Updates on Libyan war: March 28
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Libya And The “International Community”: Humanitarian Imperialism, Like Colonialism, Will Come To An End
From U.S. To NATO Command Of Libyan War: Only Name Changes
Latin America On Libyan War: Saving Lives With Bombs Makes No Sense
NATO Runs Libyan War From Headquarters In Italy And Turkey
German Navy Vessels Return To Mediterranean Under NATO Control
French Destroyer Joins U.S. Amphibious Strike Group Off Libya
Bloodbath: NATO Bombs Path For Rebel Advance On Libyan Capital
French Warplanes Destroy Libyan Command Center, Government Soldiers Told To Defect Or Die
NATO Air Strike Wounds Libyan Civilians, Including Children, And Destroys Homes
Russian Foreign Minister: Military Intervention In Libya Not Sanctioned By United Nations Resolution
Russia Slams NATO Attack On Libya
William Blum: Libya And The Holy Triumvirate
NATO Operations: Turkey To Control Benghazi Airport, Blockade Libya
NATO Formally Takes Command Of Libyan War
Air Strikes Expanded Throughout Libya As NATO Takes Command
All-Out Assault: British Missiles Destroy Libyan Depots, Bunkers
1,424 Missions: U.S. Still Main Force In Libyan Strikes – Pentagon
Western Jets Bomb Residential Areas In Southern Libya
After Kosovo, Afghanistan: Dutch F-16s Fly Libyan Sorties
Istanbul Cooperation Initiative: “Soldier Of Fortune” NATO Hands Libyan Oil To Persian Gulf States
NATO Warplanes Launch Fresh Assault On Libyan Capital
US-Led Libyan Ground Assault Planned
Pentagon Chief: “No Idea” How Long Libyan Campaign Will Last
“Odyssey” Nor Bringing “Dawn” To Libya
Libya: NATO Terrorizing, Killing Civilians
Open Letter From Russian Doctors In Libya To The President Of The Russian Federation
Libya Conflict Highlights NATO’s Imperialist Mission
Syria Being Prepared For Libya Scenario
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Libya And The “International Community”: Humanitarian Imperialism, Like Colonialism, Will Come To An End
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=20113\28\story_28-3-2011_pg3_1
Daily Times
March 28, 2011
EDITORIAL: Libya and the ‘international community’
-We…need to question the term ‘international community’. Basically the term refers to powerful countries of the west led by the US. This term has been used whenever an imperialist intervention has taken place on so-called ‘humanitarian grounds’. The west continues to support autocrats in countries that do not threaten its hegemony, in fact help keep it intact, such as the House of Saud in Saudi Arabia.
-Ever since the Cold War ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the world has seen a horizontal expansion of capitalism into the formerly socialist countries and under the rubric of globalisation into the rest of the world. The world’s dominant countries, who like to call themselves the ‘international community’, have set out to re-conquer the world through military means. It started with the Balkans, and via Afghanistan and Iraq, is now being witnessed in Libya. The goal is Pax Americana (global empire).
Finally Pakistan has woken up to the disastrous military intervention by the western forces in Libya. On Saturday, Pakistan’s Foreign Office expressed serious concerns over the foreign forces’ strikes on Libya.
Briefing the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir said, “Pakistan’s position is very clear and principled. Everyone should respect a country’s sovereignty.” Mr Bashir said that the UN resolution on Libya was faulty and allowed the west to do “anything”. He further stated, “The prescription of democracy, pluralism and human rights is acceptable but it has to be done as people want and through peaceful means.”
The UN resolution on Libya is indeed faulty and quite vague. The consequences of passing such a resolution can now be seen. Even though it was not mandated in the UN resolution, the west now wants to overthrow Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
The mandate of the resolution was ambiguous. We also need to question the term ‘international community’. Basically the term refers to powerful countries of the west led by the US. This term has been used whenever an imperialist intervention has taken place on so-called ‘humanitarian grounds’. The west continues to support autocrats in countries that do not threaten its hegemony, in fact help keep it intact, such as the House of Saud in Saudi Arabia. Military dictators in Pakistan were supported by the west till the time that the tide turned against those despots.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has tried to justify this war by saying, “We are beginning to see, because of the good work of the coalition, his [Gaddafi’s] troops begin to turn back toward the west — and to see the opposition begin to reclaim the ground they had lost.”
The US and its allies should know that though their attacks on Gaddafi’s forces and air force have weakened the Libyan forces, there is little possibility that Gaddafi would give up easily.
It is now clear that the west actually set out to effect a regime change in Libya as has been stated by the British and French leaders. How is it justified that if the west does not like a leader, it intervenes militarily to achieve its aims?
This is not the first time such things have happened and is unlikely to be the last. Ever since the Cold War ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the world has seen a horizontal expansion of capitalism into the formerly socialist countries and under the rubric of globalisation into the rest of the world. The world’s dominant countries, who like to call themselves the ‘international community’, have set out to re-conquer the world through military means. It started with the Balkans, and via Afghanistan and Iraq, is now being witnessed in Libya. The goal is Pax Americana (global empire).
The US is on the decline as an economic power despite the triumphalism of the US after the Cold War ended in 1991. The global recession may not have affected the US’s military power, but it increasingly resembles nothing more than a colossus with feet of clay. Europe, which was seen to be the next world power, has been rendered hollow after the global recession and remains the US’s subservient ally.
Libya is a relatively weak country when it comes to the global powers but this provides no justification for attacking it.
The world today is emerging as a multi-polar world where many countries like China, India, and Brazil are now economically getting stronger. Russia, too, is re-emerging as a global power.
History’s verdict will one day be witness to the fact that like colonialism came to an end, imperialism, whether masquerading as ‘humanitarian’ or otherwise, too will not last forever. The sooner the ‘international community’ comes to terms with this fact, the better all round.
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From U.S. To NATO Command Of Libyan War: Only Name Changes
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/indepth/2011-03/28/c_13801887.htm
Xinhua News Agency
March 28, 2011
From U.S. to NATO: a name change game
-”[E]ven if it does hand over the command, it will still back the military operations. U.S. cruise missiles, submarines, destroyers and aircraft carriers will continue to provide military support.”
BEIJING: NATO member states decided on Sunday to take over full command of the military operations against Libya from the United States, a move many believe does not change the dominant role of the United States since NATO is a U.S.-led military alliance.
The attitude change of the United States, rare in its diplomatic and military history, is only a name change game designed to ease its increasing pressure domestically and internationally.
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However, if Washington actively directed and participated in the military action against Libya, Obama might be regarded as a pro-war president. As Obama has vowed to win his re-election, he has to be cautious.
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Meanwhile, many countries said they opposed West-led operations against Libya in the name of enforcing the UN resolution, calling on countries involved to hand power back to the Libyan people.
Secretary General of the Arab League Amr Moussa, who used to support the creation of a no-fly zone, said the military operation has overstepped the UN resolution.
Under these circumstances, Obama’s decision to transfer command to NATO was to shift domestic attention and shake off his political predicament, media reported.
LEADER POSITION TO CONTINUE
Although the United States is handing over command of the military intervention against Libya to NATO, its influence and leadership will likely continue. Analysts said since NATO is a U.S.-led military alliance, the United States would maintain its leadership position in military operations against Libya even after it hands command off to NATO.
Brian Becker, national director of the ANSWER coalition, an anti-war umbrella group, said during its protest outside the White House Saturday that transferring command to NATO is merely self-deception.
“That’s a fraud,” said Becker. “When the U.S. hands the mission to NATO, it’s handing the mission over to itself.” He said NATO has been a U.S.-led military bloc since it was formed.
The U.S.’s intention is only camouflaged by its effort to shift command to NATO. On Thursday, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told CNN the alliance would take over the command of enforcing the no-fly zone “in a couple of days” from the United States, and NATO’s supreme allied commander in Europe, U.S. Admiral James Stavridis, would assume overall command of the mission.
Stavridis is a United States Navy four-star admiral who also serves as the current commander of U.S. European Command.
Handing over command to another party doesn’t change the nature of U.S.’s role in the joint military intervention against Libya, Gao Zugui, director of the Institute of World Politics of the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations said.
“Because even if it does hand over the command, it will still back the military operations. U.S. cruise missiles, submarines, destroyers and aircraft carriers will continue to provide military support,” he added.
