And more news from the ongoing struggle in Libya:
Qadhafi’s Crimes
Saif al Islam Gaddafi says “the time has come for full-scale military action” against Libyan rebels
He goes on to say that Libyan forces loyal to his family “will never surrender, even if western powers intervene”
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-10-0#update-9436
Gaddafi forces blockade Libyan village – sources
BREGA, Libya, March 10 (Reuters) – People in the Libyan village of Nawfaliyah say they are being blockaded by forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi and face food and water shortages. The blockade started on Sunday, when the village fell to Gaddafi forces after having been briefly held by rebel fighters. Villagers are now running out of food and water, the residents and relatives of people in the village told Reuters.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/gaddafi-forces-blockade-libyan-village-sources
Zawiyah becomes ghost town as army ring tightens
RAS JDIR, Tunisia, March 10 (Reuters) – Street-to-street fighting has turned the centre of Zawiyah into a “ghost town” where rebels are tensed for the next assault by pro-Gaddafi forces who have cut off supplies to the western Libyan city. “Things are very, very bad there,” said a Nigerian named Silverter who worked in Zawiyah but slipped out with his employer’s help early on Thursday during a lull in fighting.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/zawiyah-becomes-ghost-town-as-army-ring-tightens
Libyan TV says east oil town falls, rebels deny
BREGA, Libya, March 10 (Reuters) – Libyan state television said on Thursday that government forces had cleared Ras Lanuf of “armed gangs”, a reference to rebels, but rebel soldiers denied the eastern oil town had fallen to Muammar Gaddafi’s troops. Rebels near Ras Lanuf had been heavily bombarded earlier on Thursday and witnesses reported at least two tanks headed to the town. One rebel soldier told Reuters that government forces had entered the town and rebel forces had withdrawn several kms (miles) east. Two others denied the town had fallen. State television also reported that a town much further east, Brega, had been cleared of rebels, but a Reuters correspondent in Brega said there was no sign of Gaddafi forces on the ground. Rebels said warplanes bombed Brega during the day.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/libyan-tv-says-east-oil-town-falls-rebels-deny
Bombs fall on Libya’s Ras Lanuf
As battles rage across Libya, dozens of people have been killed after Colonel Gaddafi’s forces launched a fresh wave of air strikes on rebel groups. The repeated strikes came as Gaddafi began a major diplomatic effort which was seen by some as a sign that he may be prepared to end the war, sending diplomats to the Arab League, NATO and the European Union. Al Jazeera’s Jacky Rowland was there as the bombs fell on Ras Lanuf in the east.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgzIkUC7ZG0&feature=player_embedded
Battles rage over Libyan cities
Forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi pound Az-Zawiyah, Brega and Ras Lanuf as world debates imposition of a no-fly zone.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/africa/2011/03/201131041228856242.html
Qaddafi bombs oil facility in blow to Libya’s oil infrastructure
A rebel position at Libya’s Ras Lanuf came under withering fire today as Muammar Qaddafi’s forces set an oil tank ablaze at a key export terminal.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/mjWUzAhqjEs/Qaddafi-bombs-oil-facility-in-blow-to-Libya-s-oil-infrastructure
Gaddafi forces bombard Libya oil town Ras Lanuf
RAS LANUF, Libya, March 10 (Reuters) – Muammar Gaddafi’s forces launched a fresh bombardment on the eastern Libyan oil town of Ras Lanuf on Thursday, a day after warplanes were reported to have struck another oil port, rebels and witnesses said. Bombs or missiles were landing a few km (miles) from Ras Lanuf oil refinery and close to a building of the Libyan Emirates Oil Referiny Company (LERCO) building, a Reuters witness said.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/gaddafi-forces-bombard-libya-oil-town-ras-lanuf
Two Gaddafi tanks approach Libya oil town Ras Lanuf
RAS LANUF, Libya, March 10 (Reuters) – Muammar Gaddafi’s forces sent two tanks towards rebel positions near the eastern Libyan oil town of Ras Lanuf on Thursday, a witness said. The tanks moved towards the oil terminal town and fired on rebel positions as they approached a few kilometres away, the witness said. Gaddafi’s forces launched a fresh bombardment on Ras Lanuf on Thursday, a day after warplanes were reported to have struck another oil port, rebels and witnesses earlier said.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/two-gaddafi-tanks-approach-libya-oil-town-ras-lanuf
Libyan TV reports clearing Es Sider of rebels
