ARAB LEAGUE AGREES ON NO FLY ZONE OVER LIBYA
CAIRO, Egypt - The Arab League asked the UN Security Council Saturday to impose a no-fly zone over Libya to protect civilians from air attack by forces of Moammar Gadhafi's embattled government, giving crucial backing to a key demand of the rebel forces battling to oust the Libyan leader.Foreign ministers from the 22-member Arab bloc, meeting in Cairo, also left the Libyan leader of more than 40 years increasingly isolated, declaring his government had "lost its sovereignty."
League Secretary General Amr Moussa stressed in remarks afterward that a no-fly zone was intended as a humanitarian measure to protect Libyan civilians and foreigners in the country and not as a military intervention- They also appeared to confer legitimacy on the rebel's interim government, the National Libyan Council, saying they would establish contacts with it and calling on nations to provide it with "urgent help."
- "The Arab League asks the United Nations to shoulder its responsibility … to impose a no-fly zone over the movement of Libyan military planes and to create safe zones in the places vulnerable to airstrikes," said a League statement released after the emergency session.
The unusually rapid and bold action for a bloc of nations known for lengthy and acrimonious deliberations appeared to reflect the shifting currents of a Middle East in tumult.- Many other Arab governments are facing street protests and rumblings of dissent stirred by the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, and their leaders may have felt compelled to act in favour of Libya's rebellion.
The Arab League cannot impose a no-fly zone itself. But the approval of the key regional Arab body gives the U.S. and other Western powers crucial regional backing they say they need before doing so. Many were wary that Western powers would be seen as intervening in the affairs of an Arab country if they began a no-fly zone without Arab approval.- Still, the Obama administration has said a no-fly zone may have limited impact, and the international community is divided over the issue.
The league statement came the same day that an Al-Jazeera cameraman was killed in an ambush near the eastern city of Benghazi, the first journalist slain in the nearly month-long conflict, the satellite station said.Ali Hassan al-Jaber, a Qatari national, was killed and a correspondent was wounded and hospitalized in what the station described as an ambush on the crew as it returned from an assignment south of the rebel stronghold, which is deep inside opposition-held territory.
LIBYAN AIR FORCE BOMBED OIL REFINERY AND PORT TOWN
BREGA, Libya - The Libyan air force has bombed the oil refinery and port town of Marsa El Brega as battles between forces loyal and against Muammar Gaddafi continued to rage in several towns across the North African country. The warplane from Gaddafi's air force struck a beach near where the two sides were fighting at a university campus.
A witness said the blast raised a plume of sand from a dune but caused no casualties, apparently an attempt to scare off the anti-Gaddafi fighters besieging regime forces in the campus.- "All the fighters here are massing. We understand that something like 250-300 pro-Gaddafi fighters are inside Brega and they are being surrounded," AlJazeera's correspondent said.
- The bombing of Brega and reports about the fall of Gharyan and Sabratha towns in the country's northwest to pro-Gaddafi forces came as Gaddafi appeared on state television once again.
- Located between Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte , still under government control - and the opposition-held eastern port of Benghazi, Brega also sits near ethnic fault lines between tribes loyal to Gaddafi and eastern groups opposed to him.
- "They tried to take Brega this morning, but they failed," Mustafa Gheriani, a spokesman for the February 17th Coalition, an anti-government group, told the Reuters news agency.
Al Jazeera's Jacky Rowland, reporting from Benghazi, Libya's second largest city now controlled by rebels, described the situation in the Brega region as fluid.- Earlier the Associated Press news agency quoted Ahmed Jerksi, manager of the oil installation in Brega, as saying that pro-Gaddafi forces took control of the facility at dawn without using force.
- There were conflicting claims about the casualties from these battles.
- Government forces were also reported to be battling to regain control of rebel-held towns close to Tripoli, trying to create a buffer zone around what is still Gaddafi's seat of power.
Meanwhile, the rebel National Libyan Council in east Libya called for UN-backed air strikes on foreign mercenaries used by Gaddafi against his own people.Hafiz Ghoga, a spokesman for the council based in Benghazi, told a news conference that Gaddafi was using "African mercenaries in Libyan cities" which amounted to an invasion of the oil producing North African nation.
U.S MILITARY MOVING INTO POSITION AROUND LIBYA
WASHINGTON,USA
- The U.S. military is moving naval and air forces into position around Libya, the Pentagon said Monday, as Western countries weigh possible intervention against Moammar Gadhafi's regime.
The redeployment of “naval and air forces” would give U.S. President Barack Obama a range of options in the crisis, said Lapan, without specifying what ships and aircraft had been given orders or what potential action was under consideration.
The US says Libya could sink into civil war unless Gaddafi quits amid fears that the uprising - the bloodiest against long-serving rulers in north Africa and the Middle East - could cause a humanitarian crisis. But Gaddafi remains defiant and his son, Saif al-Islam, has warned the West against launching military action, insisting that his father would neither step down nor go into exile.