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Latin America On Libyan War: Saving Lives With Bombs Makes No Sense
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,14944709,00.html
Deutsche Welle
March 28, 2011
‘Saving lives with bombs makes no sense’
-”Countries with a past of being colonized have another view of the world than Europeans. I don’t consider the positioning of Latin America with regards to Libya as a strategic distancing from the United States but I do think that the Latin American countries discern the possibility that the military operation will culminate in the invasion and occupation of Libyan territory.”
The majority of Latin American countries do not agree with the legitimacy or practicality of foreign military intervention in Libya. Two German experts, Günther Maihold and Manuel Paulus, explain why.
Colombian Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin was expected to explain to the country’s congress on Tuesday why the country had voted in favor of UN Security Council Resolution 1973, which authorizes, among other things, the establishment of a no-fly zone over Libya.
Deputies from the ruling party support the position of Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, which is to back the majority of NATO and European Union nations in supporting the intervention.
However, the opposition has complained that backing the action contradicts the stance that most countries in the region are taking. Though Peru has broken off relations with Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, that course of action has not been typical.
No: the prevailing response
Of the diplomatic voices coming out of Latin America, most are demanding a ceasefire and dialogue – disapproving of both the legitimacy and the practicality of Operation Odyssey Dawn in Libya. “The idea of saving lives with bombs doesn’t make any sense,” said Uruguayan President Jose Mujica.
Brazil, the only other country with a voice and vote as a temporary member of the UN Security Council, refused to support Resolution 1973.
Günther Maihold, deputy director of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, and Manuel Paulus, a political scientist from the University of Rostock, are united in identifying the main motive behind the condemnation from Latin America against the creation of a united front against Gadhafi.
A matter of principle
“The determining factor is the perception that this military operation is an act of aggression against Libyan sovereignty, like a foreign intervention into a country afflicted by civil war. This violates one of the fundamental principles of the external politics of Latin American countries, that of not meddling in the internal affairs of their neighbors,” said Maihold.
Paulus agreed, adding that there was another element.
“Brazil is trying to establish a multi-polar world order in which Washington does not play the principal role. Its position and that of its neighbors can only be described as a consequence of this,” said Paulus, adding that the policy of Latin American countries in relation to Libya cannot be explained solely from the point of view of its ambivalent relationship with the United States or Europe.
“Countries with a past of being colonized have another view of the world than Europeans. I don’t consider the positioning of Latin America with regards to Libya as a strategic distancing from the United States but I do think that the Latin American countries discern the possibility that the military operation will culminate in the invasion and occupation of Libyan territory,” said Paulus.
“They compare that scenario with the experiences of their own countries,” he continued. “It is fitting to ask if the past political and military excesses of the United States and Europe, as colonizers, as those acting in their own interests, as champions of ideological and economic systems, have weakened their credibility as protectors of the Libyan people.”
The burdens of the past
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According to Maihold, the colonial and post-colonial traumas of Latin America continue to be “important rallying points of identity that influence analysis of current events.”
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Author: Evan Romero-Castillo / rc
Editor: Rob Mudge
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NATO Runs Libyan War From Headquarters In Italy And Turkey
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-03/29/c_13802176.htm
Xinhua News Agency
March 28, 2011
NATO command of Libya mission is based in Naples
ROME: NATO decided Monday to run the Libya mission, including enforcing a no-fly zone over the country, in Naples, Italy, under the command of Canadian Lt. Gen. Charles Bouchard.
The alliance also said the operations had a secondary base in Izmir, Turkey.
Naples, around 200 km southeast of Rome, used to be the base for enforcing an arms embargo against Libya.
The latest development signified a significant increase of Italy’s involvement in the conflict.
Italy has strong historical, political, and commercial ties with Libya. The two countries reached a bilateral “friendship treaty” a month ago, excluding military action against each other. However, with the evolution of the situation in Libya, the Italian leadership declared the document null and void.
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Bouchard was selected to head the operation codenamed “Unified Protector” on Friday before NATO members agreed on the transfer of command from the United States. The transition is expected to be completed no later than Wednesday.
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German Navy Vessels Return To Mediterranean Under NATO Control
Deutsche Presse-Agentur
March 28, 2011
German navy ships in Mediterranean return to NATO control
Berlin: Two German navy vessels in the Mediterranean are to be placed back under NATO command, a week after the military alliance became involved in the Libya conflict, a defence ministry spokesman said in Berlin Monday.
But the warships will not be available for the NATO military campaign to deny airspace and arms supplies to Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi, the spokesman told the German Press Agency dpa.
The frigate Luebeck and the minesweeper will instead be deployed ‘soon’ with Active Endeavour, a NATO operation….
Germany upset its allies this month by abstaining when the UN Security Council ordered a no-fly zone to stop bloodshed by Gaddafi.
Germany then withdrew its warships from the NATO force, which is led by France, Britain and the United States. One task of the NATO force off the Libyan coast is preventing Gaddafi from shipping in arms.
Surveys show the German public, which tends to be pacifist, approved of Berlin’s efforts to keep its distance from the Libyan conflict, but senior politicians and think-tank officials in Berlin called the break in alliance ranks a blunder.
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A third navy vessel, the Oker, a supply ship, is in the Mediterranean but will remain under direct command from Berlin. A frigate, the Hamburg, has left the Mediterranean to return to its home base in Wilhelmshaven.
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French Destroyer Joins U.S. Amphibious Strike Group Off Libya
http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=6343&lang=0
U.S. Africa Command
March 28, 2011
French Destroyer Forbin Joins Kearsarge ESG
By Petty Officer 1st Class Phil Beaufort
Joint Task Force Odyssey Dawn Public Affairs
MEDITERRANEAN SEA: Commander Jean-Mathieu Rey, commanding officer of the French ship FS Forbin (D 620), and several crew members made a visit to the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) while off the coast of Libya March 26, 2011.
The French ship joined Joint Task Force (JTF) Odyssey Dawn/Unified Protector last week after recently completing a four-month deployment to the Arabian Gulf.
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Captain Dan Shaffer, commander of the Destroyer Squadron 60, currently embarked aboard Kearsarge, said the destroyer Forbin has been working with air controllers on Kearsarge to help control the air space in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn.
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According to Commander of Expeditionary Strike Group Five, Rear Admiral Peg Klein, the combined staffs were able to accomplish a lot in a short visit.
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With its advanced anti-air capability and well trained crew, Klein added that Forbin is a real asset to the mission.
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Captain Peter Pagano, commander of Amphibious Squadron Four, said that the entire JTF is benefiting from working with foreign military services.
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Joint Task Force Odyssey Dawn is the U.S. Africa Command task force established to provide operational and tactical command and control of U.S. military forces….JTF Odyssey Dawn is commanded by U.S. Navy Admiral Samuel L. Locklear, III.
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Bloodbath: NATO Bombs Path For Rebel Advance On Libyan Capital
http://rt.com/news/libya-opposition-nato-interference/
RT
March 28, 2011
Fighting moves to Libya’s center, NATO accused of taking sides
Armed conflict between Gaddafi’s troops and Libyan rebels has moved away from the sea coast into the central part of the country. Meanwhile, Russia has said NATO’s actions contradict the UN resolution and called them interference in a civil war.
There are conflicting reports on whether the opposition forces have captured the city of Sirt, which holds a special symbolic value as Gaddafi’s hometown.
On Monday, state television reported coalition planes had bombed the city of Sabha in central Libya at dawn, killing several civilians. British air force warplanes have also destroyed ammunition depots used by Gaddafi’s forces.
The situation in the capital Tripoli remains dire as medical supplies as well as food, water and fuel continue to dwindle.
“We have been told that in just a matter of days the city will completely have run out of water,” said RT’s correspondent Paula Slier who is in Tripoli.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs considered NATO’s approval of a “no-fly plus” plan and their consequent actions interference in a Libyan civil war.
NATO took the lead in the military operation in Libya, approving a so-called “no-fly plus” plan that will make the alliance responsible for protecting civilians as well as enforcing a no-fly zone and an arms embargo on Sunday.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov mentioned reports about the coalition’s air strikes on Gaddafi’s troops and reports about NATO’s support of the rebels’ offensive.
