The exports of Libya are numerous in amount. One thing they export is corn, or as the Indians call it, "maize". Another famous Indian was "Crazy Horse". In conclusion, Libya is a land of contrast. Thank you.posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 3:38 PM on February 20, 2011 [29 favorites]
Libya was #2 on the Economist's shoe thrower's index, so good call there. (OTOH, Tunisia is #11, so they need to rethink their methodology a bit.)But Bahrain was rated even lower.
"In spite of the Moroccan government's campaign—through its official media, its ministers and its allies—to discredit the February 20 movement, peaceful protests took place today throughout the country. Thousands of protesters gathered simultaneously in Rabat, Casablanca, Tangier, Tetuan, Beni Mellal, Kenitra, Agadir, Marrakech, Essaouira and in other, smaller cities such as Bouarfa, Sefrou, Bejaad and Jerada."posted by Asparagirl at 4:38 PM on February 20, 2011 [7 favorites]
Highly skilled hackers will be in #morocco very soon. If you know any like minded people living there: pgp+email at deadhacker.com today.Lol. Sounds like a good way to get caught and charged with espionage
Tripolitanian AlJazeera Arabic confirms injured protesters arriving at #Tripoli hospitals are being killed by pro-gov forces #Libyaposted by delmoi at 9:48 PM on February 20, 2011
Your Name.ly 40 LYD/YEAR
Your Name.com.ly 15 LYD / YEAR
Your Name.net.ly 15 LYD / YEAR
Your Name .org.ly 15 LYD / YEAR
Your Name.gov.ly 15 LYD / YEAR Require the presence of and official documents that prove that the entity seeking registration is a government or education entity.
Your Name .edu.ly 15 LYD / YEAR Require the presence of and official documents that prove that the entity seeking registration is a government or education entity."The news agency also has some horrific detail about the reports that soldiers who refused to fire on civiilians were executed by their commanding officers. Elsanous Ali Eldorsi, a retired judge in Benghazi, said:posted by Asparagirl at 8:33 AM on February 21, 2011 [5 favorites]
We have buried today 11 bodies of soldiers who refused to fire on civilians and were executed by Gaddafi officers ... The bodies were cut, heads in one side and legs in the other … It is a crime what is happening here."
7:56pm: Al Jazeera Arabic is speaking to a political activist in Tripoli, who tells us there are airstrikes "all over Tripoli".We should call an emergency UN or NATO session.
There is death, fear - and women are crying everywhere. The strikes are concentrated against areas that sent large number of protestors to the streets and there are cars full of foreign fighters firing on people.
He says at least 250 people were killed in the past 24 hours alone and is calling for international help. He tells us Tripoli is "under siege by foreign fighters" - that water and electricity have been cut and there is a shortage of food and medical supplies. "It is a genocide," he says.
"The country has a total portfolio of $8 billion, Huwej says, including 5 percent of Banca di Roma SpA, Italy's fourth-largest bank; $1 billion in U.K. real estate; and stakes in 72 companies in more than 45 countries, many of which do business in the U.S. Libya also has stakes in more than 100 banks with offices from New York to Hong Kong, to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The web of share holdings Qaddafi has created over the past 15 years or so shows how easily terrorists can evade embargoes and sanctions and move their money around the globe."Libya owns 5% of Banca di Roma? No wonder that fucker Berlusconi likes Qaddafi.
According to Ingeniøren, the train was sent to Libya as an Italian present to the country's leader. The train set is adorned with a message in Arabic, saying “For 40 years’ achievement” – a message thought to be a tribute to Gadaffi.posted by BeerFilter at 11:07 AM on February 21, 2011
1859: The BBC has learnt that Col Gaddafi was in Libya when he had his phone conversation with UN Sec Gen Ban Ki Moon earlier.posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 11:08 AM on February 21, 2011
6.38pm: After William Hague said earlier that he had seen information suggesting that Muammar Gaddafi had fled to Venezuela, Libyan state television has carried a denial that he has fled.posted by scalefree at 11:09 AM on February 21, 2011
The Libyan deputy foreign minister, Khalid Kayem, said: "This news is groundless. It has no basis."