CAIRO, March 10 (Reuters) – Libyan state television reported on Thursday that forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi forces had cleared Es Sider port and airport from what it said were armed elements backed by al Qaeda, a reference to rebels. Gaddafi’s forces bombarded rebels positions on Thursday and moved towards rebel positions around the oil terminal of Es Sider and Ras Lanuf, another oil port further to the east.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/libyan-tv-reports-clearing-es-sider-of-rebels
At least 40 killed as Gadhafi forces recapture rebel-held Libya city
Senior Libyan officers reportedly among dead as forces surround Zawiyah center square with tanks, take control of main road and suburbs; army snipers poised on tops of buildings, shooting random.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/at-least-40-killed-as-gadhafi-forces-recapture-rebel-held-libya-city-1.348167?localLinksEnabled=false
Qaddafi bombs tanker in first blow to Libya’s oil infrastructure
A rebel position at Libya’s Ras Lanuf came under withering fire today as Muammar Qaddafi’s forces set an oil tank ablaze at a key export terminal.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/oTmkkImutYw/Qaddafi-bombs-tanker-in-first-blow-to-Libya-s-oil-infrastructure
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVBHbxi0Jd8&feature=player_embedded
Battle rages for west Libyan city
Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi’s forces intensify their campaign to wrest the western city of Zawiya from rebel control.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-africa-12693856
Video from Gheryan: 19 minutes of chaos. Protesters get shot at, fight back with rocks
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150100083908837&oid=179449562095105
Libyan aircraft bomb Ras Lanuf
Libyan military aircraft piloted by officers loyal to Muammar Gaddafi, the embattled leader of the country, have bombed targets in the rebel-held oil town of Ras Lanuf. The attacks are the latest in a series of counter-offensives by Gaddafi’s military against anti-government forces, which also include members of the military who refuse to recognise Gaddafi’s authority. Al Jazeera’s Lawrence Lee reports on the latest developments in the country.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFeu8jhUWOA&feature=youtube_gdata
Libya offers bounty for rebel leader Abdel Jalil
CAIRO, March 9 (Reuters) – The Libyan authorities on Wednesday offered a bounty of 500,000 Libyan dinars ($400,000) to anyone who captured rebel leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil and handed him in. In an urgent headline bar, Libyan state television also announced a reward of 200,000 dinars for information leading to the capture of Abdel Jalil, who it described as an “agent spy”.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/libya-offers-bounty-for-rebel-leader-abdel-jalil
ANALYSIS-Gaddafi focuses on crushing western Libya uprising
LONDON, March 9 (Reuters) – Muammar Gaddafi will likely want to wipe out opposition around Tripoli and in western Libya out of sight of the world’s media before fighting toward the rebels’ stronghold in the east, military and political analysts say. Forces loyal to the Libyan leader have managed to advance from his central family base of Sirte through important oil areas towards the de facto opposition capital of Benghazi — but the fiercest fighting may be much closer to Tripoli.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/analysis-gaddafi-focuses-on-crushing-western-libya-uprising
Pro-Gaddafi forces in Zawiyah square – residents
TUNIS, March 9 (Reuters) – Pro-Gaddafi forces entered the main square of the Libyan town of Zawiyah on Wednesday as rebels fighting to hold it pulled back, a fighter contacted by Reuters said. A local doctor confirmed the report and said the death toll in the day’s fighting was at least 40 and probably many more. “We have pulled back and they are inside the square but we will attack them again and have it back,” the fighter said by telephone. “We will do that tonight. This is not the end.” The doctor said there were many dead in the streets, including old people, women and children.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/zawiyah-residents-say-pro-gaddafi-forces-in-town-square-rebels
US cable: Gaddafi’s son took oil from Libyan field
OSLO, March 10 (Reuters) – The United States believed in 2009 that Muammar Gaddafi’s son Saif al-Islam was taking part of the output of an oil field run by France’s Total <TOTF.PA>, according to a diplomatic cable seen by the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/us-cable-gaddafis-son-took-oil-from-libyan-field
The Libyan Resistance
Who Controls What?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/interactive/2011/feb/27/libya-tripoli-unrest-gaddafi-map
50,000+ Women go out in Libya, Benghazi to Protest against Muammar Gaddafi for a Free Country!