Source: The Agency
- The U.S. military is moving naval and air forces into position around Libya, the Pentagon said Monday, as Western countries weigh possible intervention against Moammar Gadhafi's regime.The redeployment of “naval and air forces” would give U.S. President Barack Obama a range of options in the crisis, said Lapan, without specifying what ships and aircraft had been given orders or what potential action was under consideration.
As Gadhafi's troops assaulted opposition forces, U.S. and European leaders were weighing the use of NATO air power to impose a no-fly zone over Libya to stop Gadhafi from using air strikes against his own people.- For any military intervention featuring air power, U.S. commanders could turn to the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier, which is currently in the Red Sea, as well as the amphibious ship the USS Kearsarge, which has a fleet of helicopters and about 2,000 Marines on board.
As of Monday, the nuclear-powered USS Enterprise had moved to the north of the Red Sea, near the Suez Canal, according to the U.S. Navy's website.- Apart from a possible no-fly zone, Western nations were also looking at setting up a humanitarian “corridor” in neighboring Tunisia or Egypt to help refugees, the New York Times reported Sunday.
- The Obama administration also was discussing whether the American military could disrupt communications to prevent Gadhafi from broadcasting in Libya, the Times wrote.
U.S. and NATO bases in Italy could serve as potential staging areas for any action against Libya, including the U.S. Sixth Fleet command near Naples.- The American military was preparing for a range of possible options but no final decision had been taken, a defense official said.
The US says Libya could sink into civil war unless Gaddafi quits amid fears that the uprising - the bloodiest against long-serving rulers in north Africa and the Middle East - could cause a humanitarian crisis. But Gaddafi remains defiant and his son, Saif al-Islam, has warned the West against launching military action, insisting that his father would neither step down nor go into exile. Source: The Agency
IT IS TOO DANGERIOUS FOR INTERNATIONAL AID AGENCIES IN LIBYA
The UN says 40,000 people fleeing Libya have have crossed the Tunisian border
BENGHAZI, Libya - As of Monday morning, an estimated 61,000 had fled into Egypt, 1,000 to Niger and 40,000 to Tunisia, according to the UN, which said there was concern about water and sanitation for the refugees. Libya also borders Algeria, Niger, Chad and Sudan.The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has also called for immediate and safe access to western Libya. There are reports that between 600 and 2,000 people have already been killed in Tripoli.
ICRC teams entered the eastern side of the country including the country's second city Benghazi over the weekend, and are now supporting local doctors with medical care. Two thousand people were wounded there, according to the agency.- A similar ICRC team including surgeons and supplies was waiting on the western border in Tunisia.
Thousands of foreigners have been evacuated from Libya since the unrest began, with ships and planes sent by countries including China India, the US, Turkey and many other European countries.- But many citizens of Iraq, Sudan, Somalia and other poor countries are stranded in the country as they lack the resources to escape, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said.
- In addition, There are no planes and boats to evacuate people originating from war-torn or very poor countries. The few UN workers who were based in Tripoli left when it became unstable.
Valerie Amos, the UN humanitarian chief said humanitarian work is proceeding smoothly along Libya's eastern border with Egypt, which is now controlled by government opponents, with eight agencies providing medical care, food and other critical aid. Tunisians, to the northwest, have been providing refugees with shelter and food, Amos said.UN IMPOSES SANCTIONS AGAINST LIBYA
UNITED NATION - The UN Security Council has voted unanimously to impose sanctions on Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, his five adult children and top associates.Voting after a day of discussions interrupted at times for consultations with home capitals council members agreed on Saturday to impose an arms embargo, freeze the assets of Gadhafi, his four sons and one daughter, and to ban travel by the whole family plus 10 close associates.
- The day was consumed mainly with haggling behind closed doors over language to refer Libya's violent crackdown on protesters to the International Criminal Court for investigation of possible crimes against humanity.
- All 15 nations on the council ultimately approved referring the case to the permanent war crimes tribunal. The vote came hours after U.S. President Barack Obama said Gadhafi must leave now.
Obama made the comments to German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a private telephone conversation Saturday as they discussed the violence in Libya. The White House says Obama told Merkel that when a leader's only means of holding power is to use violence against his people, then he has lost the legitimacy to rule and needs to do what's right for his country by "leaving now."
AS A SIGN OF PROTEST, 2 LIBYAN PILOTS CRASH WARPLANE IN THE DESERT
BENGHAZI, Libya - Two Libyan's air force pilots jumped from parachutes from their Russian-made Sukhoi fighter jet and let it crash, rather than carry out orders to bomb opposition-held Benghazi, Libya’s second largest city, the website Quryna reported, citing an unidentified officer in the air force control room.. One of the pilots identified by the report as Ali Omar Gaddafi was from Gaddafi’s tribe, the Gadhadhfa, said Farag al-Maghrabi, a local resident who saw the pilots and the wreckage of the jet, which crashed in a deserted area outside the key oil port of Breqa.
The opposition said it had taken over Misrata, which would be the largest city in the western half in the country to fall into its hands. Clashes broke out over the past two days in the town of Sabratha, west of the capital, where the army and militiamen were trying to put down protesters who overwhelmed security headquarters and government buildings, a news website close to the government reported.