Through contacts, I've just talked on the phone with one of the organisers in Cairo of a convoy of medical supplies destined for the eastern part of Libya.This follows an earlier attempt which was turned back by Libyan borderguards. From AFP:
He told me that the convoy, which was organised in conjunction with the Arab doctor's syndicate, the Red Crescent and Libyans living in Egypt, has just departed in the last couple of hours carrying antibiotics, needles and other supplies.
It is made up of five ambulance and 30 doctors, according to the man, an engineer with relatives in Libya, who told me: "The hospital system in the east of Libya and in other parts is collapsing."
He added: "The Egyptian government have been very good and have done everything to help facilitate us but we are worried that it is proving difficult to get across the border on the western side of Libya from Tunisia."
Seif Abdel Latif, a member of the Egyptian doctors's syndicate said he was trying to head to Libya with an aid convoy but Egyptian border guards stopped him from entering Libya.posted by Kattullus at 12:02 PM on February 21, 2011 [1 favorite]
He said the guards only allowed medical supplies and two doctors into Libya, where violent clashes have resulted in up to 400 deaths according to the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights (IFHR). Human Rights Watch has cited a death toll of 233.
why would the airspace be closed? Could this be to prevent the army from turning on the regime?I assume it would mean "closed to any aircraft other than Libyan military aircraft", and that its purpose would be to give their military unimpeded flight, so that they can more efficiently kill people.
I am issuing a Fatwa now to kill Gaddafi. To any army soldier, to any man who can pull the trigger & kill this man to do so.It's amazing how quickly the dam has burst. Just, what, maybe four days ago, I remember hearing an NPR correspondent on the scene saying something like "none of the protests are explicitly against Colonel Qaddafi".
Khaled Kaeem, Libyan Deputy FM: The Libyans were out on the street shuting against Al Jazeera, calling it a "Liar"I was saying Boourns
It depends on where you draw the boundaries. Africa and Asia are continents. A part of Asia and and a part of Africa are referred to as The Middle East. Which parts people include is elastic.The "Greater Middle East" is a B.S. term thought up by the Bush administration to basically refer to the "Muslim world" - a term coined in 2004, by the way. Libya has never been a part of the actual middle east.
After the uprising of the 17th of JuneBertolt Brecht
The Secretary of the Writers Union
Had leaflets distributed in the Stalinallee
Stating that the people
Had thrown away the confidence of the government
And could win it back only
By redoubled efforts. Would it not be easier
In that case for the government
To dissolve the people
And elect another
8.40pm Libya's UN ambassador tells reporters:posted by empath at 12:59 PM on February 22, 2011
I spoke to him [Gaddafi]. I told him: "Muammar, we are getting old, let's give our children a chance." He said: "We give our children plenty of chances." I told him: My children are not with us, they want change." He said: "My children want change, too."
Ortega, a child rapist, supports Gadhafi, a mass murderer.Because Pinoche was such a great guy?
You know, Reagan's instincts weren't always wrong...
Gaddafi's bloody record of terrorism, torture and mass murder deserves punishment many times overAlso, this blogger has collected many stills from Al-Jazeera showing government attacks against Libyans.
It's been great for us Libyans, you know, for the first time to taste freedom. I'm elated, I see people smiling in the streets. I see people committed to their country for the first time.... The bad news of course is the massacres committed against our fellow countrymen in Tripoli.... [Qaddafi] wants to commit suicide and will take as many people with him as possible.... If you watch the speech, he's the one hallucinating!posted by scody at 7:54 PM on February 22, 2011 [42 favorites]
...We are not afraid. We broke the fear barrier. We are not afraid of him anymore. The best example is that I'm showing my face.... After 42 years of fear and humiliation you just lose respect for yourself. This time, for the first time, I'm proud to be a Libyan. People are proud to be Libyan. He tried to pit people against each other by tribes... but today, in Benghazi, if you ask someone his name, he says "I'm Abdullah the Libyan" or "I'm Muhammad the Libyan" -- they don't mention their tribes. They want to say to this animal that we don't fear you anymore, we are united. I am not afraid! There's nothing he can do to me. I am a free man now. At last, I am a free man.