This Video was shot by our team from http://www.livestream.com/libya17feb
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCrSfxwstWs
Libyan rebels vow fight, even without no-fly zone
BENGHAZI, Libya, March 10 (Reuters) – Libyan rebels, buoyed after France officially recognised their Benghazi-based council as representing the Libyan people, vowed on Thursday to fight on against Muammar Gaddafi’s rule, even without a no-fly zone.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/libyan-rebels-vow-fight-even-without-no-fly-zone
Libya rebels say arms no issue; Qatar,others to help
BENGHAZI, Libya, March 9 (Reuters) – The rebel movement in eastern Libya said on Wednesday it did not see any issue in obtaining more arms as needed and said it had been promised help from Qatar and other countries. “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,” said Mustafa Gheriani, media officer for the rebel National Libyan Council in the eastern city of Benghazi.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/libya-rebels-say-arms-no-issueqatarothers-to-help
France recognises Libyan rebels
France says Libya’s rebels are now the country’s legitimate government, as diplomatic pressure on Colonel Gaddafi mounts.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-africa-12699183
UK says Libyan rebel council “valid interlocutors”
LONDON, March 10 (Reuters) – Members of the rebel Libyan National Council are “valid interlocutors”, Britain’s Foreign Office said on Thursday after France recognised the council as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people. “The UK recognises states, not governments. The interim national council are valid interlocutors, with whom we wish to work closely,” a spokesman for the Foreign Office told Reuters.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/uk-says-libyan-rebel-council-valid-interlocutors
Egypt Aids Rebels in Libya Against Gadhafi Government
Egypt ‘aids Libyan rebels against Gadhafi’ Published: March. 9, 2011 at 1:48 PM BEIRUT, Lebanon, March 9 — Egypt, still grappling with a revolution that toppled President Hosni Mubarak in February, is reported to be quietly aiding rebel forces seeking to oust Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.
http://panafricannews.blogspot.com/2011/03/egypt-aids-rebels-in-libya-against.html
FACTBOX-Libyan rebels urge no-fly zone
March 9 (Reuters) – Libya’s rebel leadership called on the international community on Wednesday to impose a no-fly zone to ground Muammar Gaddafi’s warplanes and end further bloodshed.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/factbox-libyan-rebels-urge-no-fly-zone
Senior officers of Gaddafi forces killed in Zawiyah-Jazeera
CAIRO, March 9 (Reuters) – Several members of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s forces, inluding a general and a colonel, were killed in fighting in the western town of Zawiyah on Wednesday, Al Jazeera satellite channel reported.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/several-of-gaddafis-forces-killed-in-libyan-town-of-zawiyah-inc
Scenes from Zintan
These are scenes from the successful operations in Zintan. It was not accomplished without the sacrifice and bravery of the soliders who refused to turn on the people.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2v7V5zpTds&feature=player_embedded
http://feb17.info/general/zintan/
Here’s video confirmation that rebels have Grads
http://j.mp/gEfB0L
Fight for victory, says son of Libya hero
The son of Libya’s first revolutionary can barely remember his freedom-fighter father, hanged 80 years ago by the Italians, but he has no doubt that today’s rebels will prevail. “They should hold themselves up and fill themselves with courage. God shall support them.
