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                        <title>The Express Tribune</title>
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                        <description>The Express Tribune keeps you up to date with all the latest happenings from Pakistan and across the world!</description>
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			<title>UK, French, German, Italian FMs meeting on Iran, Libya</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2132235/uk-french-german-italian-fms-meeting-iran-libya</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2132235/uk-french-german-italian-fms-meeting-iran-libya#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 07 Jan 20 11:36:43 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[Timings for the meetings have not yet been announced]]>
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				<![CDATA[The foreign ministers of Britain, France, Germany and Italy along with the EU diplomatic chief will hold talks in Brussels Tuesday on the Iran and Libya crises, officials said.

The British foreign ministry said the talks would cover the fallout from the US killing of a top Iranian general as well as Tehran's latest step back from the 2015 nuclear deal.

‘Never threaten the Iranian nation,’ Iran president tells Trump

The situation in Libya, where strongman Khalifa Haftar's forces have seized the coastal city of Sirte, is also the agenda.

The emergency meeting comes as the EU scrambles for ways to contain the growing tensions in two major flashpoints on its periphery, as Iran threatens revenge for the death of Qasem Soleimani in a US drone strike in Baghdad on Friday.

British foreign minister Dominic Raab will hold a one-on-one meeting with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian, who has warned Iran against retaliating over Soleimani's death, before joining the German and Italian ministers for talks on Libya.

"The foreign secretary is travelling to Brussels today for talks with his European counterparts on the situation in the Middle East following the death of Soleimani and on the escalating conflict in Libya," the British foreign ministry said.

"The E3 will then meet to discuss the tensions between the US and Iran with all three pushing for de-escalation," it added, referring to Britain, France and Germany as the three European signatories of the Iran nuclear deal.

"The talks will also cover the nuclear deal following Iran's latest announcement on Sunday that it is withdrawing from further commitments in the deal."

Timings for the meetings have not yet been announced.

European powers on Monday criticised Iran's latest announcement that it was cutting its commitments under the nuclear deal, which has been steadily unravelling since US President Donald Trump withdrew and reimposed sanctions in May 2018.

But the possible repercussions from Friday's targeted killing of Soleimani - the key player in Iran's network of alliances and proxy groups around the Middle East - will be a more pressing concern.

The US operation took Washington's allies by surprise, and NATO held an urgent meeting of its ruling council on Monday to hear from American officials and discuss the future of the alliance's training mission in Iraq.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg spoke to Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi on Tuesday to say the alliance remains committed to the fight against the Islamic State group (IS) and would resume training activities - suspended after Soleimani's death - as soon as security improves.

In Libya, Haftar's capture of Sirte raised tensions as Turkey said it was deploying troops to the country to protect the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA).

The oil-rich North African country has been plunged into chaos since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that killed longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

Trump orders government to 'substantially increase' Iran sanctions

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned Monday that more intense fighting could soon break out around Tripoli and called for a political solution to the crisis.

The new European Commission has vowed to take on a more "geopolitical" role but the EU often finds itself hamstrung on foreign policy by internal differences and it took three days for President Ursula von der Leyen to issue a statement on Soleimani's killing.]]>
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			<title>In tatters: Pakistan’s Middle East policy</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/140439/in-tatters-pakistan%e2%80%99s-middle-east-policy</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/140439/in-tatters-pakistan%e2%80%99s-middle-east-policy#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 31 Mar 11 18:36:44 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[yunas.samad]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=140439</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Pakistan's ME policy has been one of status quo; that is, support autocratic leaders in exchange for petro-dollars.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Pakistan’s policy for the Middle East, which has been founded on Islamic solidarity, is now in danger of being left in tatters. In reality, it has been in support of the political status quo; that is, the rule of autocratic leaders backed by petro-dollars. It has blinded the authorities, not only in this country, but elsewhere as well, to the fact that great wealth and breakneck speed of development can lead to Arab exceptionalism. Today, this is threatened by the tide of democratisation, the demand for azadi by a youthful, rising middle-class, which is sweeping the Arab world. The West views this development through the lens of interest and yearns that this wave of democracy engulf its regional enemies — Iran, Syria and Libya — who have been a thorn in its side. Hence, its active involvement in the overthrow of Qaddafi. The West has also intervened to protect it petroleum interests by backing what it hopes will be the future government of the country.