"Gaddafi has largely dismissed the older tribal military structures but they will probably not have huge problems finding weapons," said the LSE's Brahimi. "Defections from the military will be key to this."So an alliance of tribes is probably the best hope — though also, in the aftermath, the greatest danger in terms of civil war.
. . .
"Although the larger ones like the Warfallis and the Megrahees were privileged with power and money, his recent actions angered these tribes and for the first time in decades tribal barriers have withered away. People are uniting with other formerly rival tribes or even different ethnicities like the Amazeegh or Berbers."
As the first foreign news organisation to report from the so-called Free Benghazi, the Guardian witnessed defecting troops pouring into the courtyard of a ransacked police station carrying tonnes of weaponry and ammunition looted from a military armoury to stop it being seized by forces loyal to the Libyan dictator.posted by EndsOfInvention at 7:05 AM on February 23, 2011 [5 favorites]
Soldiers brought rockets and heavy weapons which had been used in an assault on citizens in central Benghazi on Saturday as Gaddafi tried to keep control of the city. Doctors in Benghazi said that at least 230 people were killed, with a further 30 critically injured.
There was also the clearest confirmation yet that Gaddafi's regime used outside mercenaries to try to suppress the rebellion. Adjoining the police station a large crowd gathered in another courtyard. Upstairs, the Guardian saw a number of mercenaries, allegedly flown in the previous week, being interrogated by lawyers and army officials.
An air force officer, Major Rajib Faytouni, said he personally witnessed up to 4,000 mercenaries arrive on Libyan transport planes over a period of three days starting from 14 February. He said: "That's why we turned against the government. That and the fact there was an order to use planes to attack the people."
Numerous witnesses in Benghazi have said that while artillery was used against citizens, air force planes did not fire on them here. They did, however, according to Faytouni, drop two bombs inside the Rajma military base to stop weapons falling into the hands of anti-government forces.
"No proof or evidence to support the claim is given in the article."posted by Mister Bijou at 7:53 AM on February 23, 2011
The U.N. Human Rights Council will hold an urgent session on Libya this Friday at the request of Western and Latin American nations, who are pushing for an international investigation into the killings of protesters.So apparently the UN can't even agree to release a statement condemning the slaughter of a country's people by its ruler. Fantastic.
But with a majority of Asian and African nations -- backed by Russia, China and Cuba -- declining to support a draft resolution, diplomats said it was likely to be heavily watered down and perhaps not passed at all at the emergency meeting.
"On 6 June 2004, while reporting from a suburb of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Gardner was shot six times and seriously injured in an attack by al-Qaeda sympathisers. His colleague Irish cameraman Simon Cumbers was shot dead. Of the bullets which hit Gardner in his torso (others passed through his shoulder and leg) most missed his major organs yet one hit his spinal nerves and he was left partly paralysed in the legs and dependent on a wheelchair for life. The Saudi Arabian government had forced Gardner to use official minders, who ran away once the firing started. The Saudi government promised compensation but in the end they never paid.(wiki)
After 14 operations, 7 months in hospital and months of rehabilitation he returned to reporting for the BBC in mid-2005, using a wheelchair or a frame."
A very senior diplomatic source told me yesterday that Berlusconi is frantic lest Gadaffi falls and the channels are revealed by which Berlusconi gets a cut on the huge amounts of Libyan oil and gas lifted to Italy.[...]I have checked with other diplomatic sources, and they confirm that Italy is using the refugee warning to argue that Europe should back Gadaffi, and not impose sanctions.So apparently the UN can't even agree to release a statement condemning the slaughter of a country's people by its ruler. Fantastic.