“There is a clear contradiction here. We believe that interference of the coalition in the internal – as a matter of fact – civil war, has not been sanctioned by the UN Security Council resolution,” said Lavrov.
Lavrov stressed again that the sole aim of the resolution was the implementation of a no-fly zone for the protection of the civilian population – a goal that NATO claims to support.
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As NATO proceeds with the transfer of control over the mission, its first planes took to enforce the no-fly zone over Libya on Sunday evening.
“Yesterday NATO aircraft flew the first no-fly zone enforcement over Libya,” said General Charles Bouchard, who is in charge of the operation called “Unified Protector”.
Cashing in on military success
Rebels have been able to make a dramatic advance in recent days, regaining control of such key strategic points as the town of Ras-Lanouf, Marsa-el-Brega, and Ajdabiya.
The progress has been possible due to the no-fly zone established by international forces, which seriously damaged Gaddafi’s air defenses and batteries.
With crucial oil ports now in the hands of the opposition, its representatives said they were producing about 100,000 to 130,000 barrels a day with plans to increase that amount to up to 300,000 a day.
According to AFP, the rebels have also promised to begin exporting oil “in less than a week.” They also announced that they have signed an oil export agreement with Qatar – the only Arab country known to have actively participated in the military operation in Libya.
Qatar has agreed to sell Libya’s oil on international markets, channeling the money back into the opposition’s accounts.
Since the beginning of military action in Libya, oil production has decreased to three times normal. Oil exports were practically paralyzed as world banks refused to accept any payments for Libyan oil in US dollars due to international sanctions.
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French Warplanes Destroy Libyan Command Center, Government Soldiers Told To Defect Or Die
http://en.rian.ru/world/20110328/163252709.html
Russian Information Agency Novosti
March 28, 2011
French warplanes destroy Gaddafi’s command center
Paris: French military planes have destroyed the command center of Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi, spokesman for the French Armed forces Thierry Burkhard said on Monday.
NATO took over command of the coalition military intervention in Libya from the United States on Sunday. The mission is trying to ensure a no-fly zone and arms embargo over the country.
The strikes, conducted by two French Rafale fighter patrols, struck the center, located 10 kilometers from Tripoli, on Sunday.
No further strikes were conducted by French forces on Monday, Burkhard said.
Earlier on Monday, France and Britain urged Gaddafi’s supporters to “defect before it is too late.”
The rebel army, which has been fighting pro-Gaddafi forces since mid-February, has made rapid advancements into the west of Libya since the coalition mission began.
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NATO Air Strike Wounds Libyan Civilians, Including Children, And Destroys Homes
http://en.trend.az/regions/met/arabicr/1851537.html
Deutsche Presse-Agentur
March 28, 2011
Report: Civilians injured in coalition airstrike in Libya
A number of civilians were wounded in a coalition airstrike early Monday on a weapons depot in the south-west city of Jabal al-Sabha, dpa reported according Libyan sources.
The opposition Libya al-Youm said the proximity of the airstrike to stores and residential areas caused a number of injuries to civilians and destroyed several homes.
There were no numbers given for how many people were injured, but no deaths were reported.
According to the Libyan state-run JANA news agency, children were among the wounded.
NATO ambassadors decided late Sunday to take over control of all UN-mandated military operations in Libya, including any airstrikes aimed at protecting civilians from the embattled leader’s troops.
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Russian Foreign Minister: Military Intervention In Libya Not Sanctioned By United Nations Resolution
http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=16094253&PageNum=0
Itar-Tass
March 28, 2011
UN Res 1973 not sanction interference in civil war in Libya – FM
“We believe that the interference of the coalition into the internal, civil war in Libya has not been sanctioned by the U.N. Security Council resolution,” Lavrov said.
At the same time, the minister stressed, “The protection of civilians in Libya is our priority.”
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http://en.rian.ru/russia/20110328/163245789.html
Russian Information Agency Novosti
March 28, 2011
Intervention in Libya at odds with UN resolution – Russia’s Lavrov
Topic: International sanctions against Gaddafi regime
Moscow: The military intervention by the Western-led coalition force in Libya’s civil war is out of tune with the relevant UN Security Council resolution, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday.
“We believe that the coalition’s intervention in the civil war [in Libya] has not, essentially, been sanctioned by the UN Security Council resolution,” said, adding its only purpose “is to ensure the protection of the civilian population.”
“This resolution contains no other goals,” he said.
Russia abstained from the Security Council vote.
On Sunday, NATO began taking command of all aerial operations in Libya from the US-led force. The transfer of authority will take up to three days.
Russia abstained from a UN Security Council resolution adopted on March 17 imposing a no-fly zone over Libya….
Western-led military strikes against Gaddafi, whose forces have been attacking rebels in the east of the North African country since mid-February, began last Saturday.
Libyan television has reported that at least 100 civilians have been killed and over 150 wounded in the strikes and that many health and education facilities have been destroyed….
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Russia Slams NATO Attack On Libya
http://www.rttnews.com/Content/GeneralNews.aspx?Node=B1&Id=1584701
RTT News
March 28, 2011
Russia Slams NATO Attack On Libya
Russia has criticized NATO’s military intervention in Libya, which it said was not in conformity with the U.N. resolution that authorized no-fly zones.
Responding to questions at a joint news conference along with his visiting Kyrgyz counterpart Ruslan Kazakbayev in Moscow on Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, “We believe that the coalition’s intervention in the civil war [in Libya] has not, essentially, been sanctioned by the UN Security Council resolution.
“This resolution contains no other goals than to ensure the protection of the civilian population,” he added. He made Moscow’s stand on the Western-led coalition force’s aerial strikes in the north African country clear by saying that “the interference of the coalition into the internal, civil war in Libya has not been sanctioned by the U.N. Security Council resolution.”
He reminded that the “protection of civilians in Libya is our priority.”
A UNSC resolution, passed on March 17, decided to impose a no-fly zone over Libya to protect the civilians from aerial bombings and authorized any military action needed to implement such a ban, short of an occupation.
Despite having veto power, Russia abstained from voting along with China, Brazil, India and Germany, while rest of the 15-member Council voted in favor of the measure.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin went to the extent of comparing the resolution to “medieval calls for crusades.”
After a week of joint air strikes by American, British and French forces to enforce the U.N.-mandated no-fly zone over strife-torn Libya, NATO agreed at the weekend to take over the command and control of the military operations.
President Barack Obama is set to address the nation on Monday night that will answer questions over the objectives of U.S. military mission in Libya.
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William Blum: Libya And The Holy Triumvirate
http://killinghope.org/bblum6/aer92.html
March 28th, 2011
The Anti-Empire Report
by William Blum
Libya and The Holy Triumvirate
The words they find it very difficult to say — “civil war”.
Libya is engaged in a civil war. The United States and the European Union and NATO — The Holy Triumvirate — are intervening, bloodily, in a civil war. To overthrow Moammar Gaddafi. First The Holy Triumvirate spoke only of imposing a no-fly zone. After getting support from international bodies on that understanding they immediately began to wage war against Libyan military forces, and whoever was nearby, on a daily basis. In the world of commerce this is called “bait and switch”.
Gaddafi’s crime? He was never respectful enough of The Holy Triumvirate, which recognizes no higher power, and maneuvers the United Nations for its own purposes, depending on China and Russia to be as spineless and hypocritical as Barack Obama. The man the Triumvirate allows to replace Gaddafi will be more respectful.
So who are the good guys? The Libyan rebels, we’re told. The ones who go around murdering and raping African blacks on the supposition that they’re all mercenaries for Gaddafi. One or more of the victims may indeed have been members of a Libyan government military battalion; or may not have been. During the 1990s, in the name of pan-African unity, Gaddafi opened the borders to tens of thousands of sub-Saharan Africans to live and work in Libya. That, along with his earlier pan-Arab vision, did not win him points with The Holy Triumvirate. Corporate bosses have the same problem about their employees forming unions. Oh, and did I mention that Gaddafi is strongly anti-Zionist?