However, the reality is far more complex and the uncomfortable truth is that the wave of democratisation ignited by the occupation of Tahrir Square is encircling Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states, the linchpin of western strategic interest in the region. Eruptions in Yemen, Bahrain, Jordan and the more muted demands in Saudi Arabia itself, are indicative of regional resonance and the significance of the demand for democratisation. The contradiction in the West’s support for democracy stands exposed. This is because not only is it muted in its support for pro-democracy movements in these countries, it also does nothing to goad the regimes towards reform. The question that hangs in the air is, how long will these potentates and autocrats remain in power?

Saudi Arabia has drawn a line in the sand and, like Qaddafi, will use force to suppress the tide for democracy within its borders and in neighbouring states. The sending in of troops to Bahrain under the pretext of Iranian influence is stirring up the Shia majority and seems to be a desperate attempt to prevent the tide of democracy from entering the Arabian Peninsula. This is a futile act, like King Canute commanding the sea to go back, and is likely to radicalise the demands for democracy into demands for a republic. If regimes are unwilling to reform, then the danger of revolution becomes more significant.

The Pakistan military has seen secondment to the Gulf States and Saudi Arabia as comfortable and profitable sinecures under the guise of Islamic solidarity. However, now, Pakistanis are being recruited as mercenaries, to suppress the demands for democracy, by increasingly desperate autocrats who don’t have the confidence and loyalty of their own armed forces. Qaddafi recruits mercenaries from Africa to fight off demands for freedom and Bahrain turns to Pakistan. No one knows what the next page in history will show and how developments in the Middle East will pan out. The dam may burst and demands for democracy may lead to reform, or they may be suppressed and gestate into more furious uprisings, only time will tell. However, for Pakistan, the danger of acting as mercenaries for these regimes may result in it becoming the enemy of the people. If change comes, Pakistan may find that it has backed the wrong side and, keeping that in mind, it needs to develop a more sensitive understanding of the momentous developments taking place, and not view them from the Saudi perspective of seeing the movement in Sunni-Shia terms.

The tide is turning and Pakistan needs to be aware of the very real possibility that if these regimes topple, those who come to power may view Pakistan in a negative light. Hence the need for Islamabad to perhaps start hedging its bets.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 01st, 2011.]]>
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			<title>US, Britain insert covert agents into Libya</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/140364/us-britain-insert-covert-agents-into-libya</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/140364/us-britain-insert-covert-agents-into-libya#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 31 Mar 11 13:17:52 +0500</pubDate>
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			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[Reports state that the US and Britain have inserted covert intelligence agents into Libya to make contact with rebels.]]>
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				<![CDATA[The United States and Britain have inserted covert intelligence agents into Libya to make contact with rebels and to gather data to guide coalition air strikes, a report said Wednesday.

The White House refused to comment on the apparent shadow war in Libya, and also declined to discuss another report that President Barack Obama had signed a secret order allowing Central Intelligence Agency operations in the country.

A senior US official did, however, warmly welcome the defection to Britain of Libyan Foreign Minister Mussa Kussa, interpreting his flight as a sign that Moamer Kadhafi's inner circle was beginning to crumble under massive pressure.

The New York Times said the CIA had inserted clandestine agents into Libya to gather data for airstrikes and establish links with rebels, who Wednesday lost a swathe of captured territory to Kadhafi loyalists.

Obama has insisted no American ground troops will be deployed in the bid to shield civilians in Libya. But the Times said small groups of American covert agents had been conducting missions inside Libya for several weeks.

It also cited current and former British officials as saying dozens of British special forces and MI6 secret intelligence service agents were also on the ground in Libya, collecting data on government forces and weaponry.

White House spokesman Jay Carney declined to confirm or deny the reports, citing "common practice" not to comment on intelligence matters.

"I will reiterate what the president said yesterday -- no decision has been made about providing arms to the opposition or to any group in Libya. We're not ruling it out or ruling it in," said Carney.

&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>Qaddafi will stay in Libya 'until the end': spokesman</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/140355/qaddafi-will-stay-in-libya-until-the-end-spokesman</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/140355/qaddafi-will-stay-in-libya-until-the-end-spokesman#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 31 Mar 11 12:56:09 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[reuters]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=140355</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Govt spokesman says Libyan leader Qaddafi will stay in the country to lead it to victory.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi will stay in the country "until the end" to lead it to victory against its enemies, a government spokesman said on Thursday.

Speaking after former Foreign Secretary Moussa Koussa defected and flew to Britain on Wednesday, the spokesman said Western air strikes against Libya had only united its top leadership against "a clear enemy".

"If this aggression did anything, it only rallied people around the leader and the unity of the nation," Mussa Ibrahim said in Tripoli. "Especially now. They see a clear enemy."

Asked if Qaddafi and his sons were still in the country, he said: "Rest assured, we are all here. We will remain here until the end. This is our country. We are strong on every front."