6.32pm GMT: The reason for the uncertainty over the timing of Obama's televisied statement on Libya, as mentioned below, is that the White House is waiting for the ship sent to pick up US citizens to depart Tripoli and arrive in Malta.posted by Kattullus at 10:51 AM on February 23, 2011
According to the state department's notice issued yesterday:A US Government chartered ferry will depart Tripoli from the As-shahab Port in central Tripoli, located on the sea road across from the Radisson Blu Mahari Hotel, for Valletta, Malta on Wednesday, February 23. Processing of passengers will begin promptly at 10am local time. US citizen travelers wishing to depart should proceed as soon as possible after 9am to the pier and arrive no later than 10am. US citizens will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority given to persons with medical emergencies or severe medical conditions. The ferry will depart no later than 3pm.6.41pm GMT: Now the White House is saying that it expects Obama's statement to come after 2pm ET, so in about 20 minutes at the soonest.
"The king is the only pillar of stability in the region now," read the editorial in the [Saudi] English-language daily Arab News. "He is the assurance of orderly progress... in the Arab world as a whole."posted by Joe in Australia at 12:51 PM on February 23, 2011 [2 favorites]
France's Le Point magazine has a dramatic interview with a French doctor who has just returned from Libya: "On vient de l'enfer" [We have come from hell.]posted by EndsOfInvention at 1:50 PM on February 23, 2011 [2 favorites]
The doctor estimates the death toll around Benghazi at 2,000, and has this chilling account of the so-called mercenaries loyal to Gaddafi – from Chad or Nigeria, he claims – arriving:
Les forces de répression comprennent la police, l'armée, mais surtout des mercenaires tchadiens, nigériens, entraînés au fin fond du Sahara et très bien équipés et armés. On les a vus passer dans des 4x4, armés jusqu'aux dents, c'était très impressionnant. Il est impossible de savoir combien ils sont : certains disent 5,000, d'autres 50,000. Ce sont des machines à tuer. Lorsque le fils de Khadafi promet des rivières de sang, il sait qu'il a ce qu'il faut pour cela. De Tobrouk à Darnah, ils ont commis un véritable massacre, on parle de plus d'un millier de morts.
[The forces of suppression included police and military, but particularly mercenaries from Chad and Nigeria, trained in the remote Sahara and very well equipped and armed. We saw them go past in 4x4s, armed to the teeth, it was very impressive. It is impossible to know how many there were, some said 5000, others 50,000. They were killing machines. When the son of Gaddafi promised rivers of blood, he knew he could do it. From Darnah to Tobruk, they have committed a full-scale massacre – we are talking of more than a thousand deaths.]
The man — part scholar, part monk, part model, part policy wonk — was Saif al-Islam el-Qaddafi, the powerful 33-year-old son of Libya’s extroverted and impulsive president, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi. He is, in short, the un-Qaddafi.Saif was most recently in the news for warning that his family would
take up arms ... we will fight to the last bullet. We will destroy seditious elements. If everybody is armed, it is civil war, we will kill each other.posted by Joe in Australia at 3:03 PM on February 23, 2011
The [Libyan state] TV channel broadcast pictures this morning of a burning police station in the town, which is 30 miles west of Tripoli. The pictures were followed by footage of around 20 bodies, most with their hands tied behind their back. The channel said the men had been shot for refusing to shoot protesters.via grauniad liveblog
About 4,600 Chinese had left Libya by Thursday in China's largest-ever evacuation, the rescue of about 30,000 nationals stuck in the riot-torn north African state.xinhuan
---
Among the 4,600 Chinese evacuees, more than 4,000 left Libya Thursday on two Greek ocean liners chartered by the Chinese embassy in Greece, China's Foreign Ministry said in a statement Thursday.
The "Hellenic Spirit" and "Olympic Champion" left Benghazi, Libya's eastern port and second-largest city, at 7 a.m. Beijing time (2300 GMT, Wednesday) and were expected to arrive at the port of Heraklion on the Greek island of Crete at about 8 p.m. Beijing time (1200 GMT).