Does anyone know what kind of government the rebels would create? The Triumvirate has no idea. To what extent will the new government embody an Islamic influence as opposed to the present secular government? What jihadi forces might they unleash? (And these forces do indeed exist in eastern Libya, where the rebels are concentrated.) Will they do away with much of the welfare state that Gaddafi used his oil money to create? Will the state-dominated economy be privatized? Who will wind up owning Libya’s oil? Will the new regime continue to invest Libyan oil revenues in sub-Saharan African development projects? Will they allow a US military base and NATO exercises? Will we find out before long that the “rebels” were instigated and armed by Holy Triumvirate intelligence services?
In the 1990s, Slobodan Milosevic of Yugoslavia was guilty of “crimes” similar to Gaddafi’s. His country was commonly referred to as “the last communists of Europe”. The Holy Triumvirate bombed him, arrested him, and let him die in prison. The Libyan government, it should be noted, refers to itself as the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. American foreign policy is never far removed from the Cold War.
We must look closely at the no-fly zone set up for Iraq by the US and the UK (falsely claimed by them as being authorized by the United Nations) beginning in the early 1990s and lasting more than a decade. It was in actuality a license for very frequent bombing and killing of Iraqi citizens; softening up the country for the coming invasion. The no-fly zone-cum invasion force in Libya is killing people every day with no end in sight, softening up the country for regime change. Who in the universe can stand up to The Holy Triumvirate? Has the entire history of the world ever seen such power and such arrogance?
And by the way, for the 10th time, Gaddafi did not carry out the bombing of PanAm Flight 103 in 1988.1 Please enlighten your favorite progressive writers on this.
Barack “I’d kill for a peace prize” Obama
Is anyone keeping count?
I am. Libya makes six.
Six countries that Barack H. Obama has waged war against in his 26 months in office. (To anyone who disputes that dropping bombs on a populated land is act of war, I would ask what they think of the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor.)
America’s first black president now invades Africa.
Is there anyone left who still thinks that Barack Obama is some kind of improvement over George W. Bush?
Probably two types still think so. 1) Those to whom color matters a lot; 2) Those who are very impressed by the ability to put together grammatically correct sentences.
It certainly can’t have much otherwise to do with intellect or intelligence. Obama has said numerous things, which if uttered by Bush would have inspired lots of rolled eyeballs, snickers, and chuckling reports in the columns and broadcasts of mainstream media. Like the one the president has repeated on a number of occasions when pressed to investigate Bush and Cheney for war crimes, along the lines of “I prefer to look forward rather than backwards”. Picture a defendant before a judge asking to be found innocent on such grounds. It simply makes laws, law enforcement, crime, justice, and facts irrelevant.
There’s also the excuse given by Obama to not prosecute those engaged in torture: because they were following orders. Has this “educated” man never heard of the Nuremberg Trials, where this defense was summarily rejected? Forever, it was assumed.
Just 18 days before the Gulf oil spill Obama said: “It turns out, by the way, that oil rigs today generally don’t cause spills. They are technologically very advanced.” (Washington Post, May 27, 2010) Picture George W. having said this, and the later reaction.
“All the forces that we’re seeing at work in Egypt are forces that naturally should be aligned with us, should be aligned with Israel,” Obama said in early March.2 Imagine if Bush had implied this — that the Arab protesters in Egypt against a man receiving billions in US aid including the means to repress and torture them, should “naturally” be aligned with the United States and — God help us — Israel.
A week later, on March 10, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told a forum in Cambridge, Mass. that Wikileaks hero Bradley Manning’s treatment by the Defense Department in a Marine prison was “ridiculous, counterproductive and stupid.” The next day our “brainy” president was asked about Crowley’s comment. Replied the Great Black Hope: “I have actually asked the Pentagon whether or not the procedures that have been taken in terms of his confinement are appropriate and are meeting our basic standards. They assure me that they are.”
Right, George. I mean Barack. Bush should have asked Donald Rumsfeld whether anyone in US custody was being tortured anywhere in the world. He could then have held a news conference like Obama did to announce the happy news — “No torture by America!” We would still be chortling at that one.
Obama closed his remark with: “I can’t go into details about some of their concerns, but some of this has to do with Pvt. Manning’s safety as well.” 3
Ah yes, of course, Manning is being tortured for his own good. Someone please remind me — Did Georgieboy ever stoop to using that particular absurdity to excuse prisoner hell at Guantanamo?
Is it that Barack Obama is not bothered by the insult to Bradley Manning’s human rights, the daily wearing away of this brave young man’s mental stability?
The answer to the question is No. The president is not bothered by these things.
How do I know? Because Barack Obama is not bothered by anything as long as he can exult in being the president of the United States, eat his hamburgers, and play his basketball. Let me repeat once again what I first wrote in May 2009:
The problem, I’m increasingly afraid, is that the man doesn’t really believe strongly in anything, certainly not in controversial areas. He learned a long time ago how to take positions that avoid controversy, how to express opinions without clearly taking sides, how to talk eloquently without actually saying anything, how to leave his listeners’ heads filled with stirring clichés, platitudes, and slogans. And it worked. Oh how it worked! What could happen now, having reached the presidency of the United States, to induce him to change his style?
Remember that in his own book, “The Audacity of Hope”, Obama wrote: “I serve as a blank screen on which people of vastly different political stripes project their own views.”
Obama is a product of marketing. He is the prime example of the product “As seen on TV”.
Writer Sam Smith recently wrote that Obama is the most conservative Democratic president we’ve ever had. “In an earlier time, there would have been a name for him: Republican.”
Indeed, if John McCain had won the 2008 election, and then done everything that Obama has done in exactly the same way, liberals would be raging about such awful policies.
I believe that Barack Obama is one of the worst things that has ever happened to the American left. The millions of young people who jubilantly supported him in 2008, and numerous older supporters, will need a long recovery period before they’re ready to once again offer their idealism and their passion on the alter of political activism.
If you don’t like how things have turned out, next time find out exactly what your candidate means when he talks of “change”.
….
1. killinghope.org/bblum6/panam.htm ↩
2. March 4, 2011, Democratic Party function, Miami, FL, CQ Transcriptions
3. Los Angeles Times, March 11, 2011
====
NATO Operations: Turkey To Control Benghazi Airport, Blockade Libya
Hurriyet Daily News
March 28, 2011
Turkey to assume control of Benghazi airport in Libya
-Turkey is now taking a critical role in NATO operations in Libya, pledging five vessels and one submarine to a NATO patrol mission to enforce a U.N. arms embargo against the regime of Moammar Gadhafi.
Additionally, Turkey’s NATO base in the Aegean province of İzmir was selected as the center for operations monitoring the no-fly zone in Libya….
ANKARA: Turkey is assuming control of the Benghazi airport, and sending naval forces to patrol the corridor between the rebel-held city and Crete, as it prepares to join a London meeting on the international response to Libya.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Monday that Turkey would take control of the airport in order to coordinate humanitarian assistance to the crisis-hit North African country as part of the multinational task force now under NATO command.
“Turkey said ‘yes’ to three tasks within NATO: the takeover of Benghazi airport for the delivery of humanitarian aid, the task about control of the air corridor and the involvement of Turkish naval forces in the corridor between Benghazi and Crete,” Erdoğan told a news conference at Ankara’s Esenboğa airport before departing for neighboring Iraq.
NATO member states reached a consensus last week about leading Libya operations under the alliance’s command. The Turkish Parliament passed a motion Thursday authorizing the country’s military to participate in the international force in Libya and the government to make a “multi-dimensional contribution.”
….
Turkey will be represented in an international conference about Libya set to be held Tuesday in London. Erdoğan said Turkey’s insistence on ensuring broad-based participation in the summit was acknowledged. “Thus NATO will not be left alone in Libya,” he said.
….
The meeting is expected to establish a contact group of nations. Though it is not yet clear if Turkey will join this grouping, a Turkish diplomat said such mechanisms are sometimes useful – as in the case of Kosovo – and that Ankara would evaluate the situation if it were asked to participate.
Once-reluctant Turkey is now taking a critical role in NATO operations in Libya, pledging five vessels and one submarine to a NATO patrol mission to enforce a U.N. arms embargo against the regime of Moammar Gadhafi.
Additionally, Turkey’s NATO base in the Aegean province of İzmir was selected as the center for operations monitoring the no-fly zone in Libya following the lifting of Turkey’s previous opposition to any kind of NATO involvement in the North African country.
