25/02/2011 13:00:00 The Tripoli Post
As the uprising in Libya enters its 10th day, the foreign media keeps on reporting that anti Al Qathafi protestors are increasing the pressure on the Libyan leader, with the British Guardian’s Martin Chulov describing the regime as ailing, mostly due to the “shutting down of oil exports”, the mobilisation of rebel groups in the west of the country and the revolution rapidly spreading around Libya.
The Guardian further reports that Al Qathafi’s hold on power appears confined to parts of Tripoli and perhaps several regions in the centre of the country. Towns to the west of the capital have fallen and all of eastern Libya is firmly in opposition hands, it says.
Basic order has been reported as returning to the streets of Benghazi, after days of fierce fighting that resulted in the military defecting en masse. While virtually all government buildings were looted and wrecked.
Benghazi is now being run by a makeshift organising committee of judges, lawyers and other professionals who have sent out young people to direct traffic and restore basic order.
The British daily quoted a high court lawyer by the name of Amal Bagaigis, saying: "We started just as lawyers looking for our rights and now we are revolutionaries, and we don't know how to manage. We want to have our own face. For 42 years we lived with this kind of barbarianism. We now want to live by ourselves."
All southern oilfields are reported to be in rebel control, with a mechanical engineer with the Sirte oil company telling the Martin Chulov that pressure had been put on field and refinery managers to stop work and protect all foreign nationals working with them. He said the blockade had prevented 80,000 barrels a day being exported from the Dregga field alone.
Meanwhile, the exodus of foreign workers from Libya by sea, road and air continues unabated, with a small number of Turkish workers in Benghazi taking a ferry home. A British ship, HMS Cumberland docked in Benghazi to pick up British passengers there, while a Maltese catamaran that has been chartered by the US for its personnel was expected to leave Tripoli this morning after two days of waiting. It could not sail earlier due to bad weather conditions.
The crisis in Libya is under close scrutiny by foreign governments and US President Barack Obama is getting very much involved, so much so that he has now called on a number of European government to respond to the crisis.
Obama has outlined a range of possible measures to be taken in order to respond to the Libya crisis, and is urging the governments of the UK, France and Italy to agree to his efforts that also include plans for humanitarian assistance.
BBC reported that earlier, the White House had said that all options were on the table, including sanctions, and that the military would present its own proposals to the President.
It also stated that the Libyan revolt has put the UN under the spotlight... because European nations on the Security Council are under public pressure to be seen as doing something”
France’s President Nicolas Sarkozi, British PM David Cameron and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi have been requested by Obama to co-ordinate a response to the Libya crisis. And in a statement, it was stated that the US President had expressed his deep concern with the Libyan government's use of violence, that, it said, “violated international norms and every standard of human decency".
It further stated that, "The leaders discussed the range of options... to hold the Libyan government accountable for its actions, as well as planning for humanitarian assistance."
BBC also quoted US officials saying that he steps could include seeking stronger action by the UN Security Council - including possible sanctions such as travel bans and asset freezes - support for calls to suspend Libya from the UN Human Rights Council, and enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya.
The UN Security Council is to meet later today in New York to consider further action against the Libyan government, because, as the UK’s permanent representative, Mark Lyall Grant, had told the Council's member states, Al Qathafi had failed to heed Tuesday's demand to stop the violence against peaceful demonstrators.
Reuters confirmed that the United States is working to build international consensus for action against the Libyan government, which Obama has condemned for "outrageous" violence against its people.
It quoted White House spokesman Jay Carney saying when asked whether the United States was considering military steps, "I'm not ruling out bilateral options". He said the situation "demands quick action."
Neither Obama nor Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has had direct contact with Al Qathafi, but Reuters quoted State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley saying that US Under Secretary of State William Burns spoke twice with Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa on Wednesday.
Crowley said Al Qathafi had sent "messages" through Libyan officials to the U.S. government but indicated they tracked his public statements, which have said Libya's protesters are inspired by al Qaeda and under the influence of drugs.
With oil markets nervously watching the Libya turmoil, The White House said it was "very cognizant" that oil price increases could hurt the weak U.S. economy, but said the country had the capacity to act, possibly by tapping strategic oil reserves, in the event of a major supply disruption.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is due to travel to Geneva on Monday for a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council focusing on Libya, and the BBC went on to say that the Swiss government has ordered an immediate freeze on assets belonging to Col Gaddafi and his associates.
The foreign press keeps on repeating Al Qathafi's statements on state TV, that Osama Bin Laden and his Al Qaeda followers were responsible for the violence that was sweeping the country.
The Libyan leader said in a telephone interview, "Bin Laden... this is the enemy who is manipulating people. Do not be swayed by Bin Laden". He went on to say: 'You should not listen to Bin Laden and his followers'
The BBC also quoted Al Qathafi saying that the young protesters were "trigger happy and they shoot especially when they are stoned with drugs"....."They put hallucinatory pills in their drinks, their milk, their coffee, their Nescafe."
Al Qathafi also repeatedly referred to the western town of Az Zawiya, where fierce fighting has been reported, calling the situation there a "farce".