Philippine President Benigno Aquino said that 13,000 Filipinos may be evacuated from Libya, and promised that the government is prepared to move out all of its citizens from that country if the situation becomes worse.xinhua
Asked how many Filipinos the government is prepared to move out from Libya, the President said in a news briefing, "About 13,000 of the 26,000 (Filipinos in Libya), if necessary."
The president said that the government will lease planes from Philippines Airlines and Qatar Airways costing 13 million pesos ( 298,100 U.S. dollars) per flight with a capacity of 200 to 300, to be drawn from a standby fund that can be augmented by more funds " if there is a need to physically evacuate all of our citizens."
About 10,000 Thai labourers working in Libya will be evacuated to neighbouring countries by sea and land.Bangkok Post
Foreign minister's secretary Chavanond Intarakomalyasut said the Thai Embassy in Rome has chartered a ship to evacuate 4,000 Thai labourers working in risky areas of Libya.
The first trip will carry 2,000 people from the Libyan port of Tripoli to Tunisia, which takes only two and a half hours. The second trip will take another 2,000 Thai labourers from Libya to Italy.
"Also Thursday, ferries carrying at least 4,000 Chinese evacuees arrived at the Greek island of Crete."VOA
In meetings with senior Libyan Government officials, U.S. diplomats were told that some members of CNN, BBC Arabic and Al Arabiya would be allowed into the country to report on the current situation. These same senior officials also said that some reporters had entered the country illegally and that the Libyan Government now considered these reporters Al Qaida collaborators.US Department of State
The Libyan Government said that it was not responsible for the safety of these journalists, who risked immediate arrest on the full range of possible immigration charges. Foreign journalists already in Libya who are not part of the approved teams were urged to immediately join the approved teams in-country.
Be advised, entering Libya to report on the events unfolding there is additionally hazardous with the government labeling unauthorized media as terrorist collaborators and claiming they will be arrested if caught.
Does he really think anyone's going to take his word about this Al Qaeda 'emirate' now?I'd place even money on Glenn Beck.
It's not needed: it isn't clear that Libyan pilots are willing to bomb their own citizens. And, the revolution playing out in Libya isn't likely to go on for months, or even weeks. Either Moammar Gadhafi surrenders or falls, or (far less likely) he somehow recovers to take control.It seems that Robert Dreyfuss here has missed some important points: The willingness of Libyan pilots to bomb their fellow citizens is not the only issue; Pilots are also flying mercenaries into the country, and Gaddafi has hired mercenary pilots, who presumably would not have a problem bombing Libyans.
John Hooper sends news from Tripoli that contrary to earlier reports the huge Mitiga airport is still in government hands. Ansa's correspondent in Tripoli has visited the airport and reports that it was "surrounded by soldiers and police".posted by Kattullus at 10:05 AM on February 25, 2011
The unrest in Libya opens up all options including civil war and foreign intervention, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi has told Al-Arabiya TV.A few quotes from al Qassemi's summaries:
"What the Libyan nation is going through has opened the door to all options, and now the signs of civil war and foreign interference have started," the son of the Libyan leader said.
"An agreement has to be reached because the people have no future unless they agree together on a new programme."
All these lies, "children were killed" "mercenaries were brought in" these are all lies.posted by nangar at 10:49 AM on February 26, 2011
The biggest mistake was the there was no international media, & the Libyan media was a failure.
The security men don't know about crowd control so there was shooting in Benghazi.
The Interior Minister was Kidnapped, he was forced to read the statement on TV, Baltagiya kidnapped him.
Ahmad Gaddaf El Dem didn't run away, he is on an official mission now.
Abdul Rahman Shalgham, he is a cool guy, high class, but he didn't have contact with Libya so he watched the media ... Of course he will be affected with the media, he is behind the oceans, no contact.
Some people have legitimate demands, I demand them more than these people.
Libya's ex-justice minister Mustafa Mohamed Abud Ajleil has led the formation of an interim government based in the eastern city of Benghazi, the online edition of the Quryna newspaper reported on Saturday.posted by nangar at 1:24 PM on February 26, 2011
Quryna quoted him as saying that Muammar Gaddafi "alone" bore responsibility "for the crimes that have occurred" in Libya and that his tribe, Gaddadfa, were forgiven.