He added, "We are not relying on individuals to lead the struggle. This is a struggle of the whole nation. It's not dependent on individuals or officials."

Ibrahim refused to comment on Koussa's defection, saying there would be a formal government statement later in the day.

"We have millions of people leading this struggle. If anyone feels tired, feels sick or exhausted, if they want to take a rest, it just happens. I am not confirming anything," he said.

Ibrahim dismissed suggestions that coalition air strikes had tipped the balance in favour of rebel forces fighting against Qaddafi troops, or encouraged ordinary people to seek change after Qaddafi's four-decade rule.

"With the air strikes bombarding every Libyan city, you don't see people coming out en masse demanding any change," he said. "Where is a popular revolution? Where are the tribes coming out and saying to the leader: 'Leave the country'? You need to read the signs."]]>
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			<title>Qatar recognises Libyan rebel body as legitimate</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/138929/qatar-recognises-libyan-rebel-body-as-legitimate</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/138929/qatar-recognises-libyan-rebel-body-as-legitimate#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 28 Mar 11 12:52:03 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[reuters]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[Qatar becomes first Arab country to recognise Libya's rebels as the people's sole legitimate representative.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Qatar became the first Arab country on Monday to recognise Libya's rebels as the people's sole legitimate representative, in a move that may presage similar moves from other Gulf states.

Word of the decision came a day after a senior Libyan rebel official said Qatar had agreed to market crude oil produced from east Libyan fields no longer under the control of leader Muammar Qaddafi.

"This recognition comes from a conviction that the council has become, practically, a representative of Libya and its brotherly people," the Qatar News Agency reported, quoting a Foreign Ministry official.

France previously recognised the rebel council as the legitimate representative of Libya, the first and so far only Western power to do so.

Explaining Qatar's decision, the official said the rebel council included representatives of different Libyan regions and had acceptance among the Libyan people.

The head of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a loose economic and politic bloc, said the "Libyan system has lost its legitimacy" and backed the move by the tiny Gulf Arab state.

GCC Secretary General Abdulrahman al-Attiyah told Reuters the Qatari position was "in line with the decisions of the GCC with Qatar's stance supporting the choices of the Libyan people and their protection from the continuous brutality of the regime".

Small, energy-rich Qatar on Friday became the first Arab country to begin patrolling a U.N.-backed no-fly zone aimed at preventing Qaddafi's forces attacking civilians and has urged Qaddafi to quit to avoid more bloodshed.

"By recognising the rebels before anyone else, Qatar is clearly taking the lead and positioning itself at the cutting edge of international opinion and discussion on Libya," David Roberts, Deputy Director of the Doha-based Royal United Services Institute, said.]]>
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			<title>Libya air strikes: Islamabad expresses reservations</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/138291/libya-air-strikes-islamabad-expresses-reservations</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/138291/libya-air-strikes-islamabad-expresses-reservations#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 27 Mar 11 03:52:26 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[peer.muhammad]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[Bashir says Pakistan could be affected by political turmoil in the Middle East and the situation in Libya.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Pakistan has serious reservations over the interpretation given to the UN resolution about Libya which appears to have granted permission to allied forces to carry out attacks on a sovereign country, said Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir on Saturday.


Testifying before the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, Bashir said that Pakistan could be affected by the political turmoil in the Middle East and the situation in Libya.

“No country should be divided, fractured or brought under attack merely in the name of restoration of democracy or protection of human rights,” he said. “We also reject the formula of regime change with the intervention of foreign forces. Libya has its internal problems so it is up to its people to decide their fate.”

He added that Pakistan’s priority was stability and peace in the Middle East, North Africa and Afghanistan.

Bashir said that Pakistan has concerns over the use of force against Libya. Pakistan joins Russia, India and China among the list of countries that have been opposed to the aerial bombardment of Libya.

The government is closely monitoring the situation in the Middle East and a task force has been established to evacuate Pakistanis from these countries, said Bashir.

More than 5,000 Pakistanis have been evacuated from Libya through seven special flights so far. Over 300,000 Pakistani citizens live in the countries currently beset with unrest, including 86,000 in Bahrain, of which 10,000 are serving in police and defence services. At least five Pakistanis have reportedly been killed in violent incidents in Bahrain.

Davis and drone attacks

Later, the committee was given a briefing on the drone attacks in a closed session.

Senator Salim Saifullah, chairman of the committee, said that they had strongly protested against the release of Davis as well as the killing of more than 44 tribal elders in a US drone attack in Datakhel a day after Davis’ release.

