Muammar Gaddafi and Libyan crisis

[Federate]

Re: Muammar Gaddafi and Libyan crisis

Putin likens UN Libya resolution to crusade call


Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Monday likened the UN Security Council resolution on Libya to a Medieval crusade call.

Russia abstained from a UN Security Council resolution adopted on Thursday imposing a no-fly zone over Libya and measures to protect civilians from leader Muammar Gaddafi's forces.

"The Security Council resolution is deficient and flawed; it allows everything and is reminiscent of a medieval call for a crusade," Putin told workers at a ballistic missile factory in the Urals region. "It effectively allows intervention in a sovereign state."

Ten of the Security Council's 15 members voted in favor of the resolution, with Russia, China, Germany, India and Brazil abstaining. The resolution was co-sponsored by France, Britain, Lebanon and the United States.

"This U.S. policy is becoming a stable trend," Putin said, recalling the U.S. air strikes on Belgrade under Bill Clinton and Afghanistan and Iraq under the two Bush administrations.

"Now it's Libya's turn - under the pretext of protecting civilians," the premier said. "Where is the logic and conscience? There is neither."

"The ongoing events in Libya confirm that Russia is right to strengthen her defense capabilities," he added.

Western-led military strikes against Libya's strongman Muammar Gaddafi, who has been ruthlessly fighting rebels in the North African country since mid-February, began on Saturday.

Libyan television has reported that at least 50 civilians have been killed and over 150 wounded in the strikes and that many health and education facilities have been destroyed.



VOTKINSK (Udmurtia), March 21 (RIA Novosti)

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20110321/163126957.html

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China paper blasts Western air attacks in Libya, compares them to Iraq, Afghanistan

By The Associated Press (CP) – 4 hours ago

BEIJING, China — China's most important political newspaper ratcheted up the country's criticism of Western airstrikes against Libya on Monday, comparing them to the U.S.-led invasions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Communist Party's flagship newspaper, The People's Daily, said in a commentary that the United States and its allies are violating international rules and that in places like Iraq "the unspeakable suffering of its people are a mirror and a warning."

"The military attacks on Libya are, following on from the Afghan and Iraq wars, the third time that some countries have launched armed action against sovereign countries," it said.

China continued to urge other nations to seek a peaceful resolution to the clash in the Middle East between Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and rebel forces.

"No matter what pretext the military actions were under, they should not be at the cost of people's lives and properties. This is not only the moral standard, but also the appeal from the world's people," it continued.

The U.N. resolution authorizing international military action in Libya allows "all necessary measures" to prevent attacks on civilians.

China has historically opposed foreign interventions of any kind as part of its longstanding policy of staying out of countries' internal affairs.

On Sunday, the Chinese government expressed "regret" at the air assault launched over the weekend by U.S. and European forces to enforce a U.N. no-fly zone.

China was one of five countries abstaining from last week's U.N. vote that effectively authorized the attacks. Though it ultimately didn't block the vote, Beijing voiced "serious reservations" about the resolution.

The People's Daily commentary again urged other nations to intensify efforts to find a peaceful resolution to the clashes.

"People have good reason to express misgivings about the consequences that this military action may precipitate," it said.

The strikes, dubbed Operation Odyssey Dawn, marked a sharp escalation in the international effort to stop Gadhafi from unleashing his airpower and weaponry against rebels.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5gUtYZ_sx6eq8iYXXrfshnxRPsakA?docId=6315767

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S.Africa says no to regime change in Libya

Read more: http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/Afri...#ixzz1HF5ZvQwR
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives



CAPE TOWN, Mar 21 - President Jacob Zuma said Monday that South Africa does not support "the regime change doctrine" in Libya, and called for restraint from foreign countries enforcing a no-fly zone.

"As South Africa we say no to the killing of civilians, no to the regime change doctrine and no to the foreign occupation of Libya," said Zuma, one of five heads of state on a high-level African Union panel on Libya.

Zuma voiced support for the resolution by the UN Security Council imposing a no-fly zone over Libya -- which South Africa, a non-permanent member of the council, voted for -- but said it should be implemented "in letter and spirit".

"Operations aimed at enforcing the no-fly zone and protecting civilians should be limited to just that," he said.

"They should not harm or endanger the civilians that Resolution 1973 sought to protect."

Zuma, who was speaking in Cape Town at celebrations to mark South Africa's Human Rights Day holiday, said the country also supported an African Union resolution rejecting foreign military action in Libya.

"South Africa recommits itself to the position of the AU Peace and Security Council of 10 March, which reaffirmed Africa's strong commitment to the respect of the unity and territorial integrity of Libya, and underscored Africa's rejection of any foreign military intervention, whatever its form," he said.

"We believe that a peaceful and political solution, based on the will of the Libyan people, will guarantee long-term stability in Libya."

Zuma cancelled a trip to Mauritania to meet with the rest of the AU's high-level panel on Libya on Saturday, sending a delegation led by his state security minister to represent him.

The panel called Sunday for an "immediate stop" to all foreign attacks after Western nations launched a series of strikes aimed at crippling Libya's air defences and preventing Colonel Moamer Kadhafi's forces from attacking civilians in a month-old uprising against his rule.

African leaders have appeared hesitant to join international condemnation of Kadhafi, who played a key role in establishing and funding the AU and has spread Libyan oil money around the continent with largesse.

Foreign ministry officials in South Africa have said the country will not call on Kadhafi to step down, but that Zuma has insisted the Libyan leader end the killing of civilians.

Read more: http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/Afri...#ixzz1HF5JUUs4
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives

[Mos]

Re: Muammar Gaddafi and Libyan crisis

One of many writings from Libyans...