"Abud Ajleil insisted on the unity of the homeland's territory, and that Libya is free and its capital is Tripoli," Quryna quoted him as saying in a telephone conversation.
This is the ethical equivalent of rimming Voldemort in public.
This is the ethical equivalent of rimming Voldemort in public.
Has anyone from the US's Administration actually said that Obama was keeping silent until the embassy staff were evacuated, or is this a charitable interpretation of his actions?I don't know of anyone from the US Administration actually explicitly saying that, but why on earth would they? "Oh hey guys, just want to let all you reporters know, we don't want to say anything that might piss off Gaddafi while there are still Americans in his control, but you can be sure that as soon as we get them out, we're gonna say a lot of stuff that's really gonna piss him off. He'll probably even wish he didn't let them go!"
From the Guardian's liveblog:I also thought that I had read (in real time) something like "The ferry has been delayed, and so has Obama's statement". I don't know where I read it (if in fact I did), though.6.32pm GMT: The reason for the uncertainty over the timing of Obama's televisied statement on Libya, as mentioned below, is that the White House is waiting for the ship sent to pick up US citizens to depart Tripoli and arrive in Malta.
I'm not sure what a no-fly zone is going to accomplish. What if an American plane gets shot down? What if we shoot down the wrong plane? What if there's a guy on the roof with a rocket launcher that we take out that turns out to be a journalist with a camera?I presume that you mean a hypothetical no-fly zone imposed upon Gaddafi's regime by outside forces, as opposed to the actual no-fly zone imposed by Gaddafi's regime.
First of all, I want to apologize. I know it’s a late briefing and a delayed briefing, even after announced, but there are a couple of reasons for that. It’s obviously been a busy day -- a lot going on in the Middle East and a lot going on at the White House, and I wanted to hold the briefing so that I could gather as much information as I could and be in a situation -- rather, a position to give you as much information as I could at this briefing, which I am now in.posted by ericb at 7:52 AM on February 27, 2011 [3 favorites]
And so I have a few things I want to tell you about Libya before I take your questions. The State Department has suspended embassy operations in Libya and will temporarily withdraw all embassy employees from Tripoli. A ferry with approximately 200 U.S. citizens left this morning. A charter plane recently took off for Istanbul, Turkey, with remaining embassy personnel and American citizens who had requested evacuation. Further to what I started with, that obviously was very recent and one of the reasons why I wanted to delay the briefing was to make sure that plane had taken off.
Consistent with the President’s tasking to the government to prepare options to hold the Libyan government accountable for its violation of human rights, we have decided to move forward with unilateral sanctions, which we are in the process of finalizing; coordinated sanctions with our European allies; and multilateral efforts to hold the Libyan government accountable through the United Nations.
...
Q Okay. The pair of sanctions to stop violence immediately is pretty weak. What other steps, more forceful steps, could you take? How quickly could they come? Would more steps have to wait until Secretary Clinton goes to Geneva on Monday, for instance?
MR. CARNEY: Well, let me just say that there has never been a time when this much has been done this quickly. The United States has acted in concert with our international partners and with great deliberation and haste. I know that in the past few days it’s sometimes been frustrating when you’ve been able to question American officials about what we’re doing, and maybe haven’t gotten all the answers you want. I discussed this with the President just a few hours ago, or an hour ago.
The purpose -- the focus that he has is on our obligation to the security of American citizens and also getting the policy right. And I can assure you that has been the guide -- those have been the guiding principles as we’ve proceeded over the course of the last week.
...
Q I know that the administration, the President in particular, has been hesitant to mention Qaddafi’s name. There was a lot of concern about Americans still on the ground potentially being held hostage. So now that it appears that most of the Americans who wanted to get out have gotten out, can we expect stronger language now from the President, perhaps calling him out by name?