====
NATO Formally Takes Command Of Libyan War
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-03/28/c_13800624.htm
Xinhua News Agency
March 28, 2011
NATO decides to take full command of Libya mission
-A NATO official said that ambassadors approved on Sunday the airstrike plans against Libyan ground forces…broadening the alliance’s previous role of enforcing the no-fly zone and arms embargo.
BRUSSELS: NATO’s top decision-making body decided on Sunday to implement all aspects of the UN resolution on Libya, thus paving the way for the alliance to take over full command of the military operations against Libya from the United States.
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen announced following a special session of NATO ambassadors that “NATO allies have decided to take on the whole military operation in Libya under the United Nations Security Council resolution.”
….
“We will be acting in close coordination with our international and regional partners to protect the people of Libya,” Rasmussen said, adding NATO’s operations will be implemented “with immediate effect.”
“This is a very significant step, which proves NATO’s capability to take decisive action,” Rasmussen said.
A NATO official said that ambassadors approved on Sunday the airstrike plans against Libyan ground forces…broadening the alliance’s previous role of enforcing the no-fly zone and arms embargo.
The latest decision will pave the way for NATO to assume full command of Libya operations from the United States next week, as the latter has been eager to step back and in favor of NATO to take the reins.
….
Britain will host an international conference on Libya in London on Tuesday, which is expected to set “the wide political guidance” for the military operation as NATO takes the full military command.
====
Air Strikes Expanded Throughout Libya As NATO Takes Command
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-03/28/c_13801909.htm
Xinhua News Agency
March 28, 2011
Air strikes go on over Libya, NATO in command
TRIPOLI: Western-led coalition forces Sunday continued their air strikes on Libyan government forces after NATO decided to take full command of the Libya air campaign, as rebels reportedly retook control of a key oil exporting terminal.
Explosions were heard in the capital and both civilian and military targets were hit by the “colonialist aggressors,” Libya’s state TV reported.
Explosions occurred near the Gaser Ben Ghasher region, some 30 km south of the capital, and plumes of heavy smoke and flames were seen rising from the area. A road leading to the international airport and a neighborhood in Tripoli reportedly were among the areas hit by the coalition forces.
Libya’s state TV also said Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s hometown of Sirte city was also struck by the coalition forces Sunday night.
The city was under attack by Western warplanes Saturday night and many targets were destroyed.
French media reported that French fighter jets on Sunday launched attacks on Libyan armored vehicles and a military arsenal in the Misrata and Zintan regions.
So far, at least 114 Libyans have been killed and 445 others wounded since the air strikes began on March 19, according to Libyan health authorities.
Earlier on Sunday, Libyan rebels reportedly recaptured the major oil exporting terminal of Ras Lanuf and the town of Bin Jawad, 525 km east of Tripoli.
….
Ambassadors from 28 NATO member countries held a special meeting in Brussels on Sunday and decided to implement all aspects of the UN resolution on Libya, paving the way for NATO to take over full command of the military operation against Libya from the United States.
“NATO allies have decided to take on the whole military operation in Libya under the United Nations Security Council resolution,” NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen announced after the meeting.
….
“This is a very significant step, which proves NATO’s capability to take decisive action,” Rasmussen stressed.
The air raids against Libyan forces by NATO…have broadened the alliance’s previous role of enforcing the no-fly zone and arms embargo.
….
[Italian Foreign Minister Franco] Frattini stressed that Italy wanted all military interventions in Libya under one single command, and said the country was against the so-called “coalition of the willing” sponsored by France.
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All-Out Assault: British Missiles Destroy Libyan Depots, Bunkers
Deutsche Presse-Agentur
March 28, 2011
Britain says fighter planes destroy Gaddafi ammunition dumps
London: Ammunition dumps and bunkers used by the forces of Libya’s Moamer Gaddafi have been destroyed in airstrikes flown by Britain’s Royal Air Force, the Ministry of Defence in London said Monday.
A spokesman said the ammunition held in the bunkers in the Sabha desert in southern Libya were designated for use in attacks on the cities of Misurata and other targets in northern Libya.
Major General John Lorimer said the fighter aircraft used Storm Shadow missiles to destroy the dumps following armed reconnaissance sorties over Libya over the weekend.
‘Initial reports suggest that the bunkers have been destroyed and that the Libyan government has been denied ammunition…,’ said Lorimer.
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1,424 Missions: U.S. Still Main Force In Libyan Strikes – Pentagon
Agence France-Presse
March 28, 2011
US still main force in anti-Libya strikes: Pentagon
WASHINGTON: The United States has undertaken the lion’s share of coalition military sorties against Libya late Saturday and Sunday, despite NATO formally taking command of operations, Pentagon figures showed.
Of 167 sorties flown between 1930 GMT Saturday and 1500 GMT Sunday, more than half – some 97 – used US aircraft, the US Defense Department said.
That figure is only slightly less than the 62 percent of sorties flown by the US planes since Operation Odyssey Dawn got underway on March 19.
The latest Pentagon figures showed some 1,424 missions conducted during the operation so far as it imposes a United Nations Security Council-mandated no-fly zone over Libya.
The international coalition enforcing the no-fly zone, headed by the United States, Britain and France, has struck Kadhafi’s defense and air capabilities….
As rebels pushed towards Tripoli after nine days of Western bombings on Kadhafi forces, NATO ambassadors overcame objections from Turkey and France after days of tense talks and agreed to take control of the campaign.
….
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Western Jets Bomb Residential Areas In Southern Libya
http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/03/28/48082397.html
Voice of Russia
March 28, 2011
Coalition jets strike Sabha in southern Libya.
Western coalition forces on Monday delivered an air strike upon the city of Sabha in southern Libya.
Libyan information agency JANA says residential areas were bombed, resulting in civilian casualties and destruction.
Planes of the coalition that includes the US, France, the UK, Italy, Spain, Denmark and Canada are bombing installations of the Libyan government forces in order to stop Muammar Gaddafi’s forces from delivering blows against the rebels.
….
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After Kosovo, Afghanistan: Dutch F-16s Fly Libyan Sorties
http://www.rnw.nl/english/bulletin/dutch-f-16s-operational-over-libya
Radio Netherlands
March 28, 2011
Dutch F-16s operational over Libya
-“We are ready. The first mission has got to go well. Our group consists of experienced people who served in Afghanistan and Kosovo. They know what to do.”
Dutch newspapers AD and de Volkskrant report today that the four Dutch F-16s stationed on the Italian island of Sardinia will fly their first mission on Monday.
The four jet fighters are part of the mission…enforcing a UN no-fly zone over Libya.
The 150 Dutch military personnel and pilots now stationed at the Decimomannu airbase on Sardinia have spent the past few days settling in and making test flights. For the time being, the Dutch planes will not take part in any action against ground forces.
The commander of the Dutch mission, Johan van Deventer, says: “We are ready. The first mission has got to go well. Our group consists of experienced people who served in Afghanistan and Kosovo. They know what to do.”
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Istanbul Cooperation Initiative: “Soldier Of Fortune” NATO Hands Libyan Oil To Persian Gulf States
http://abc.az/eng/news/main/52557.html
Azerbaijan Business Center
Match 28, 2011
NATO conquered from Gaddafi control over Libyan oil for Qatar
Baku: NATO’s operation, worth about $300-500 million a day, on sweeping the sky over Libya opens a new historical era: the beginning of colonial conquests by the Persian Gulf states. At the same time NATO acts as a “soldier of fortune” – a professional mercenary, ensuring colonial conquest itself.
The defeat of Colonel Qaddafi’s ground forces by NATO aviation has opened possibilities for the opposition for restoration of oil exports from Libya. As a result, according to a representative on the economy and oil of the “transitional government” of the opposition, Ali Tarkhuni, the opposition has already reached an agreement on oil exports under the supervision of Qatar.
“We have agreed with Qatar, and our next shipment will be carried out in less than a week,” Tarkhuni said.
The opposition controls the production of 100,000-130,000 barrels of oil a day and is ready to raise production up to 300,000 bpd. This amounts to only a fifth of production in the country prior to anti-government protests (1.5 million bpd).