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/03/10/140959.html
At a Libyan Hospital, Pride and a War’s True Cost Are Seen
AJDABIYA, Libya — A short walk from the morgue, men gathered at noon Wednesday before a billboard that read “Free Libya” and listed the dead and wounded in the fighting that had raged for days a couple of hours away along the Mediterranean. No. 15 was Mahmoud Abdel-Hamid, from Benghazi. No. 43 was Ibrahim el-Sharif, from Ajdabiya.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/10/world/africa/10hospital.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss
Libyan TV broadcasts U.S., rebel telephone talk
TRIPOLI, March 10 (Reuters) – Libya’s state television broadcast on Thursday what it said was a telephone conversation between the U.S. ambassador and the commander in charge of rebel forces in the east, who it described as a “lackey”. The audio recording had the U.S. ambassador, speaking in English through a translator, talking to Omar Hariri, whom a rebel council based in the eastern city of Benghazi has put in charge of the rebel military.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/libyan-tv-broadcasts-us-rebel-telephone-talk
Rebels to respect oil contracts signed by Libya
BENGHAZI, Libya, March 10 (Reuters) – The National Libyan Council based in the rebel-controlled east said on Thursday it respect all oil contracts signed by Libya after a violent revolt that has slashed output of the OPEC producer. “We have already assured people we respect all contracts signed by Libya, this is especially true regarding the oil industry,” council spokesman Hafiz Ghoga said, adding the council was acting as an emergency administration and so had a right to oil revenues and to spend them according to priorties.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/rebels-to-respect-oil-contracts-signed-by-libya
Media Suppression/Repression and Violence Against
Gaddafi forces beat up BBC team
The security forces of Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi detain and beat up a BBC team trying to reach the strife-torn western city of Zawiya.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-africa-12695077
BBC: Reporters In Libya Subjected To Mock Execution
LONDON — Three British Broadcasting Corp. staff were detained, beaten and subjected to mock executions by pro-regime soldiers in Libya while attempting to reach the western city of Zawiya, the broadcaster said Wednesday. The news organization said the crew, members of a BBC Arabic team, were detained on Monday by Moammar Gadhafi loyalists at a check point about 6 miles (10 kilometers) south of Zawiya.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/09/bbc-reporters-libya-beaten_n_833807.html
Two journalists missing in Libya
Reporters from British and Brazilian newspapers covering fighting in Az Zawiyah have not been heard from since Sunday.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/03/2011310135722196139.html
Correspondent from UK newspaper missing in Libya
LONDON, March 10 (Reuters) – Britain’s Guardian newspaper said on Thursday it was making urgent attempts to trace one of its correspondents who has gone missing in Libya where he has been covering the recent unrest. Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, an Iraqi national, who had been reporting from western Libya for the last two weeks, had not been in contact with the paper since Sunday, the Guardian said on its website.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/correspondent-from-uk-newspaper-missing-in-libya
Humanitarian Crisis
Aid ship reaches Libya, food trucks on way – WFP
LONDON, March 9 (Reuters) – A ship carrying wheat flour arrived in the rebel-held Libyan port of Benghazi on Wednesday and trucks with more aid are due to reach the terminal in coming days, the World Food Programme (WFP) said. Earlier this month the United Nations agency said food stocks in Libya were depleted and supply chains disrupted due to fighting between government and rebel forces in the country.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/aid-ship-reaches-libya-food-trucks-on-way-wfp
Update #2 on the humanitarian situation in Libya and the neighboring countries
There was a sharp drop in the numbers of people crossing the border at Ras Adjir from Libya into Tunisia on Friday, raising concern people are being impeded from fleeing. The Libyan side of the border has seen an increased presence of government forces. Information emerging from western Libya is very limited with mounting concern that essential medical care and supplies may be unavailable or inaccessible to injured people. Food supplies are expected to dwindle due to limited distribution and depletion of stocks.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/EGUA-8ESRCA?OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P
Update no. 4: Humanitarian Situation in Libya and the Neighbouring Countries
Escalating fighting over the past three days in Libya and hostilities concentrated along the coast between Ras Lanuf and Sirte, and in the towns of Beriaga, Zawiya and Misrata have made delivering aid difficult for the Libyan Red Crescent
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/EGUA-8ESRL6?OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P
EGYPT: Out of Libya into joblessness
CAIRO 10 March 2011 (IRIN) – When violent unrest erupted in Libya recently, Ahmed al-Agouz, 25, was doing casual work in the Libyan city of Sabha. Realizing he had to flee, he managed to reach the Tunisian border, where he eventually boarded a plane to Cairo. “Coming back to Egypt was a dream, given the horrific things I saw on the road,” he told IRIN. “I can only describe the experience as a sickening thriller.”