MR. CARNEY: Well, I don’t want to put words in the President’s mouth for the next time he speaks, but I think you’ve heard me use some pretty strong language against Colonel Qaddafi and --
Q But we haven’t heard that from the President himself.
MR. CARNEY: Dan, I think I expressed when I came out here that there has been a clear reason for the way we have handled ourselves this week. The airplane that carried American citizens, the remaining American citizens that we wanted to get evacuated from Libya, was wheels up less than an hour ago.
So I would just say that your analysis of the situation is fairly accurate, and it’s been all of a half an hour or so since those American citizens were in flight towards Istanbul.
...
Q I know that the administration, the President in particular, has been hesitant to mention Qaddafi’s name. There was a lot of concern about Americans still on the ground potentially being held hostage. So now that it appears that most of the Americans who wanted to get out have gotten out, can we expect stronger language now from the President, perhaps calling him out by name?
MR. CARNEY: Well, I don’t want to put words in the President’s mouth for the next time he speaks, but I think you’ve heard me use some pretty strong language against Colonel Qaddafi and --
Q But we haven’t heard that from the President himself.
MR. CARNEY: Dan, I think I expressed when I came out here that there has been a clear reason for the way we have handled ourselves this week. The airplane that carried American citizens, the remaining American citizens that we wanted to get evacuated from Libya, was wheels up less than an hour ago.
So I would just say that your analysis of the situation is fairly accurate, and it’s been all of a half an hour or so since those American citizens were in flight towards Istanbul.
...
Q Earlier this week, P.J. Crowley at State said that we had tried for a couple of days to get the ferry into port before the weather had stuck it there for a while, and it was unclear whether we’d been unable to get it in because of chaos or whether the Libyan government actually opposed -- frustrated our attempts to get it in. Have we determined yet what the hold-up was?
MR. CARNEY: Wendell, on the operation that was designed to evacuate American citizens and embassy personnel, I would refer you to the State Department. I can say that the very important thing is that that ferry did depart, and as did the airplane that left a little later, not long ago.
...
Q Second, given that the issue of American citizens being in Libya sort of tied the hands of what you could say today versus what you said yesterday and all of these things, have you learned some lessons from this? Are you dealing differently in places like Bahrain, in Yemen, in Jordan? Are any warnings to be given -- here’s Libya, in the middle of Egypt and Tunisia, and we waited until I believe February 20th is the first time even a suggestion was made for American citizens to start thinking about getting out.
MR. CARNEY: Well, Chuck, what I would say, again, is that every country is different, as I’ve said before. And the situations that we’ve seen in the countries where there has been unrest have been different. And we are always evaluating the actions we take and, if you will, doing after-action analyses of the actions we take. But this is obviously ongoing.
What I would say is that one of the lessons we have taken from this is that we need to focus on our core priorities, not on the understandable desire at different points along the way to express how we feel in a way that could sometimes be counterproductive to our long-term goals of the policies that we need to pursue, or to the safety of American citizens.
Switzerland noted that hundreds of peoples were under administrative detention in the country, despite having been acquitted by the court or having already served their sentence. Courts continued to pronounce death sentences and inflict corporal punishment, including whipping and amputation.posted by Joe in Australia at 4:18 PM on February 28, 2011
Australia remained concerned over restrictions on freedom of assembly and expression; the detention of political prisoners; limited rights to fair trial under the new State Security court; enforced disappearances; deaths in custody; discrimination towards minorities; lack of legal protections against domestic violence; and the application of the death penalty.
The Czech Republic remained concerned that the death penalty could be applied even to offences that could not necessarily be characterized as the most serious crimes. It
also remained concerned that corporal punishment, including amputation and flogging, was prescribed by law.
Israel noted that The Libyan Arab Jamahiriya should live up to the membership standards set forth in General Assembly resolution 60/251 and serve as a model in the protection of human rights; while, in reality, its membership in the Council served to cover the ongoing systemic suppression, in law and in practice, of fundamental rights and freedoms.