The committee also decided to take up the issue of visa issuance to Americans in large numbers by the interior ministry.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 27th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Libyan rebels rout Qaddafi forces in strategic town</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/138078/libyan-rebels-rout-qaddafi-forces-in-strategic-town</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/138078/libyan-rebels-rout-qaddafi-forces-in-strategic-town#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 26 Mar 11 15:06:02 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[reuters]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[Libyan rebels backed by allied air strikes retook the strategic town of Ajdabiyah.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Libyan rebels backed by allied air strikes retook the strategic town of Ajdabiyah on Saturday after an all-night battle that suggests the tide is turning against Muammar Qaddafi's forces in the east.

Western warplanes bombed the outskirts of Misrata further west to stop Qaddafi forces shelling the city, a rebel spokesman said. One inhabitant said 115 people had died in Misrata in a week and snipers were still shooting people from rooftops.

In Ajdabiyah, rebel fighters danced on tanks, waved flags and fired in the air near buildings riddled with bulletholes.

Half a dozen wrecked tanks lay near the eastern entrance to the town and the ground was strewn with empty shell casings.

There were signs of heavy fighting at Ajdabiyah's western gate. The decomposing bodies of more than a dozen Qaddafi fighters were scattered on the ground. An abandoned truckload of ammunition suggested Qaddafi forces had beaten a hasty retreat.

"All of Ajdabiyah is free and all the way to Brega is free," said Faraj Joeli, a 20-year-old computer science student turned rebel fighter.

Capturing Ajdabiyah, a gateway from western Libya to the rebel stronghold of Benghazi and the oil town of Tobruk, was a big morale boost for the rebels after two weeks on the back foot.

Western governments hope the raids, launched a week ago with the aim of protecting civilians, will also shift the balance of power in favour of the Arab world's most violent popular revolt.

The rebels say they have been asking for arms from abroad to fight the better-equipped Qaddafi forces but have received none.

A Reuters correspondent in Ajdabiyah said it seemed clear that air attacks there on Friday afternoon had been decisive.

Qaddafi's better-armed forces halted an early rebel advance near the major oil export terminal of Ras Lanuf two weeks ago and pushed them back to Benghazi, until Western powers struck Qaddafi's positions from the sea and air.

Witnesses and rebel fighters said the Qaddafi forces had now retreated from Ajdabiyah towards the oil town of Brega.

Shelling eases after strikes

Shelling by Qaddafi forces in Misrata, western Libya, eased after they were bombed by foreign warplanes, rebel spokesman Abdelbasset Abu Mzereiq told Reuters by telephone from the city.

Misrata is the only big rebel stronghold left in the west of Libya and it is cut off from the main rebel force fighting Qaddafi's troops in the east. It has been encircled and under bombardment for weeks.

"There was heavy shelling earlier. We know the allied planes have made several raids and bombed several locations in the outskirts. We know they bombed an ammunition site inside the air base (south of the city)," said Mzereiq.

A rebel spokesman in Benghazi said two civilians in Misrata were killed by shelling on Saturday morning and six injured.

Rebels said aid organisations were able to deliver some supplies to Misrata but were concerned about the snipers.

US President Barack Obama told Americans on Saturday the allied mission in Libya had saved countless lives.

"When the international community is prepared to come together to save many thousands of lives, then it's in our national interest to act," Obama said in a weekly radio address.

In Tripoli, explosions were heard early on Saturday, signaling possible new strikes by warplanes or missiles.

Libyan state television was broadcasting occasional, brief news reports of Western air strikes. Mostly it showed footage, some of it grainy images years old, of cheering crowds waving green flags and carrying portraits of Qaddafi.

Neither Qaddafi nor his sons have been shown on state television since the Libyan leader made a speech from his Tripoli compound on Wednesday.

State TV said the "brother leader" had promoted all members of his armed forces and police "for their heroic and courageous fight against the crusader, colonialist assault".

The African Union said it was planning to facilitate talks to help end the war, but NATO said its operation could last three months, and France said the conflict could go on for weeks.]]>
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			<title>UAE commits 12 planes to Libya despite Bahrain</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/137551/uae-commits-12-planes-to-libya-despite-bahrain</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/137551/uae-commits-12-planes-to-libya-despite-bahrain#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 25 Mar 11 08:48:17 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[afp]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[The UAE, a key US ally, said it has committed six F-16 and six Mirage fighters to help enforce the no-fly zone.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[The United Arab Emirates, a key US ally, said it has committed six F-16 and six Mirage fighters to help enforce the no-fly zone over Libya, despite reservations linked to unrest in Bahrain.