Nevertheless, for the first time in history control over the “opposition” export has been transferred not to traditional “monsters” like BP and RD Shell, but to “humble” Qatar, which is using the channel Al Jazeera, which has contributed a lot to the start of anti-government protests in the Arab world and Libya.
————————————-
http://en.rian.ru/world/20110328/163247336.html
Russian Information Agency Novosti
March 28, 2011
Qatar becomes first Arab country to recognize Libyan National Council
Cairo: Qatar has officially recognized the Libyan National Council as the only legitimate governing body in the North African country, becoming the first Arab country to do so, the Qatar News Agency said on Monday.
“The council, which includes representatives of various Libyan regions, has already begun representing the whole of Libya and has been recognized by the Libyan people,” the news agency quoted a source in the Qatari Foreign Ministry as saying.
Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are the only Arab countries officially involved in the international military operation against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi that has been under way since March 19.
The Libyan National Council, based in the main opposition stronghold of Benghazi, consists of 31 representatives of Libya’s largest cities. The council controls the eastern part of the country, while the west remains under control of the embattled Libyan leader.
France was the first country to recognize the Libyan National Council as the country’s only legitimate government. International organizations, such as the European Union, the Arab League, and the Gulf Cooperation Council have expressed their readiness to cooperate with the council.
The military operation to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya is being conducted jointly by 13 states, including the United States, Britain and France, under a UN mandate. The Libyan state-run television has accused the allied forces of killing dozens of civilians while attacking civilian facilities in Libya along with military objects.
On Sunday, NATO began taking command of all aerial operations in Libya from the US-led force. The transfer of authority will take up to three days.
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NATO Warplanes Launch Fresh Assault On Libyan Capital
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-03/28/c_13800639.htm
Xinhua News Agency
March 28, 2011
Western forces launch fresh airstrikes on Tripoli
TRIPOLI: The Western coalition launched fresh airstrikes Sunday evening on the Libyan capital city of Tripoli and its outskirts, and explosions were heard near Gaser Ben Ghasher region, some 30 km south of the capital, eyewitnesses said.
They said that after the explosions plumes of heavy smoke and flames were seen.
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s hometown of Sirte city is witnessing airstrikes at the moment by the coalition forces, the Libyan TV quoted a military source as saying.
It is also said that the city was under attack by airstrikes last night, when a lot of targets were destroyed.
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US-Led Libyan Ground Assault Planned
March 27, 2011
US-Led Libyan Ground Assault Planned
by Stephen Lendman
In his weekly March 26 address, Obama said:
“As I pledged at the outset, the role of American forces has been limited. We are not putting any ground forces into Libya….And as agreed this week, responsibility for this operation is being transferred from the United States to our NATO allies and partners.”
Earlier he said:
“United States forces are conducting a limited and well-defined mission in support of international efforts to protect civilians and prevent a humanitarian disaster.”
As an earlier article explained, American aggression caused a humanitarian crisis. Moreover, the alleged NATO handover is a ruse. NATO is code language for Washington, the Pentagon. It’s America’s tool, its “missile,” reigning death and destruction across Libya and other operational theaters. European allies concur. They’re more pawns than partners. Reports now suggest they’ll participate in a late April or early May ground operation if air attacks don’t oust Gaddafi.
On March 25, Russia’s RIA Novosti news service headlined, “Ground operation in Libya could start in April – Russian Intelligence,” saying:
According to an unnamed high-ranking Russian intelligence official, “(t)he international coalition force is planning a ground operation that could start in late April. Information coming via different channels shows that NATO countries, with active participation of Britain and the United States, are developing a plan….From all indications, (it’ll) be launched if the alliance fails to force Gaddafi….to capitulate.”
The official estimates a late April-early May timetable. UN Resolution 1973 prohibits an occupation force, but authorizes “all necessary measures,” including boots on the ground. Hawkish Western military analysts urge it, a March 25 Wall Street Journal report saying:
“The history of air-only military actions is that they rarely, if ever, defeat an adversary without” ground forces.
On March 26, Rick Rozoff’s Stop NATO web site mentioned reports of US forces in Libya with a planned ground invasion coming next month. Various March 26 sources were cited, including:
(1) Sofia News Agency reporting:
“US forces are rumored to be already present on the ground in Libya,” despite official denials. According to Reserve Colonel David Hand, American soldiers have been in Libya for 12 days. US intelligence Colonel Tony Scheffer confirmed it.
(2) Voice of Russia’s Alexander Vatutin said:
“We are witnessing an attempt to seize oil and gas reserves by means of force. Apparently, coalition forces are pursuing targets other than humanitarian operations….” Dozens of civilian deaths are reported.
“In the meantime, NATO has suggested the possibility of a ground operation in Libya unless Gaddafi chooses to surrender. The military are guided by the Second World War saying ‘Put on the Ground’ which means you can never expect to win unless you reach the enemy’s positions on the ground.” About 4,000 US marines are positioned in the Mediterranean to invade.
According to Russian Strategic Research Institute’s Azhdar Kurtov, “a ground operation is inevitable” whether or not Gaddafi stays or goes, to seize Libya’s strategic oil and gas reserves.
(3) AFP reported:
Washington and NATO partners may supply weapons to opposition forces. According to the Washington Post, “recently withdrawn US ambassador to Libya” Gene Cretz said “administration officials were having ‘the full gamut’ of discussions on ‘potential assistance we might offer,’ both on the non-lethal and the lethal side.”
(4) RIA Novosti said:
“Any foreign military ground operation in Libya will be considered as occupying the country, Russia’s envoy to NATO Dmitry Rogozin said on Saturday,” in violation of Resolution 1973.
(5) Russia Today reported St. Petersburg State University Professor Guman Isayev saying:
Libya, like Iraq, is becoming a “black hole….As soon as it became clear that insurgents lost the battle,” Resolution 1973 was passed, providing wide latitude for intervention. As a result, “Libya may cease to exist, de facto, the way Iraq did. On the other hand, it’s unlikely that Gaddafi’s regime can be overthrown by air strikes alone. The hopes that insurgents (could oust him) are failing despite active external support.”
On Monday, March 28, Obama will address the nation on the Libyan conflict. Expect none of this to be mentioned, just the usual boilerplate propaganda about “humanitarian intervention,” when, in fact, Washington’s aims are always imperial.
As previous articles explained, a protracted, destructive conflict is likely, including mass casualties so America can solidify its grip on the entire Mediterranean Basin, exploiting its resources and people freely.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen [at] sbcglobal.net. Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
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Pentagon Chief: “No Idea” How Long Libyan Campaign Will Last
http://en.rian.ru/world/20110327/163234646.html
Russian Information Agency Novosti
March 27, 2011
Defense Secretary does not know how long no-fly zone might be in place in Libya
Washington: The U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he does not know how long the no-fly zone might be in place in Libya, CBS News TV-channel reported.
The UN Security Council imposed the no-fly zone over Libya on March 17, along with ordering “all necessary measures”….
“I don’t think anybody has any idea,” Gates said.
….
The military operation in Libya, codenamed Odyssey Dawn, has been conducted so far jointly by 13 states, including the United States, Britain and France.
….
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“Odyssey” Nor Bringing “Dawn” To Libya
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-03/28/c_13800622.htm
Xinhua News Agency
March 28, 2011
“Odyssey” apparently not bringing “dawn” to Libya
BEIJING: The ongoing West-led “Odyssey Dawn” military operation against Libya, which was launched on March 19, apparently is adding fuel to the fire of the Libyan crisis instead of bringing the light of “dawn” to the North African country.
The operation, dominated by Western powers including France, Britain, the United States and Italy, has caused huge civilian casualties, building and infrastructure damage and hundreds of thousands of refugees. It has escalated the Libyan conflict, which started in mid-February.
It apparently has overstepped the authorization of the UN resolution on Libya adopted on March 17, raised questions and triggered disturbance in the region and around the world at large.
The resolution imposed a no-fly zone over Libya, but the West-led air strikes went far beyond the limit as they vehemently hit the Libyan army’s tanks, artillery and rocket projectiles.
As early as last Sunday, Secretary-General of the Arab League Amr Moussa said, “What is happening in Libya differs from the aim of imposing a no-fly zone.”
Meanwhile, the operation was initiated under the pretext of “humanitarian” assistance and protecting Libyan civilians, but the results, ironically, turned out to be more civilian deaths and a deteriorating humanitarian crisis.