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=92152
Libya Bangladeshis ‘to get help’
The Bangladeshi government says it is stepping up its efforts to bring back thousands of its nationals stranded in violence-hit Libya.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-south-asia-12702569
Developments
Libya Live Blog – March 10
As the uprising in Libya continues, we update you with the latest developments from our correspondents, news agencies and citizens across the globe.
http://english.aljazeera.net/http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-10-0
Libyan Unrest: Latest Development 3/9
We are tracking the latest developments to keep you updated on the situation on the ground. There are interactive maps located in the Protest map page to keep up with the latest movements. You can also click on our links to follow the latest Live Libya Blogs and featured twitters. On the Go? -Follow us on Twitter @Feb17Libya for the same live updates.
http://feb17.info/news/libyan-unrest-latest-development-39/
NATO to move warships into Mediterranean over Libya unrest
Organization’s Secretary General Rasmussen says move would improve NATO’s situational awareness, which he sees as ‘vital’ amid continuing civil strife.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/nato-to-move-warships-into-mediterranean-over-libya-unrest-1.348394?localLinksEnabled=false
Well-armed Gaddafi will prevail in long term -US
WASHINGTON, March 10 (Reuters) – Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is “hunkering down” and his better-equipped forces will prevail in a long-term fight with rebels, the top U.S. intelligence official told a Senate hearing on Thursday. “We believe that Gaddafi is in this for the long haul,” said U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. “He appears to be hunkering down for the duration,” he told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/well-armed-gaddafi-will-prevail-in-long-term–us
Gadhafi said amenable to Libya transition talks
Portuguese daily quotes diplomatic source saying that Libya leadership would accept start to negotiation process, after the source met with Gadhafi envoy in Lisbon.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/gadhafi-said-amenable-to-libya-transition-talks-1.348326?localLinksEnabled=false
Clinton to meet anti-Gadhafi opposition as world weighs Libya options
Secretary of State to meet Libyan opposition leaders during an upcoming trip to Egypt and Tunisia, the first such visit since the U.S.-backed regimes were toppled amid popular unrest.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/clinton-to-meet-anti-gadhafi-opposition-as-world-weighs-libya-options-1.348385?localLinksEnabled=false
EU tightens Libya sanctions, no move on “no-fly” zone
BRUSSELS, March 10 (Reuters) – The European Union tightened sanctions on Libya on Thursday and called on Muammar Ghaddafi to step down immediately, but there was sharp disagreement over whether to recognise Libya’s anti-Gaddafi movement. NATO defence ministers meeting in Brussels discussed imposing a “no-fly” zone over Libya, but Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said it would only happen if there was a demonstrable need, a clear legal basis and firm regional support, not all of which are currently in place.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/eu-tightens-libya-sanctions-no-move-on-no-fly-zone
Gaddafi “hunkering down” for long haul -US spy chief
WASHINGTON, March 10 (Reuters) – Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is “hunkering down” and shows no sign he will give up power, the top U.S. intelligence official told a Senate hearing on Thursday. “We believe that Gaddafi is in this for the long haul,” said Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. “He appears to be hunkering down for the duration,” he told the Senate Committee on Armed Services.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/gaddafi-hunkering-down-for-long-haul–us-spy-chief
West not ready to intervene in Libya yet
U.S. and other diplomats say the violence has not reached a tipping point needed for a military intervention. On a day when Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi’s forces again launched withering attacks against rebels using warplanes, tanks and artillery, U.S. officials and foreign diplomats said Wednesday that the carnage hadn’t reached a tipping point necessary for a Western military response.
