-fate.html
Libya’s eastern port Tobruk opens for crude exports but output still down
CAIRO: Libya’s eastern port of Tobruk reopened Monday and one tanker bound for China was being loaded, officials said, as the chief executive of Saudi Arabia’s state-run oil giant announced his company had stepped in to compensate for an export shortfall stemming from the unrest in the North African nations.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=3&article_id=125406
Musa Sadr in Libya?
In vain — for he unapologetically also expressed shockingly undemocratic sentiments to the effect that elections and coups are no different ! His failed overture to Shia Muslims goes back further, though.
http://www.payvand.com/news/11/feb/1276.html
Other
Nelly Furtado Plans To Donate $1 Million From Gaddafi Performance To Charity
Nelly Furtado is just one of many stars who were paid handsomely to perform for Libya leader Moammar Gaddafi in recent years, but the singer is now reportedly planning to donate that money in light of that nation’s uprising. Furtado volunteered information about her upcoming donation on her official Twitter account. “In 2007, I received 1million$ from the Qaddafi clan to perform a 45 min Show for guests at a hotel in Italy,” she wrote. “I am going to donate the $.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/28/nelly-furtado-plans-to-do_n_829270.html
Qadhafi Has a Few Friends
Saudi Fatwa in favor of Qadhdhafi
Saudi Prince, Julwi Bin Sa`ud, calls a Libyan TV show to express support for Qadhdhafi and to issue a fatwawawa against rebelling against him. (thanks Tariq)
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/02/saudi-fatwa-in-favor-of-qadhdhafi.html
Gaddafi’s Yugoslav Friends
THE Balkan press and the region’s intrepid Facebookers are having a field day digging out pictures of Colonel Muammar Qaddafi, the beleaguered Libyan leader, with, variously, Stipe Mesic and Haris Silajdzic, former leaders of Croatia and Bosnia, Boris Tadic, the current Serbian president, and Behgjet Pacolli, who on Tuesday was elected president of Kosovo.
http://www.economist.com/blogs/easternapproaches/2011/02/libyas_balkan_connections
Hugo Chavez Refuses To Condemn Muammar Gaddafi, Warns That U.S. Is Preparing Invasion Of Libya
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Monday that he won’t condemn Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and he warned the United States is preparing an invasion of the North African country. “A campaign of lies is being spun together regarding Libya,” Chavez said during a televised speech. “I’m not going to condemn him. I’d be a coward to condemn someone who has been my friend.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/28/hugo-chavez-says-us-preparing-invasion-libya_n_829488.html
Chavez proposes talks for Libya
Venezuelan president calls for mediation to end crisis while the US and other powers weigh military options.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2011/03/2011316273322512.html
Berlusconi cautious over Gaddafi exile
ROME — Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi called for caution regarding the crisis in Libya and Moamer Kadhafi’s possible exile, saying the situation was “confused” and constantly changing. “We must wait and see. It’s best not to enter into specifics just yet,” Berlusconi said in an interview with Il Messaggero daily.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/03/01/berlusconi-cautious-over-gaddafi-exile/
Louis Farrakhan: Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi Remains A Friend
ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) — Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan said Sunday that he considers Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi a friend and won’t distance himself from him despite the deadly crackdown on protestors in the turbulent North Africa country.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/28/louis-farrakhan-libyas-ga_n_829024.html
Solidarity with the Libyan People
Message from Tripoli
O ye who believe! Persevere in patience and constancy: vie in such perseverance; and strengthen each other; and be conscious of God; that ye may prosper. In this historic period through which our beloved country passes and under these difficult circumstances in which Gaddafi’s tyrannical regime sheds the blood of the innocent, who have demanded through peaceful and civilized means the most basic of rights, a dignified life, but have been met with hired mercenaries and live ammunition, we declare the following…
http://feb17.info/media/message-from-tripoli/
Poem: Suppression, I accept not – by Bhuwan Thapaliya
http://www.libyafeb17.com/?p=3141
“Also Libya” by Palestinian poet Suheir Hammad
no one tells you
if anyone does you do not listen anyway
if you do still you do not understand
no one tells you how to be free
there is fire in your neck
ocean in your ear
there is always your fear
the words you cannot even
no one is here
when the world opens upside
down you reach toward dawn
your weight on the earth changes
some of us plant deeper
others ache to fly
http://www.fenmag.com/2011/02/28/also-libya-by-suheir-hammad/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
Solidarity from Madrid, Spain
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m9K4FShrS8&feature=player_embedded
Libya, South Korea is with you!
http://www.libyafeb17.com/?p=3020
Libya, Japan is with you!
http://www.libyafeb17.com/?p=3031
Libya, Texas is with you!
http://www.libyafeb17.com/?p=3125
Libya, Queensland Australia is with you!
http://www.libyafeb17.com/?p=3033
Libya, Cardiff is with you!
http://www.libyafeb17.com/?p=3009
Libya, Montreal is with you!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-nbGwWrPQY&feature=player_embedded
Analysis/Op-ed
Why no call for restraint “of both sides” in Libya?