"UAE participation in the patrols will commence in the coming days,"  Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan announced, quoted by state news agency WAM late on Thursday.

"In support of UN Resolution 1973, the UAE is fully engaged with humanitarian operations in Libya," he said.

"As an extension of those humanitarian operations, the UAE air force has committed six F-16 and six Mirage aircraft to participate in the patrols that will enforce the no-fly zone now established over Libya."

A former UAE air force commander said earlier this week that his country had delayed its military deployment because of disagreements with the West over the unrest in Bahrain.

Major General Khaled al-Buainnain, quoted in Abu Dhabi's The National newspaper, said the disagreement stemmed from the conviction of Arab states in the Gulf that Iran had stirred the troubles in Bahrain.

The Arab monarchies in the oil-rich region, traditional allies of Washington and the West, have been "supporting Bahrain, and they were not happy at all with the European and American attitude," he told the English-language daily.

"They (the West) think it’s a matter of a civil movement, a matter of democracy," he said. "What’s going on in Bahrain is much beyond our Western allies to understand it. It is a complete conspiracy of the Iranians."

The general said the main reason for the UAE’s reluctance over Libya was "because the Europeans and Americans in particular don’t realise the amount of the threat available in Bahrain."

He pointed to what he called Washington's unsteady and shifting response to the fast-moving Arab revolts.

"Go and see the European, and especially the American attitude, toward Tunisia. How many positions in a few days?" Buainnain asked. "On Egypt, how many official statements in three, four weeks."

A Shiite-led revolt against the Sunni royal family which has ruled Bahrain for more than two centuries has set off alarm bells in the oil-rich monarchies of the Gulf that have sent in a joint Gulf contingent.

Bahraini security forces last week demolished a demonstrators' camp set up in central Manama's Pearl Square, since when an uneasy calm has returned to the capital and its financial district.

Clashes between security forces and protesters since February 14 have killed at least 15 people, most of them demonstrators.

In Washington, a US official said on Thursday that his country was "deeply appreciative" of the contribution of its UAE ally to the international campaign in Libya.

With Arab states appearing slow to contribute, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said this week that Washington expected "more announcements" of Arab participation in the days ahead.

On Wednesday, five days after the United States, Britain and France launched air strikes to protect Libyans from Moamer Kadhafi's security forces, Qatar was the only Arab state to have offered warplanes for the no-fly zone.

The 22-member Arab League endorsed the no-fly zone before Western warplanes under Security Council Resolution 1973 launched attacks on the air defences of Kadhafi's forces fighting an armed revolt.

Britain backs NATO role in Libya, UAE deployment

British Prime Minister David Cameron's office welcomed NATO's decision to take charge of a no-fly zone over Libya Friday as a "significant step forward", and also praised the deployment of UAE jets.

"NATO's decision to assume command and control of the no-fly zone, in addition to the arms embargo already being enforced, is a significant step forward and will ensure that the alliance's tried and tested machinery is used to best effect," a Downing Street spokesman said.

He also welcomed the decision by the United Arab Emirates to contribute 12 planes to the no-fly zone, saying it was "evidence of the real and tangible Arab role, building on the leadership the Arab League as a whole showed when they originally led calls for a no-fly zone over Libya."

The NATO and UAE decisions late Thursday "demonstrate the strength and breadth of the coalition involved in protecting the people of Libya", he said.

"Britain welcomes both of these important developments. They reinforce international efforts to implement UNSCR (UN Security Council Resolution) 1973 and protect the people of Libya," he said.

Allied operation in Libya to last 'weeks': French military

France's Chief of Defence said Friday in a radio interview that he thought allied military operations in Libya would last a matter of "weeks" and hopefully not "months".

"I doubt that it will be (over) in days, I think it will be weeks, and I hope it won't be in months," Admiral Edouard Guillaud told the France Info radio station.

"There will not be, strictly speaking, a situation of getting bogged down militarily because obviously the solution is political," he said.

"Clearly, it is now a matter of finding political solutions, but that's not my domain," he added.

&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>West strikes deep in Libya, NATO to take command</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/137412/west-strikes-deep-in-libya-nato-to-take-command</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/137412/west-strikes-deep-in-libya-nato-to-take-command#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 24 Mar 11 20:10:28 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[reuters]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=137412</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Fighting in besieged Misrata, Ajdabiyah, journalists shown bodies of military personnel, civilians.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Western warplanes hit military targets deep inside Libya on Thursday but failed to prevent tanks reentering the western town of Misrata and besieging its main hospital.