http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/7PCVRmneZIM/la-fg-gates-nato-20110310,0,6089171.story
Libya reaches out to West amid world efforts to isolate Gadhafi
Government emissaries appear to have flown to Brussels, and a Gadhafi envoy met with Portugal FM, ahead of that country, as West prepares fopr sanctions against Tripoli.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/libya-reaches-out-to-west-amid-world-efforts-to-isolate-gadhafi-1.348198?localLinksEnabled=false
European Union extends sanctions on Gadhafi’s Libya regime
Move comes as France grants official recognition to the rebel Libyan National Council; Libya reportedly considering cutting off ties with France over the move.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/european-union-extends-sanctions-on-gadhafi-s-libya-regime-1.348355?localLinksEnabled=false
Russia bans arms sales to Libya
In move reinforcing UN sanctions, Dmitry Medvedev signs decree halting all weapons sales to Libya.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/europe/2011/03/20113107287576160.html
White House working to stop flow of mercenaries into Libya
Though the Obama administration hasn’t yet decided whether or how to aid the Libyan opposition, the White House is working to stop the flow of mercenaries fighting for Qaddafi entering the country from countries surrounding Libya like Chad and Niger.”We’ve been working to ensure there isn’t a flow of people into Libya,” said Samantha Power, the National Security Council’s senior director for multilateral affairs, on a Wednesday conference call with non-governmental groups. The call was off the record, but a recording was provided to The Cable.
http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/03/09/white_house_working_to_stop_flow_of_mercenaries_into_libya
White House defends Libya stance, debates options
* U.S. “tees up” options ahead of NATO meeting on Thursday
* U.S. does not want to take lead on no-fly zone
* White House compares Libya action to Balkan wars
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/white-house-defends-libya-stance-debates-options
LIVE: Libyan Unrest:Portuguese Foreign Minister Luis Amado: “The Gaddafi regime is over”
We are tracking the latest developments to keep you updated on the situation on the ground. There are interactive maps located in the Protest map page to keep up with the latest movements.
http://feb17.info/general/live-libyan-unrest-france-recognized-libyan-transitional-national-council-as-legal-representative-for-libya/
Syria says against foreign intervention in Libya
DAMASCUS, March 10 (Reuters) – Syria said on Thursday it was against foreign intervention in Libyan affairs as Western states debated how they should respond to a popular uprising against Libya’s leader Muammar Gaddafi. Damascus has remained generally silent on the protests that have swept the Arab world this year and which toppled the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/syria-says-against-foreign-intervention-in-libya
Hamas: Qaddafi’s murderous regime must be eradicated
It is really lamentable that Arab states are still passively looking on while the Libyan tyrant Muammar Qaddafi is slaughtering his own people..
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6
US moves to shut down Libyan embassy
WASHINGTON (AFP) — The United States is moving to shut down the official Libyan embassy in Washington, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Thursday.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=367490
Libya to hand over captured Dutch marines -Gaddafi son
TRIPOLI, March 10 (Reuters) – Libya plans to hand over on Thursday three Dutch marines detained by government forces while trying to evacuate European citizens, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s most prominent son, Saif al-Islam, told Reuters. “Today we are going to hand over the Dutch soldiers to the Maltese and Greeks,” he said in an English-language interview on Thursday. “We told them, don’t come back again without our permission. We captured the first NATO soldiers, we are sending them back home. But we are still keeping their helicopter.”