Meanwhile, Libyan state television has reported that the Libyan the air force had destroyed what was left of weapons depots in desert and rural areas outside government control.
http://www.tripolipost.com/articledetail.asp?c=1&i=5476
As the uprising in Libya enters its 10th day, the foreign media keeps on reporting that anti Al Qathafi protestors are increasing the pressure on the Libyan leader, with the British Guardian’s Martin Chulov describing the regime as ailing, mostly due to the “shutting down of oil exports”, the mobilisation of rebel groups in the west of the country and the revolution rapidly spreading around Libya.
The Guardian further reports that Al Qathafi’s hold on power appears confined to parts of Tripoli and perhaps several regions in the centre of the country. Towns to the west of the capital have fallen and all of eastern Libya is firmly in opposition hands, it says.
Basic order has been reported as returning to the streets of Benghazi, after days of fierce fighting that resulted in the military defecting en masse. While virtually all government buildings were looted and wrecked.
Benghazi is now being run by a makeshift organising committee of judges, lawyers and other professionals who have sent out young people to direct traffic and restore basic order.
The British daily quoted a high court lawyer by the name of Amal Bagaigis, saying: "We started just as lawyers looking for our rights and now we are revolutionaries, and we don't know how to manage. We want to have our own face. For 42 years we lived with this kind of barbarianism. We now want to live by ourselves."
All southern oilfields are reported to be in rebel control, with a mechanical engineer with the Sirte oil company telling the Martin Chulov that pressure had been put on field and refinery managers to stop work and protect all foreign nationals working with them. He said the blockade had prevented 80,000 barrels a day being exported from the Dregga field alone.
Meanwhile, the exodus of foreign workers from Libya by sea, road and air continues unabated, with a small number of Turkish workers in Benghazi taking a ferry home. A British ship, HMS Cumberland docked in Benghazi to pick up British passengers there, while a Maltese catamaran that has been chartered by the US for its personnel was expected to leave Tripoli this morning after two days of waiting. It could not sail earlier due to bad weather conditions.
The crisis in Libya is under close scrutiny by foreign governments and US President Barack Obama is getting very much involved, so much so that he has now called on a number of European government to respond to the crisis.
Obama has outlined a range of possible measures to be taken in order to respond to the Libya crisis, and is urging the governments of the UK, France and Italy to agree to his efforts that also include plans for humanitarian assistance.
BBC reported that earlier, the White House had said that all options were on the table, including sanctions, and that the military would present its own proposals to the President.
It also stated that the Libyan revolt has put the UN under the spotlight... because European nations on the Security Council are under public pressure to be seen as doing something”
France’s President Nicolas Sarkozi, British PM David Cameron and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi have been requested by Obama to co-ordinate a response to the Libya crisis. And in a statement, it was stated that the US President had expressed his deep concern with the Libyan government's use of violence, that, it said, “violated international norms and every standard of human decency".
It further stated that, "The leaders discussed the range of options... to hold the Libyan government accountable for its actions, as well as planning for humanitarian assistance."
BBC also quoted US officials saying that he steps could include seeking stronger action by the UN Security Council - including possible sanctions such as travel bans and asset freezes - support for calls to suspend Libya from the UN Human Rights Council, and enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya.
The UN Security Council is to meet later today in New York to consider further action against the Libyan government, because, as the UK’s permanent representative, Mark Lyall Grant, had told the Council's member states, Al Qathafi had failed to heed Tuesday's demand to stop the violence against peaceful demonstrators.
Reuters confirmed that the United States is working to build international consensus for action against the Libyan government, which Obama has condemned for "outrageous" violence against its people.
It quoted White House spokesman Jay Carney saying when asked whether the United States was considering military steps, "I'm not ruling out bilateral options". He said the situation "demands quick action."
Neither Obama nor Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has had direct contact with Al Qathafi, but Reuters quoted State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley saying that US Under Secretary of State William Burns spoke twice with Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa on Wednesday.
Crowley said Al Qathafi had sent "messages" through Libyan officials to the U.S. government but indicated they tracked his public statements, which have said Libya's protesters are inspired by al Qaeda and under the influence of drugs.
With oil markets nervously watching the Libya turmoil, The White House said it was "very cognizant" that oil price increases could hurt the weak U.S. economy, but said the country had the capacity to act, possibly by tapping strategic oil reserves, in the event of a major supply disruption.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is due to travel to Geneva on Monday for a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council focusing on Libya, and the BBC went on to say that the Swiss government has ordered an immediate freeze on assets belonging to Col Gaddafi and his associates.
The foreign press keeps on repeating Al Qathafi's statements on state TV, that Osama Bin Laden and his Al Qaeda followers were responsible for the violence that was sweeping the country.
The Libyan leader said in a telephone interview, "Bin Laden... this is the enemy who is manipulating people. Do not be swayed by Bin Laden". He went on to say: 'You should not listen to Bin Laden and his followers'
The BBC also quoted Al Qathafi saying that the young protesters were "trigger happy and they shoot especially when they are stoned with drugs"....."They put hallucinatory pills in their drinks, their milk, their coffee, their Nescafe."
Al Qathafi also repeatedly referred to the western town of Az Zawiya, where fierce fighting has been reported, calling the situation there a "farce".
Meanwhile, Libyan state television has reported that the Libyan the air force had destroyed what was left of weapons depots in desert and rural areas outside government control.
http://www.tripolipost.com/articledetail.asp?c=1&i=5476
I'd like to believe that The Tripoli Post information goes directly from Libya. And so I could trust to this source more than BBC and Al-Arabiya
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