On the diplomatic front, Turkey said NATO members had resolved differences over the command and aims of the campaign, which would be transfered from the United States to the Western military alliance within one or two days.

"Compromise has been reached in principle in a very short time," Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters.

"The operation will be handed over to NATO completely."

Air strikes destroyed government tanks on the outskirts of rebel-held Misrata, but other tanks inside the city were not hit, a resident said, underlining the difficulty of the UN-backed military mission to protect Libyans from Muammar Qaddafi.

Libya's government said it was in full control of Misrata but an opposition spokesman said by telephone that rebels had killed 30 snipers who had been picking off civilians from rooftops in the town. Government warships had left the port.

"There were clashes today and our fighters managed to find a way to reach the snipers on rooftops and killed 30 of them," rebel spokesman Abdulbasset Abu Mzereiq said by telephone.

The agreement on operational command, which followed four days of wrangling, came as Western forces moved deeper into Libya and on to other strategic targets, having taken out Libyan air defences.

The African Union meanwhile invited officials from Qaddafi's government, the opposition, the European Union, UN Security Council and neighbouring Arab countries to discuss the crisis on Friday in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

Qaddafi's tanks rolled back into Misrata under the cover of darkness and shelled the area near the hospital, which was also under fire from government snipers, residents and rebels said.

"The situation is very serious," a doctor in the western town said by telephone before the line was cut off.

A resident said around 6,000 workers and family members from Egypt and other African countries were stuck in the port.

Libyan government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim said government forces controlled the town with only a hardcore of rebels holding out.

"These people are al Qaeda affiliates, they are prepared to die, they want to die, because death for them is happiness, is paradise. They know they are going to die," he said.

Rebels, however, said fighting continued in the town.

Elsewhere, clashes between rebels and besieging forces continued in the eastern frontline town of Ajdabiyah, said Abu Musab, who left the town by car with his family of 10.

"There is no water, no power and the bombing is random. Everyone has left," he said, adding that Qaddafi's forces were positioned to the east, west and south of the town.

"There are revolutionaries in the town and there is fighting going on right now."

Plane destroyed

Western commanders are hoping the rag-tag rebel force in eastern Libya will overthrow Qaddafi for them but there is now little movement on the eastern front line at Ajdabiyah, 150 km (90 miles) to the south of Benghazi.

France said it had hit an air base in central Libya early on Thursday, the fifth night of Western air strikes, and had also hit a government plane after it landed at Misrata airport.

Al Arabiya television said coalition planes struck Sabha, a Qaddafi stronghold in southern Libya.

A Libyan official said fuel storage tanks and a telecommunications tower in Tripoli were among places hit. A target in the Tajoura district which a resident said was a military area was also hit twice on Thursday.

Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim said strikes had hit military and civilian compounds in the central Jufrah region and other targets in Tripoli, Misrata and south of Benghazi in the east, home to a emerging alternative government.

Libyan officials took Reuters journalists to a Tripoli hospital to see 18 male corpses, some charred beyond recognition, saying they were military personnel and civilians killed by Western bombing overnight.

It was the first time foreign reporters had been shown alleged victims of the air strikes and it was not possible to verify how many were civilians. Libya says dozens have been killed. Western forces deny any have been killed in the strikes.

&nbsp;

But Haitham al-Trablousi, a doctor in Tripoli, told Al Arabiya television by telephone: "There are no civilian casualties and the bombing is very accurate....All the bodies which we have seen on the Libyan channels are corpses of people killed during the intifada (uprising) in Zawiyah."

Seeking to allay fears of a protracted and bloody conflict, France said it could take days or weeks to destroy Qaddafi's military, but would not need months.

"You can't expect us to achieve our objective in just five days," Foreign Minister Alain Juppe told reporters.

The Libyan government denies its army is conducting any offensive operations and says troops are only defending themselves when they come under attack. But British Foreign Secretary William Hague said attacks by government forces showed Qaddafi's talk of having called a ceasefire was "an utter sham".

Asked what should be done if the air strikes fail to restrain Qaddafi, only 7 percent of Americans favoured sending in US and allied ground troops in a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Thursday, and only 17 percent saw Obama as a strong and decisive leader.]]>
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			<title>NATO blocks 'front door' for arms smugglers into Libya</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/137084/nato-blocks-front-door-for-arms-smugglers-into-libya</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/137084/nato-blocks-front-door-for-arms-smugglers-into-libya#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 24 Mar 11 15:09:21 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[afp]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=137084</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Several NATO nations that are taking part and want the military alliance to take the reins from the coalition.]]>
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				<![CDATA[A NATO maritime task force charged with preventing arms from entering into Libya said on Thursday that they could not be sure of blocking all routes into the country but were closing "the main front door."