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/libya-to-hand-over-captured-dutch-marines–gaddafi-son
Libya tells waiting Chinese oil tanker to leave
BEIJING, March 10 (Reuters) – Libya has told Chinese oil trading firm Unipec that its 2.0 million barrels of Es Sider cargo has been cancelled and asked a Unipec-chartered Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) to leave the Libyan port of Es-Sidar, a trading source said on Thursday. Unipec will send the VLCC, the “Gulf Sheba”, to Algeria to load Saharan Blend for April loading, the source said. The company will not buy any Libyan crude for April loading, he added. On Wednesday, tanker operator Gulf Navigation told Reuters the Gulf Sheba was docked at the Libyan port of Es-Sidar but had not been able to load any crude oil.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/libya-tells-waiting-chinese-oil-tanker-to-leave
Other News
Missing Lebanese Shiite leader al-Sadr ‘still alive’
Lebanese Shiite leader Imam Moussa al-Sadr, who has been missing for 33 years, is still alive and in detention in Libya, his daughter said.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/lebanon/8373905/Missing-Lebanese-Shiite-leader-al-Sadr-still-alive.html
Gaddafi Son’s London Mansion Occupied By ‘Topple The Tyrants’ Activist Group
LONDON — Activists say they have occupied a London mansion owned by a son of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. A group calling itself Topple the Tyrants said it entered the house Wednesday. Spokesman Montgomery Jones says the squatters, who are not Libyan, will stay “until this property can be returned to the Libyan people.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/09/gaddafi-sons-london-mansi_n_833453.html
Libya spells windfall for Russia oil
The turmoil in Libya continues to wreak havoc across world energy markets. Oil prices resumed their rise on Wednesday, as the violence edged closer to Libya’s infrastructure. But several countries now look set to benefit from the price inflation, not least Russia. Neave Barker reports from Moscow.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y98fFDrGreQ&feature=youtube_gdata
Analysis/Op-ed
Call to Libyans in the U.S. & Canada to support the Libyan National Transitional Council
We need your support for the call to recognize the National Transitional Council in Libya as the sole legitimate representative of the Libyan people by signing the support statement here and if possible attending the planned press conference. Attached below is the formal press release in Arabic and English.
http://feb17.info/general/call-to-libyans-in-the-u-s-canada-to-support-the-libyan-national-transitional-council/
Hoard of Cash Lets Qaddafi Extend Fight Against Rebels
The Libyan leader has control over “tens of billions” in cash stored in banks, allowing him to pay his troops, African mercenaries and political supporters, officials said.
http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=f2755f2fad71e163af1f0cd0c098bda0
As Calls Grow For No Fly-Zone in Libya, Questions Over Legality and Past Precedents Give Pause
In Libya, troops loyal to Col. Muammaer Gaddafi are locked in intense fighting with opposition forces for control of several cities and towns across the country. While the battles rage in Libya, calls are growing on the international community to impose a no-fly zone to cripple Gaddafi’s airforce. We go to Libya to where Democracy Now! correspondent Anjali Kamat interviews Esaam Gheriani, a field member of the Feb 17th Coalition and we talk to international law professor Richard Falk.
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/3/10/as_calls_grow_for_no_fly
Al-Jazeera Video: Inside Story – Gaddafi’s options
Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, slams Western countries as they weigh the option of a no-fly zone over Libya, and dismisses Libya’s rebels as traitors. But as Gaddafi becomes increasingly isolated, what are his options? And as the standoff continues, would an international military intervention be the right solution?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om5Pr3PGDps&feature=player_embedded
FACTBOX-Libya’s key cultural, tribal divisions
March 10 (Reuters) – Ancient Greek historian Herodotus divided Libya into four ethnic “nations”. Some 2,400 years later, ethnic groups have shifted somewhat but tribal and cultural divisions could still prove key to how the struggle for power in Libya develops.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/factbox-libyas-key-cultural-tribal-divisions
Learning to speak freely in Libya
Benghazi in Eastern Libya liberated itself from the Gaddafi regime in the first week of the uprising, and is seen as the epicentre of the rebellion. But what is life like there now?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/9420384.stm
Rebellion or civil war? [Stop calling it a civil war, it’s a war between paid goons and Libyans]
Will Libya follow the model of protracted African wars?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-africa-12690713
Libya’s Escalating Conflict
As Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi launches a new “diplomatic offensive,” sending envoys to meet with European Union officials and the Egyptian military, forces loyal to him have gained ground in their fight with rebels, pounding them with air attacks and recapturing a number of towns. Today, a fuel-storage facility near the port town of Ras Lanuf is in flames after it was reportedly struck during air raids, while rebels on the ground fought back against Libyan jets. Photojournalists in Libya have captured dramatic images of the clashes over the past several days, as international officials continue to deliberate whether to enforce a No-Fly zone over the country. [43 photos]
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/03/libyas-escalating-conflict/100021/
Repression, Resistance and the CIA in Libya
Author Hisham Matar says father secretly jailed by Gaddafi in 1990; was part of organization likely supported by CIA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aBQ80Rv2wo&feature=player_embedded
Just what did South Africa’s Zuma tell Qaddafi in a phone call?