Elagori from Libya writes: "You cannot imagine the relief to finally see that the world has recognized the mad man for what he is. We have been living with this fear for 42 years. I left Tripoli just as the unrest started, I could see that this mad man and his lot will not leave; they will kill everyone before they do. I tell the Arab League to come and help us if they could, they will not and have not in the past, Qaddafi killed more than 8000 people in less than a month, if he has his way he will add another 800,000 to the toll before he can enjoy his throne, king of kings as he calls himself.

[Mos]

Re: Muammar Gaddafi and Libyan crisis

Welcome to Afghanistan #2 - the sh*t that the West is getting itself into...

[Federate]

Re: Muammar Gaddafi and Libyan crisis

On this basis I can see potential targets as IRAN, SAUDI ARABIA and RUSSIA.
Each one will have its own excuse, trigger and timing.

The Saudi dogs are so far up their asses that it's hard to see a NATO bombing of the country in the near or even far future. Saudi Arabia without oil is the equivalent of 1996-2001 Afghanistan and by the great values of the American empire, it should have been invaded first. Invasion of Russia won't happen because Russia is the chess player facing the USA on the grandest chess board of them all, the entire world. It is constantly a battle between the two on who controls the board.

But I agree with your point. This is another precedent that has been set for the future bombing of pretty much any country that starts to go out of line or if the opportunity presents itself, with the world's third biggest circus (after Cirque du Soleil and the Arab League) the UN's approval.

[londontsi]

Re: Muammar Gaddafi and Libyan crisis

This thread should have been called “Oil Wars” part II.

If this war is accepted as OK, and response from other interested countries
(Islamic, “Democratic/idealistic”, etc. ) is muted then it will be the basis (the norm)
for future attacks on countries if their interests dictate be it oil or strategic.

On this basis I can see potential targets as IRAN, SAUDI ARABIA and RUSSIA.
Each one will have its own excuse, trigger and timing.

[Armanen]

Re: Muammar Gaddafi and Libyan crisis

[Mos]

Re: Muammar Gaddafi and Libyan crisis

Good to see these superpowers care so much about Libya's civilians - I mean after all they were so caring when they ignored the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent Darfurians in Sudan or the genocide in Rwanda, or watching massacres in Bosnia for a while before doing anything about it.

[KanadaHye]

Re: Muammar Gaddafi and Libyan crisis

It depends. Invasions are hard to sell these days to the Arab World so what they did was make sure the 2nd biggest circus in the world (after Cirque du Soleil) the Arab League supports this so they can just bomb it and hope for the best. Invasion will happen if these airstrikes don't get the desired results which is Ghazafi's ousting, implanting a puppet government and then privatisation of oil. The last step is an invasion itself.

Ghazafi isn't leaving. They dropped the ball on this one, they won't be able to achieve anything without ground troops and the people in Tripoli won't let the people from the East run them down. At best, there will be a UN appointed government in Benghazi which they will recognize as the only legitimate government and Ghazafi will camp out until he drains all the resources. Eventually some other countries will figure out a way to exploit the situation and the West will have created another mess.

[Federate]

Re: Muammar Gaddafi and Libyan crisis

Khadafy spokesperson calls attacks 'barbaric aggression', Venezuela's Hugo Chavez slams intervention


The coordinated attacks by the United States and its Western allies against Libya on Saturday were deemed a "barbaric aggression" by a spokesman for dictator Moammar Khadafy.

"Some Western countries launched these rockets attacked on locations in Tripoli and Misurata ... this caused real harm against civilians, this barbaric aggression while we have announced a cease fire. The claim that this aggression is to protect civilians is contradicted by the fact by what really happened tonight. That the number of civilians that were harmed also filling up our hospitals and our ambulances are doing the best they can to save as many lives as possible," a spokesperson for the Libyan government said according to MSNBC.

The comments came after the U.S. fired more than 100 cruise missiles from the sea and French fighter jets attacked Khadafy's forces from the air on Saturday. The strikes came two days after the UN Security Council passed a resolution to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya.

The resolution was proposed by Britain, France and Lebanon with the backing of the U.S. and supported by Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, Gabon, Lebanon, Nigeria, Portugal and South Africa. Germany, Brazil, India, China and Russia abstained from the vote.

"You will regret it if you dare to intervene in our country," the loony strongman vowed, later and called on the country to defend itself from "crusader aggression".

"Civilian and military targets in the air and sea will be liable to serious danger in the Mediterranean," he said in a brief address. "Arms depots are now open and the masses are being equipped with all sorts of weapons in defence of Libya's independence, unity and honor."

In Tripoli, his supporters gathered around his compound - and state-run media wasted no time pointing out they would serve as human shields against allied bombs.

Armored trucks with anti-aircraft guns surrounded the headquarters and Khadafy's daughter, Aisha, shouted praise for her father from a 4X4 vehicle.

"God, Libya, Khadafy. That's all," she chanted.

Khadafy also received support from Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez.

Chavez called the military action against Khadafy an excuse to "seize Libya's oil."

"They care nothing about the lives of the Libyan people," he said in a speech broadcast on state TV. "These are men of war -- what irresponsibility. Behind this is the hand of the United States and its European allies, instead of taking the path that we have modestly proposed."

He was referring to a peace plan he suggested this month that fizzled after Khadafy’s son said they didn't need help from South America.

"We know what is going to happen: bombs, bombs, war, more suffering for the people ... this is the hand of capitalism," the socialist leader added.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/worl...#ixzz1H5digFPD

[Federate]

Re: Muammar Gaddafi and Libyan crisis

So far, the Defense Industry of the USA alone has made $62,590,000 off of the 110 cruise missiles shot.