"The sea is the easiest, fastest and most direct way to get arms into Libya. We are cutting off that area," said Rinaldo Veri, head of Operation Unified Protector at NATO's navy base in Naples, headquarters for the mission.

"I hope we can close all the windows, but one thing is sure: we are closing the main front door," he added.

"The operation will assist in reducing the number of arms, related materials and mercenaries to and from the coastal waters of Libya," Veri said.

"Maritime assets supported by NATO aircraft are working to reduce the flow of war materials and will support the UN resolution to end the attacks on civilians in Libya," he said.

Britain, Canada, Greece, Italy, Spain, Turkey and the United States have already offered ships to help enforce the embargo.

Despite the row over who should be running the broader military operations, Turkey offered six vessels, including one submarine, during talks in Brussels on Wednesday.

"A task force of vessels, submarines, and maritime control aircraft is moving into position," Veri said, without specifying precise numbers.

Working in close cooperation with commercial shipping organisations, the mission aims to ensure the free flow of legitimate ships in and out of Libya while stopping and searching suspect vessels using every means necessary.

"If we suspect a ship is attempting to breach the embargo... it may be necessary to send armed military aboard. If we encounter resistance, the use of force may be necessary," Veri said.

“The Italian-controlled operation has a highly developed awareness of the Mediterranean and tried and tested tools for intercepting vessels”, he added.

The operation began on Wednesday at 1700 GMT.

Six ships reached international waters off Libya while patrol aircraft and fighter jets headed to the area to provide long-range surveillance and intercept flights suspected of carrying weapons, NATO said.

Veri said he was not aware that anything has been intercepted so far.

As the NATO embargo operation got underway, uncertainty still reigned over whether the 28-nation alliance would also take charge of the 'no-fly zone' operation that has been run by a US-led coalition until now.

Several NATO nations that are taking part and want the military alliance to take the reins from the international coalition led by Britain, France and the United States.]]>
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			<title>West will end in "dustbin of history", Qaddafi says</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/136585/west-will-end-in-dustbin-of-history-qaddafi-says</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/136585/west-will-end-in-dustbin-of-history-qaddafi-says#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 23 Mar 11 05:35:52 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[reuters]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=136585</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Muammar Qaddafi says western powers pounding Libya's defences will wind up in the &quot;dustbin of history&quot;.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Western powers pounding Libya's defences will wind up in the dustbin of history, said leader Muammar Qaddafi as his troops held back rebel advances despite four nights of attacks from the air.

While Western air power has grounded Qaddafi's planes and pushed back his troops and armour from the brink of rebel stronghold Benghazi, disorganised and poorly equipped insurgents have failed to capitalise on the ground and remain pinned down.

The rebels have been unable to dislodge Qaddafi's forces from the key junction of Ajdabiyah in the east, while government tanks dominate the last big rebel hold-out of Misrata. There is big risk of stalemate on the ground, analysts say.

At least two explosions were heard in the Libyan capital Tripoli before dawn on Wednesday, Reuters witnesses said. The roar of a fighter jet was heard above the city and a barrage of anti-aircraft gunfire lit up the predawn sky.

"We will not surrender," Qaddafi earlier told supporters forming a human shield to protect him at his Tripoli compound.

"We will defeat them by any means ... We are ready for the fight, whether it will be a short or a long one ... We will be victorious in the end," he said in a live television broadcast, his first public appearance for a week.

"This assault ... is by a bunch of fascists who will end up in the dustbin of history," Qaddafi said in a speech followed by fireworks in the Libyan capital as crowds cheered and supporters fired guns into the air.

The Libyan government denies its army is conducting any offensive operations and says troops are only fighting to defend themselves when they come under attack, but rebels and residents say Qaddafi's tanks have kept up their shelling of Misrata in the west, killing 40 people on Monday alone, and also attacked the small town of Zintan on the border with Tunisia.

It was impossible to independently verify the reports.

Rebels bogged down

The siege of Misrata, now weeks old, is becoming increasingly desperate, with water cut off for days and food running out, doctors operating on patients in hospital corridors and many of the wounded left untreated or simply turned away.

"The situation in the local hospital is disastrous," said a Misrata doctor in a statement. "The doctors and medical teams are exhausted beyond human physical ability and some of them cannot reach the hospital because of tanks and snipers."

The rebel effort in east Libya meanwhile was bogged down outside Ajdabiyah, with no movement on the strategic town since Qaddafi's remaining tanks holed up there after the government's armoured advance along the open road to Benghazi was blown to bits by French air strikes on Saturday night.