Libyan authorities said over 100 civilians had been killed by the air strikes, and the UN Refugee Agency said over 350,000 Libyan refugees had fled the country up to Wednesday.
On Wednesday, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin flatly questioned the operation: “What do we see today? Strikes are being carried out across the entire territory of the country. How can you, with the aim of protecting the peaceful population, choose means that lead to an increase of deaths among the civilian population?”
The operation may prolong volatility and insurgency in Libya, which might spill over to neighboring countries.
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development in Eastern Africa recently said, “Our fear is that what is happening now in Libya may motivate terrorist groups in Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq to regroup on African soil.”
In Homer’s glorious ancient Greek epic poem “The Odyssey,” the Greek hero Odysseus, after the fall of the Troy city, finally managed to return home and accomplished his long-cherished dream after a 10-year arduous trek.
However, the West-led Odyssey Dawn operation is complicating and worsening the situation in Libya and bringing about more sufferings to the Libyan people. The real “dawn” for the Libyan people, alleged as the operation’s aim, apparently is still far, far away.
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Libya: NATO Terrorizing, Killing Civilians
http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFLDE72Q0O920110327
Reuters
March 27, 2011
Libya says NATO “terrorising” its civilians
TRIPOLI: Libya accused NATO on Sunday of “terrorising” and killing its people as part of a global plot to humiliate and weaken the North African country.
The government says Western-led air attacks have killed more than 100 civilians….
“The terror people live in, the fear, the tension is everywhere. And these are civilians who are being terrorised every day,” said Mussa Ibrahim, a Libyan government spokesman.
“We believe the unnecessary continuation of the air strikes is a plan to put the Libyan government in a weak negotiating position. NATO is prepared to kill people, destroy army training camps and army checkpoints and other locations.”
Earlier on Sunday, NATO officials said the alliance had agreed to take command of military operations in Libya.
Ibrahim acknowledged that rebel forces in the east were advancing westwards but declined to give any details on the retreat of government troops.
“The rebels are making their advances,” he said.
“(Western nations) are starving the Libyan population, (they want) to put Libya on its knees, to beg for mercy.
“It’s a very simple plan. We can see it happening in front of our eyes. They are not trying to protect civilians.”
Ibrahim said three Libyan civilian sailors were killed in a coalition air strike on a fishing harbour in the city of Sirte on Saturday.
(Writing by Maria Golovnina)
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Open Letter From Russian Doctors In Libya To The President Of The Russian Federation
Open letter from Russian doctors in Libya to the President of the Russian Federation
OPEN LETTER
President of the Russian Federation Medvedev DA
Prime Minister of Russian Federation VV Putin
from citizens of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, working and living in Libya
March 24, 2011, Tripoli, Libya
Dear Mr. Medvedev and Vladimir Putin,
You said that citizens of the former Soviet Union were destined to become today citizens of different Slavic CIS countries – Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. Despite this, we all believe that it is Russia as successor to the USSR, which is our SOLE safeguard for the interests of our countries and the security of our citizens. Therefore, we appeal to you for help and justice.
Today, there is blatant external aggression of USA and NATO against a sovereign country – Libya. And if anyone can doubt this, then we say this obvious fact is well known, because all this is happening before our eyes, and the actions of U.S. and NATO threaten the lives of not only the citizens of Libya, but to us who are on its territory. We are outraged by the barbaric bombing of Libya, which is currently carried out by a coalition of U.S. and NATO.
The bombing of Tripoli and other cities in Libya is aimed not only at the objects of air defense and Libya’s Air Force and not only against the Libyan army, but also the object of military and civilian infrastructure. Today, 24 March 2011, NATO aircraft and the U.S. all night and all morning bombed a suburb of Tripoli – Tajhura (where, in particular, is Libya’s Nuclear Research Center). Air Defense and Air Force facilities in Tajhura were destroyed back in the first 2 days of strikes and more active military facilities in the city remained, but today the object of bombing are barracks of the Libyan army, around which are densely populated residential areas, and next to it – the largest in Libya’s Heart Centers. Civilians and the doctors could not assume that common residential quarters will be about to become destroyed, so none of the residents or hospital patients was evacuated.
Bombs and rockets struck residential houses and fell near the hospital. The glass of the Cardiac Center building was broken, and in the building of the maternity ward for pregnant women with heart disease a wall collapsed and part of the roof. This resulted in ten miscarriages whereby babies died, the women are in intensive care, doctors are fighting for their lives. Our colleagues and we are working seven days a week, to save people. This is a direct consequence of falling bombs and missiles in residential buildings resulting in dozens of deaths and injuries, which are operated and reviewed now by our doctors. Such a large number of wounded and killed, as during today, did not result during the total of all the riots in Libya. And this is called “protecting the civilian population”?
With full responsibility as witnesses and participants of what is happening, we state that the United States and its allies are thus carrying out genocide against the Libyan people – as was the case in Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Iraq. Crimes against humanity, carried out by coalition forces akin to those crimes committed by the fathers and grandfathers of today’s Western leaders and their henchmen in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan and in Dresden in Germany, where civilians were also being destroyed in order to deter, to break the will of the people to resist (Germany remembers it, and therefore refused to participate in this new slaughterhouse). Today they want in such ways to make the Libyan people surrender their leader and the legitimate government and meekly lay down their national oil wealth for the countries of the coalition.
We understand that applying to the “international community” to save the people of Libya and we were living in Libya, is useless. Our only hope – is Russia that has the right of veto in the UN, and specifically its leaders – the President and the Prime Minister.
We still hope for you, as hoped in the past, when we took the decision to stay in Libya, and to help its people, medical duty playing its role in the first place. After an abortive coup attempt in late February, the situation calmed down in Libya and the government had successfully restored order. To everyone in Libya, it was clear that without American intervention the country would soon return to normal life. Convinced that Russia, which has veto power, would not allow the aggression of the United States and its allies, we decided to stay in Libya, but were mistaken: Russia, unfortunately, believed the false assurances of Americans and did not oppose the criminal decision of France and the U.S.
We are Ukrainians, Russians and Belarusians, the people of various professions (mainly doctors), working in Libya for more than a year (from 2 to 20 years). During this time, we became well acquainted with the life of the Libyan people and state with few citizens of other nations living in this social comfort, as the Libyans. They are entitled to free treatment, and their hospitals provide the best in the world of medical equipment. Education in Libya is free, capable young people have the opportunity to study abroad at government expense. When marrying, young couples receive 60,000 Libyan dinars (about 50,000 U.S. dollars) of financial assistance. Non-interest state loans, and as practice shows, undated. Due to government subsidies the price of cars is much lower than in Europe, and they are affordable for every family. Gasoline and bread cost a penny, no taxes for those who are engaged in agriculture. The Libyan people are quiet and peaceful, are not inclined to drink, and are very religious. Today, the people are suffering. In February, the peaceful life of the people was violated by gangs of criminals and insane drugged youth – whom the Western media for some reason called “peaceful demonstrators”. They used weapons and attacked police stations, government agencies, military units – resulting in bloodshed. Those who direct them, pursue a clear objective – to create chaos and establish control over Libya’s oil. They misinformed the international community, and said that the Libyans are struggling against the regime. Tell us, who would not like such a regime? If such a regime were in Ukraine or Russia, we would not have been here and worked and enjoyed the social comfort at home in our own countries and in every possible way such a regime would be maintained.
If the U.S. and the EU today have nothing to do, let them turn their attention to the plight of Japan, the Israeli bombing of Palestine, the audacity and impunity of Somali pirates, or the plight of Arab immigrants in France, and leave the Libyans themselves to sort out their internal problems. We see that today in Libya they want to do another Iraq. Carrying out the genocide of an entire people and those who are found with him. We perform MEDICAL DEBT and cannot leave Libyans alone in trouble, leaving them to be destroyed by the forces of the coalition, in addition, we understand that when all the foreigners leave and no one will tell the truth (the small staff of diplomatic missions have long been silenced), the Americans will arrange here a bloodbath. Our only chance of survival – is a solid civil position of Russia in the UN Security Council.
We hope that you, Mr. President, and you, Mr. Prime Minister, as citizens of Russia and as decent people will not allow American and European fascists of the 21st century to destroy the freedom-loving people of Libya and of those who today turned out to be with them.