France referred to the situation of refugees; allegations concerning arbitrary detention, torture, ill treatment and enforced disappearance; the death penalty, which remained in force for a large number of crimes; the absence of non-governmental organizations with expertise in the field of human rights; and the severe restrictions on freedom of expression and association.
"He has been recruiting from Africa and he is massing a big army of mercenaries to the south ... His aim is to cut our supplies and bomb all our weapons. He will use those mercenaries to attack us."(I think Sabah is a misspelling of Sabha, a southern oasis still under govt. control.)
....
"We can accept supplies ... We don't need soldiers."
"We would welcome air force support and any equipment. If we can take hold of Sabah air base ... we can stop the mercenaries coming in and this would be a savage blow to his offensive options. He is only still in power because of his air force."
The design was based on the banner of the Senussi dynasty from Cyrenaica, which consisted of a black field and crescent-and-star design, and was later used as the flag of the region. The red represented the region of Fezzan, while the green came from the banner of Tripolitania.posted by nangar at 6:06 AM on March 2, 2011
"If it's ordered, we can do it, but the reality is, and people -- there's a lot of frankly loose talk about some of these military options and let's just call a spade a spade. A no-fly zone begins with an attack on Libya to destroy the air defenses, that's the way you do a no-fly zone, and then you can fly planes around the country and not worry about our guys being shot down. But that's the way it starts."Defense Secretary Bob Gates.
In a phone interview, Juma'a al-Fardawi, a policeman in Sirte, said there were rumors that 20 army officers were killed for refusing to fire on the rebels in the battle for Ras Lanuf.posted by nangar at 2:08 PM on March 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
He said the people in the community are divided and afraid.
"The tribes in Sirte do not want to fight with the rebels. People have barricaded themselves in their homes," he said.
the Obama administration is settling on a Middle East strategy: help keep longtime allies who are willing to reform in power, even if that means the full democratic demands of their newly emboldened citizens might have to wait.Britain seizes Libya-bound ship carrying £100m cash
A cargo ship carrying £100m worth of Libyan currency destined for Colonel Gaddafi's regime was escorted into a British port and the money seized after officials warned the vessel's owners that the cash was the subject of United Nations sanctions.
Dr Menesi, who was then retired, was brought back to active service as a government bank chairman in Libya, then governor to the Central Bank in Libya, then minister of finance, and finally Libya's ambassador to Austria."posted by Joe in Australia at 8:19 PM on March 5, 2011
we sent a small group just to find if there was a hotel, if everything was working, and there was somewhere they could stay and work when we get our group organised.So it's all clear now. They were travel agents.
Monitor Group planned training for Khadafy’s security apparatus in Libya.posted by ericb at 10:21 AM on March 8, 2011
On Tuesday, the White House sent out a read out of Obama's call with British Prime Minister David Cameron that maintained planning was going forward on several options for intervention in Libya.Tremble in your day-glo Naugahyde boots, slayer of millions! Cower in your camel-skin tent, ravisher of virgins! President Obama has spoken to someone on the phone! Yea, tremble and weep, for they have decided to start planning a response! The planning may even include a decision to use surveillance!
"The President and the Prime Minister agreed to press forward with planning, including at NATO, on the full spectrum of possible responses, including surveillance, humanitarian assistance, enforcement of the arms embargo, and a no fly zone," the readout said.
The US national intelligence director has predicted embattled Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi will defeat the rebels challenging his grip on power.posted by Joe in Australia at 2:25 PM on March 10, 2011
James Clapper told the US Senate that Col Gaddafi's superior military force would prevail over the long term.
And Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the US would not act in Libya without international authorisation.
Meanwhile, Libyan rebels are fleeing the port of Ras Lanuf after sustained attacks by Col Gaddafi's force ....
The Obama administration has so far blocked British and French moves to impose a no-fly zone over Libya to curtail Gaddafi's attacks on rebel forces and civilians. One stated reason for its reluctance is concern that the US has little first-hand knowledge of the embattled rebel groups, which have been asking for western military assistance with increasing urgency in recent days.posted by Joe in Australia at 3:49 PM on March 13, 2011
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