As you remember, the US administration called on “both sides” to exercise restraint during the PEACEFUL Tunisian and Egyptian uprisings. But notice that even when an armed revolt is sweeping Libya, the US is not calling on both sides to exercise restraint. In other words, we remember that the US condemned the peaceful Egyptian protesters and the State Department spokesperson even condemned the “violent” intentions of some protesters–as he put it–but there is no word of condemnation of Libyan armed rebels. So the White Man does not mind violence from natives if that violence fits their plans?
PS Having said that, I do support the right of Arabs to overthrow their governments from Saudi Arabia to Morocco “by all means necessary”. I am not burdened by categories of thought and practice that the White Man invents to apply only on the natives.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/03/why-no-call-for-restraint-of-both-sides.html
To Nicholas Kristof and other lousy Western liberals who call for invading Libya and starving its people
I am getting sick and tired of those lousy Western liberals, like Kristof and other Zionists in NYT and WP, who invoke “22 Arab NGOs” for their support for Western military intervention in Libya. Those NGOs are largely funded by EU and US and can hardly be referred to as voices of the Arab people. Those NGOs had no role whatsoever in the Arab uprisings, and if anything, they have become discredited by most in the region. Let us not forget that many of the NGOs have been servants of Mubarak and Bin Ali in the case of two countries. Those protesters who dared and challenged the regimes did not belong to the real and fictitious NGOs. Read the sign above from Binghanzi: (AP). I assume that you can read English and they wrote it in English for you to see and understand. Zionists are about to hijack and adopt the Libyan uprising but that won’t be easy. The society will prove to be very anti-Israeli, like other societies in the region. Obama who never once uttered the words that Mubarak should step down–even after he stepped down–suddenly decided to call on Qadhdhafi to step down, after resisting for weeks that demands (those who defended Obama said that he was worried about the use of US embassy staff as hostages, so he is no more worried about them?). Libya, unlike Egypt and Tunisia, has oil and that is significant for the US. The US is desperate to take advantage of the situation and steer it in the direction of Tel Aviv. I was a critic of the “Zionist Lobby” thesis of Mershheimer and Walt until the Egyptian uprising when I saw the extent to which Netanyahu was directing Obama (I still caution against the exaggeration of the role of the Zionist lobby because the US lobby has imperial interests of its own). [continues]
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/03/to-nicholas-kristof-and-other-lousy.html
At an Eerie Crossroads in Tripoli
http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/28/at-an-eerie-crossroads-in-tripoli/?src=tptw
A no-fly zone over Libya would be a complex operation
To establish a no-fly zone, the U.S. and its allies would need to bomb Libya’s air defense system and devote hundreds of aircraft to patrol the country, military officers say. Although White House and European leaders have repeatedly threatened to establish a no-fly zone over Libya, such a complex operation could require hundreds of aircraft and a bombing campaign to neutralize the country’s air defense system, current and retired U.S. military officers say.
http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/GkqoT_-xGOI/la-fg-libya-no-fly-20110301,0,7196372.story
Libya: Uncovering Cruelty of Former Regime
The uprising against Gaddafi began in the East of the country, which has been in the control of anti-government forces for almost a week. Sky’s Dominic Waghorn is in Benghazi and as he reports on how people are still uncovering evidence of the cruelty of the former regime.
http://feb17.info/videos/libya-uncovering-cruelty-of-former-regime/
Misery at the border as Gaddafi’s guests flee
“We want the Egyptian army – why isn’t our army here?” they shouted in their thousands: the refugees, the poor, the sick – the wealthy having long ago fled Gaddafi’s rump dictatorship – as they stormed around the frontier station through refuse and muck. They are the people of Cairo and Alexandria and Sohag and Assiut and a thousand Delta villages, all with their monstrous, preposterous, overweight baggage of cheap clothes and bedding.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/misery-at-the-border-as-gaddafis-guests-flee-2228515.html
Benghazi: Sorting through the aftermath
In Libya’s second-largest city, the revolution has left former bastions of the regime’s security forces crumbling, burned and littered with official files, some of them containing sensitive information. All photos by Al Jazeera online producer Evan Hill. To view photos CLICK HERE
http://feb17.info/videos/benghazi-sorting-through-the-aftermath/
In Revolutionary Benghazi, Jon Lee Anderson
The Libyan city of Benghazi is sixteen hours by road, if one drives in breakneck fashion, from the Egyptian capital of Cairo. The two North African cities are connected by a ribbon of road and, also, by their respective recent “liberations” at the hands of anti-government protesters. On my drive in, on Saturday, the Egyptian side of the border was functioning. That is to say, there were border guards and immigration officials who, in halls crammed with a chaos of hundreds of refugees fleeing Libya—mostly Bangladeshi and Vietnamese workers, on my crossing—stamped my passport and waved me and my companions on our way. That’s when the “ordinary” stopped, for crossing into Libya meant walking across a half mile of no-man’s land to a border post where, once through, we were on our own in “new Libya.”