We therefore urgently request that Russia uses its right of veto, the right earned by millions of lives of the Soviet people during World War II to stop the aggression against a sovereign state, to seek immediate cessation of U.S. and NATO bombing campaign and to demand the introduction of African Union troops in the conflict zone Libya.
Note: The African Union Peace & Security Council delegates that had been accepted by both the Libyan government and the rebel leaders to mediate a peaceful solution between the various parties, were refused entry into Libya by the UN Security Council. This act should have been reprimanded by Russia and China, who should study the AU resolutions, mandate and support its wise decisions]
HANDS OFF LIBYA!
With Respect and Hope
Your Wisdom and Honesty,
Citizens of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia,
located in Libya
Bordovsky S., Vasilenko, S., Vegerkina A., Henry IV, Henry H., L. Grigorenko, DraBragg, A., Drobot V. Drobot, N., Yemets E., Kolesnikova, T., Kuzin, I., Kuzmenko, B., Kulebyakin V. Kulmenko T., Nikolaev AG, Papelyuk V. Selizar V. Selizar About . Smirnov, O. Smirnova, R., Soloviev DA, Stadnik VA, Stolpakova T. Streschalin G. Stakhovich Yu, Sukacheva L. Sukachev V. Tarakanov, T., Tikhon N. Tikhonov VI, Tkachev AV, Hadareva E., Tchaikovsky, O., Chukhno D. Chukhno O. Yakovenko D. et al
The collection of signatures under the Appeal to the heads of Russia and under the request of an international tribunal in The Hague for crimes of U.S. and NATO in Libya.
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Libya Conflict Highlights NATO’s Imperialist Mission
From:
Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space
PO Box 652
Brunswick, ME 04011
(207) 443-9502
globalnet@mindspring.com
http://www.space4peace.org
http://space4peace.blogspot.com/ (blog)
http://www.truth-out.org/libya-conflict-highlights-natos-imperialist-mission68753
Libya Conflict Highlights NATO’s Imperialist Mission
By Joseph Gerson
Having launched its Libyan regime change war to oust the Qaddafi dictatorship from the United States’ German-based Africa Command, the Obama administration this week arranged to continue its air war under cover of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance.
Long understood to be a relatively benign and defensive alliance focused on European security needs, people across Europe and, increasingly, in the United States, are questioning how and why NATO is now focused on waging non-defensive wars beyond Europe.
From the beginning, 1948, NATO was about more than containing the Soviet Union, which in the immediate aftermath of World War II was a devastated nation whose occupation of Eastern Europe was as, George Kennan wrote, primarily designed to ensure a buffer against future invasions from the West. Think in terms of the devastation wrought by Napoleon, the Kaiser and Hitler.
Like the unequal treaties that defined 19th- and early 21st-century European colonialism in Asia, NATO has served as a fig leaf, providing a degree of legitimacy for the continuing US military occupation and related US political influence across Western Eurasia.
Recall that Zbigniew Brzezinski, President Carter’s national security adviser, wrote that US global dominance requires US hegemony of Eurasia, which in turn necessitates that the United States maintain toeholds (or more) on its western, southern, and eastern peripheries.
Twenty-first century NATO isn’t the cold war alliance that many of us grew up with. The collapse of the Soviet Union eliminated NATO’s cold war raison d’etre, thereby undermining the rationales for the foreign deployment of hundreds of thousands of US warriors on hundreds of US and “NATO” bases across Europe. The Clinton, George W. Bush and Obama administrations responded by transforming NATO into a global alliance to reinforce US imperial ambitions and the privileges of sectors of the European elite.
Violating President George H.W. Bush’s pledge not to expand NATO a centimeter nearer to Moscow, in exchange for Gorbachev’s blessing of German reunification on Western terms Clinton began the process of expanding NATO to Russia’s borders, along the way creating the foundation for Donald Rumsfeld and company to renew the game of divide and conquer by playing “New Europe” against “Old Europe.”
The US now has bases across Eastern Europe, and there will be more to come with “missile defense” deployments.
In violation of the UN Charter, the Clinton administration used NATO to fight its war against Serbia, making possible the creation of Kosovo and the rise of its corrupt client political leadership there.
As the cold war wound down, NATO adopted doctrines permitting “out of area operations,” i.e. military interventions in Africa, the Middle East and beyond. With NATO’s role in the Afghan war, “out of area operations” became the alliance’s primary mission.
Today, with 22 additional partnerships still more being planned for Japan, Korea and Southeast Asian nations, NATO is also being used to ensure access to the mineral resources of the Global South and to reinforce the encirclement of China, as well as Russia.
Thus, we can identify a major reason that NATO is today fighting in support of a ragtag collection of Libyan rebels in that oil-rich nation.
And, as a recent edition of Foreign Affairs put it, China’s rise does not inevitably mean it will become the world’s dominant nation.
If NATO can be merged with the European Union, the West, it argued, will remain dominant through the 21st century.
During its recent summits in Strasbourg – enforced by massive and brutal police state repression against nonviolent protesters – and Lisbon, and under pressure from the United States, NATO has resolved to remain at war in Afghanistan at least until 2014.
It has adopted a new “strategic concept” consolidating and pointing toward the expansion of the global alliance that can serve as a military enforcer for the United Nations or act in violation of the UN Charter.
And NATO has been reaffirmed as a nuclear alliance, while its members have been urged to further increase their military spending.
The 2012 summit to be held in the United States, likely in or near Washington, DC, will be used to plan and build support for the continuing Central Asian and Long wars, to continue the “containment” and encirclement of China and Russia, to bolster the Pentagon and its obscene budget and to reinforce President Obama’s re-election campaign.
Western European peace activists and progressives have long opposed NATO. This opposition grew with the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, and it is worth noting that there is anything but unity about NATO’s Libyan war in elite European circles.
Even Germany has turned its back on the war, leaving the goal of a united European foreign policy a short-lived dream, while Norway has reversed course, no longer contributing its air force to the war.
At the popular level, growing out of the 2008 International Conference on Afghanistan held in Hanover, Germany, a “No to NATO/No to War” network of leading European and US peace organizations has come into being.
It organized counter-summit conferences and protests in both Strasbourg and Lisbon. Its members are rallying to oppose NATO’s Libya war and are planning a major demonstration in Bonn this November, when the tenth anniversary of the creation of the Karzai government there will be celebrated.
And, with the next NATO summit to be held in the US in 2012, plans on both sides of the Atlantic pond are gearing up to oppose NATO’s wars, related military spending that is robbing our communities of essential social services and the alliance itself.
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Syria Being Prepared For Libya Scenario
http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/03/27/48051654.html
Voice of Russia
March 27, 2011
Syria on the brink
Yevgeny Kryshkin
The Syrian port city of Latakia is under patrol by troops after rioting crowds ransacked shops, overturned cars and torched local offices of the governing Al Baath party.
In Deraa further south, where Syria’s latest unrest first erupted on Wednesday, rioters have toppled an outdoor statue of late President Hafez Assad, father of the beleaguered incumbent Bashar Assad.
The Syrian government speaks of outside attempts to wreck age-old ethnic and confessional harmony in Syria.
For an assessment of the situation, we turned to Dr Vladimir Akhmedov of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences:
“Latakia and Deraa are far from a catastrophe at this stage, but probably mark an important turning point for the Syrians. As soon as the powers that be are no longer able to instill awe, they are likely to be faced with a violent uprising along the lines of Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen.”
The Syrian leadership appears to be rolling out a response to the challenge. In Damascus Saturday, President Bashar Assad convened an executive meeting of his Al Baath party to discuss initiatives for political pluralism, freedom of expression, changes to the judiciary and an end to an almost 50-year-old state of emergency in Syria. Reshuffles in the Cabinet are in the offing, as are further releases of political detainees. Two hundred and sixty have already walked free under a government amnesty.
Overall, observers believe Bashar Assad is not without support in his Middle East country and can cope.
The attack on Libya has been in the planning since last year at least, and it has involved the geopolitical connivances of France, Britain, Italy, with the USA subsquently joining.
French plans to topple Gaddafi on track since last November
http://www.voltairenet.org/article169069.html