International outrage mounted after Gaddafi on Tuesday went on state TV and in a fist-pounding speech called on his supporters to take to the streets to fight protesters. Gaddafi’s retaliation has already been the harshest in the Arab world to the wave of anti-government protests sweeping the Middle East.
Italy’s Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said estimates of some 1,000 people killed in the violence in Libya were “credible,” although he stressed information about casualties was incomplete. The New York-based Human Rights Watch has put the death toll at nearly 300, according to a partial count.- Gaddafi’s speech appeared to have brought out a heavy force of supporters and militiamen that largely prevented major protests in the capital Tuesday night or Wednesday. Through the night, gunfire was heard, said one woman who lives near downtown.
During the day Wednesday, more gunfire was heard near Gaddafi’s residence, but in many parts of the city of 2 million residents were venturing out to stores, some residents said. The government sent out text messages urging people to go back to their jobs, aiming to show that life was returning to normal. The residents spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliationon protesters.The opposition also claimed control in Zwara, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) from the Tunisian border in the west, after local army units sided with the protesters and police fled.
LIBYAN DIPLOMATS RESIGN, PILOTS DEFECTED AND SEEK POLITICAL ASYLUM
TRIPOLI, Libya - Two Libyan air force jets landed in Malta on Monday and their pilots have asked for political asylum. The pilots claimed to have defected after refusing to follow orders to attack civilians protesting in Benghazi in Libya.The pilots, who said they were colonels in the Libyan air force, were being questioned by authorities in an attempt to verify their identities.
Meanwhile, a group of Libyan army officers have issued a statement urging fellow soldiers to "join the people" and help remove Muammar Gaddafi. The officers urged the rest of the Libyan army to march to Tripoli.- Earlier, diplomats at Libya's mission to the United Nations sided on Monday with the revolt against their country's leader and called on the Libyan army to help overthrow "the tyrant Muammar Gaddafi."
In a statement issued as protests erupted across Libya, the mission's deputy chief and other staff said they were serving the Libyan people, demanded "the removal of the regime immediately" and urged other Libyan embassies to follow suit.- Gaddafi was waging a bloody battle to hang on to power as the revolt against his 41-year rule reached the capital, Tripoli.
- The statement issued in New York said hundreds had died in the first five days of the uprising.
Meanwhile, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has appeared on state television to signal his defiance in the face of a mounting revolt against his 41-year rule."I am in Tripoli and not in Venezuela. Do not believe the channels belonging to stray dogs," Gaddafi told Libyan state TV, which said he was speaking outside his house on Tuesday. Reports on Monday said Gaddafi had fled to Venezuela.
Gaddafi, in his first televised appearance since protests to topple him started last week, was holding an umbrella in the rain and leaning out of a van.- "I wanted to say something to the youths at the Green Square (in Tripoli) and stay up late with them but it started raining. Thank God, it's a good thing," Gaddafi said in a 22-second appearance.
- State TV reported earlier that pro-government demonstrations were taking place in Green Square in the capital.
- Libyan forces loyal to Gaddafi have fought an increasingly bloody battle to keep the veteran leader in power with residents reporting gunfire in parts of the capital Tripoli and one political activist saying warplanes had bombed the city.
'DAY OF RAGE' IN LIBYA KILLED 12 PEOPLE
AL- BAIDA, Libya - Inspired by popular and successful uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, the protesters had called for a “Day of Rage” Thursday in a bid to challenge the 41-year rule of Muammar Gaddafi, who has been accused of human rights abuses. However, at least 12 people were killed and dozens injured in anti-government protests in Libya’s northeastern city of Al-Baida and eastern city of Benghazi, media reports said.
Citing opposition websites and non-government organisations, Al-Arabiya news agency reported that security forces and militia of the Revolutionary Committees opened fire on the peaceful, mostly young demonstrators in the city of Al-Baida, killing at least six people.
However, Human Rights Solidarity, a Geneva-based human rights group, put the toll at 13. Witnesses in Al-Baida reported that several snipers opened fire from the tops of buildings, killing at least 13 demonstrators, it said.- Six protesters were shot dead by security forces in Benghazi, on the northern Mediterranean coast, DPA reported. At least 38 people were injured in Benghazi when police clashed with hundreds of demonstrators late Tuesday.
Opposition news website Libya Al-Youm also reported that large anti-government demonstrations were taking place in the north coast city of Darnah Thursday.- A Facebook group calling for the “Day of Range” had 4,400 registered members Monday, but the number more than doubled to about 10,000 following Wednesday clashes in Benghazi.
- Gaddafi, who came to power on the back of a 1969 coup, is the longest-serving leader in both Africa and the Arab world.
The spark for the protest was believed to be the detention of human rights lawyer Fathi Terbil by the Libyan security forces. Terbil was reportedly later released.Local media reports said pro-Gaddafi demonstrations were held Wednesday in several cities across the country following the Benghazi protest.
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