Conflicting reports about what South African President Jacob Zuma said to Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi highlight South Africa’s comparatively docile response to Qaddafi’s violence against rebels.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/hYJdIkZ9SDw/Just-what-did-South-Africa-s-Zuma-tell-Qaddafi-in-a-phone-call
Why the US must not intervene in Libya | Stephen Kinzer
Americans are hardwired to expect their military to fix foreign crises, but we should resist the calls of DC’s armchair generals. The urge to intervene around the world may truly have become hardwired into the American psyche. How else to explain the seriousness with which some in Washington are suggesting that the United States take sides in the unfolding civil war in Libya?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/mar/09/libya-usforeignpolicy
Libya: The illusion of force | Editorial
A no-fly zone will deliver too little, too late. The Libyan rebels’ greatest asset is who they are. The front page of the New York Times website demonstrated at one point yesterday the irony of deploying the most mobile and powerful army in the world. And it has nothing to do with theories about the utility of force. In one report, US troops are struggling to persuade Afghan troops and police to fight the Taliban in Ghazni province in Afghanistan. Next to it is a report from Benghazi, Libya, where the local determination to fight Gaddafi is etched in deep lines on every face, but where the means to do so are wholly absent. In the former, US officers talk sceptically about the strategy. They call it the deep disconnect between the tactical (and possibly temporary) victories of US units against the Taliban, and the strategic aim of leaving a functioning Afghan state in place when they leave. In Libya, the only disconnect is between the will to fight and the means to do so effectively. The opposition is overwhelmed by the logistical problems of resupplying the front, maintaining political unity and simply answering the phone. Is this an argument for US soldiers doing in Libya what they are failing to do in Afghanistan?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/10/libya-uprising-intervention
Qadhdhafi’s tribal town hall
I watched yesterday Qadhdahfi’s tribal town hall with the Zintan tribe. What was striking is the small size of the gathering and the evident loss of prestige or aura by the dear leader. He would be speaking and a person would interrupt him to say something or ask questions. But he seems more alert than I have ever seen him.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/03/qadhdhafis-tribal-town-hall.html
The Last Victory of Muammar Gaddafi
On March 6, 2010 it became clear that the Libyan regime has defeated the internal uprising and suspended the chaotization of the Arab world. A routine clandestine mission by a British diplomat protected by 8 SAS officers to the eastern base of Libyan opposition ended up with their detention and ‘interrogation’ by the rebel leaders. The Sunday Times report about it in reality signified the ‘white flag’ hoisted by the organizers of the 2010-2011 Middle East and North Africa protests.
http://dissidentvoice.org/2011/03/the-last-victory-of-muammar-gaddafi/
Libya is a conundrum made in hell – or rather Downing Street | Simon Tisdall
If the west intervenes, al-Qaida would have a field day; if it does not, Arab democracy will be set back, perhaps fatally. Nato and EU leaders huddling in Brussels, wondering what to do about Libya, face an uncomfortable emerging reality. Unless there is significant western military intervention to support the opposition and ensure Muammar Gaddafi‘s overthrow – and time is getting short – it seems increasingly likely he will survive the revolt. On current battlefield trends, Gaddafi is set to continue indefinitely as leader of western Libya and could eventually force all of the divided country back under his control. Then what will the west do?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/10/libya-conundrum-downing-street-arab-democracy
A Neoconservative ‘Shock and Awe’: The Rise of the Arabs, Ramzy Baroud
Now we see Libya – a society that had nothing by way of a civil society and which was under a protracted stage of siege – literally making history. The collective strength displayed by Libyan society is awe-inspiring to say the least. Equally praiseworthy is the way in which Libyans have responded to growing dangers and challenges. But most important is the spontaneous nature of their actions. Diplomatic efforts, political organization, structured revolutionary efforts and media outreach simply followed the path and demands of the people. Libyans led the fight, and everyone else either obliged or played the role of spectator.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16712