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2011/02/in-revolutionary-benghazi.html#ixzz1FJLGFD00
It’s Easy to Jump a Sinking Ship
For over a week, the world has watched in wonder, as the Libyan people slip from the tight grasp of dictator Muammar Gaddafi and join the opposition to his tyrannical regime. Gaddafi runs a tight ship, only serving those in his upper chambers, while 6.4 million of his people are crying for justice in the hull, the lowermost part of the ship that is submerged under water. Now that the boat of the regime is rocking, the waves of revolution are changing everything, and the tides are turning in the people’s favor.
http://feb17.info/written/it%E2%80%99s-easy-to-jump-a-sinking-ship/
Libya: The Iron Fist that Failed, Steve Negus
What does Libya’s uprising mean, in terms of showing which regimes are vulnerable to revolution, and which are not? It’s been an article of faith in some circles (usually among “realists” of the right, but not always) that if a regime is ruthless enough, then it doesn’t have to worry about being overthrown. It’s all very well for us misty-eyed human rightsers to get euphoric about the downfall of Hosni Mubarak, but cold hard realists should realize that this “people power” thing is only good against genteel dictatorships. “Why are the more oppressive governments of Syria, Iran, and Libya not subject to the same degree of popular unrest that is said to be surely spreading to Jordan or the Gulf?” asked Victor Davis Hanson in National Review Online. “Is it because for all the authoritarianism of a Mubarak or a Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, there was never the threat of a genocidal Hama, or thousands perishing on the proscription lists under a Khomeini, or international assassinations of dissidents in the Libyan manner?” A week after the article was published, the rebel flag was flying Benghazi.
http://www.arabist.net/blog/2011/2/28/libya-the-iron-fist-that-failed.html
“The Responsibility to Protect”: Notes on Libya, Sovereignty, and the UN Security Council
I am writing on 27 February 2011, when there are calls for the international community to intervene, if necessary with violence, into Libyan affairs. Most recently, and “in a distinct echo of the tactics they pursued to encourage US intervention in the Balkans and Iraq, a familiar clutch of neo-conservatives appealed Friday for the United States and NATO to “immediately” prepare military action to help bring down the regime of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.” Falling short of some expectations, and exceeding others, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution last night, on 26 February, imposing sanctions on Libya. “Considering that the widespread and systematic attacks currently taking place in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya against the civilian population may amount to crimes against humanity,” the Security Council also decided to refer “the situation” to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/758/the-responsibility-to-protect_notes-on-libya-sovereignty-and-the-un-security-council
In U.S.-Libya Nuclear Deal, a Qaddafi Threat Faded Away
The success of a joint American-British effort to eliminate Libya’s capability to make nuclear and chemical weapons has never looked more important.
http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=ebe53046f1ec1cf2f768d4d00107aa98
Gaddafi Flashback: The AIDS Option
Back in 1986, The Washington Post reported on a meeting at the White House, attended by U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Secretary of State George P. Shultz, about ways to undermine the regime of Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi.
http://pulsemedia.org/2011/02/28/gaddafi-flashback-the-aids-option/
Ian Black analysis of Gaddafi
http://www.libyafeb17.com/?p=3011
Libya’s ordeal shows it’s time to police the mercenaries | Sarah Percy
The UN has spent decades trying to solve the mercenary problem in Africa, but the bloody trade continues unchecked. One of the most odious revelations about the regime of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi is his reliance on sub-Saharan African mercenaries as a loyal fighting force against the Libyan people. Yet given the long historical and contemporary use of mercenaries, the world must do more than feign surprise. This week’s revelations force us to consider whether or not we are really doing enough to control mercenaries and private security companies.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/01/libya-mercenaries-un-mercenary-africa
Libyan crisis: Britain and allies now risk over-reaction
Criticised for reacting too slowly to the Libyan crisis, Britain and its allies now risk a dangerous, ill-thought out over-reaction in raising the prospect of direct western military intervention. If any lesson has been learned from Iraq and Afghanistan, it is that while it is very easy to get into a war in the Middle East, it is difficult to control events once engaged, and harder still to find a way out.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/28/libya-crisis-possible-military-action
The Fifteen Lies of Arab Dictators
With Gaddafi on the ropes, and Ben Ali and Mubarak relegated to the history books, we are getting a better sense of the delusions that Arab dictators propagate to justify their authoritarian powers.
http://www.kabobfest.com/2011/03/the-fifteen-lies-of-arab-dictators.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+kabobfest%2FGrillMe+%28KABOBfest%29
Cartoons
Steve Bell on David Cameron’s Libya no-fly zone plans – cartoon
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cartoon/2011/mar/01/steve-bell-david-cameron-libya