Hiding in the sand dunes from the tank fire coming from the town, the rebels are without heavy weapons, leadership, communication, or even a plan.

While Western countries remain reluctant to commit ground troops who could guide in close air strikes, it remains to be seen whether the rebel's bravado and faith in God can take towns and advance towards their target of capturing Tripoli.

Agreement on NATO role

Western warplanes have flown more than 300 sorties over Libya and more than 162 Tomahawk cruise missiles have been fired in the United Nations-mandated mission to protect Libyan civilians against government troops.

Defence analysts say the no-fly zone over Libya could end up costing the coalition more than $1 billion if the operations drags on more than a couple of months.

Obama said the allies should be able to announce soon that they have achieved the objective of creating the no-fly zone.

But, he said, Qaddafi would present a potential threat to his people "unless he is willing to step down."

"We will continue to support the efforts to protect the Libyan people. But we will not be in the lead," Obama said.

Obama, facing questions at home about the Libyan mission, duration and cost, wants the United States to give up operational control of enforcing the no-fly zone within days.

Obama spoke with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron on Tuesday and they agreed NATO should play an important role in enforcing the Libyan no-fly zone, the White House said.

France had been against a NATO role for fear of alienating Arab support, while Turkey had also opposed the alliance taking a command role as it said air strikes had already overstepped what was authorised by the United Nations. But both countries' objections had been overcome, U.S. officials said.

The plan is for NATO's command structure to be used for the operations under the political leadership of a "steering body" made up of Western and Arab nations members of the alliance policing Libya's skies, diplomats said.

Libya ordered the release of three journalists who had been missing in the country, including two working with Agence France-Presse and a Getty Images photographer, Getty said.

The news came a day after Libya released four New York Times journalists captured by Libyan forces.]]>
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			<title>US, allies agree on NATO role for Libya</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/136522/us-allies-agree-on-nato-role-for-libya</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/136522/us-allies-agree-on-nato-role-for-libya#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 23 Mar 11 03:29:30 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[agencies]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=136522</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Moscow and Washington clash over Western bombing raids in Tripoli.]]>
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				<![CDATA[US President Barack Obama on Tuesday won British and French support for a Nato role in the air campaign against Libya’s Muammar Qaddafi as the western allies thrashed out operational details aimed at transferring US control of the mission.


Obama, lobbying hard to hand off US command of Libya operations to allies within days, telephoned British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy and all agreed that the Nato alliance would play an important role, the White House said.

But the allies have stopped short of explicitly endorsing Nato political leadership of the mission, which they fear could be a hard sell for Nato member Turkey and undercut shaky Arab support for the effort to bolster anti-Qaddafi rebels.

“What we are saying right now is that Nato will have a key role to play here,” Ben Rhodes, a senior White House national security aide, told reporters aboard Air Force One.

Obama’s personal diplomacy underscored that Nato’s command-and-control capability will make it central to the unfolding campaign against Gaddafi’s forces, which began with air strikes on Saturday aimed at protecting civilians.

Moscow and Washington clashed over Western bombing raids in Libya, with the US defence chief saying Moscow had accepted Qaddafi’s “lies” about civilian casualties.

In talks with Defence Secretary Robert Gates, Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev voiced dismay over what he called the “indiscriminate use of force” by coalition aircraft in Libya.

“Medvedev expressed concern about how the Security Council resolution on the no-fly zone was being implemented, and about the possibility of casualties among the civilian population in connection with the indiscriminate use of force by the aviation,” the Kremlin press service said.

In a visit dominated by events in Libya, Gates rejected Moscow’s criticism of the strikes against Qaddafi’s regime even as he predicted that the bombing would be scaled back within days.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 23rd, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Obama’s rite of passage</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/136258/obama%e2%80%99s-rite-of-passage</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/136258/obama%e2%80%99s-rite-of-passage#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 22 Mar 11 17:17:46 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[tariq.fatemi]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=136258</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Obama would have retained his credibility had he confined the US to extending support to Libyan rebels.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Long admired as a cerebral person with moderate and progressive ideas, US President Barack Obama appears to be succumbing much too often to pressures of powerful interest groups that wield enormous influence over American politics. Increasingly, he is reverting to policies pursued by those he had criticised, which explains the deep disappointment among his core supporters.

But nothing could demonstrate this more painfully than his surrender to the hawkish foreign policy and national security lobbies on the issue of Libya. He is the one who castigated his predecessor for having invaded Iraq on false charges, holding this decision as having given a fresh lease of life to the terrorists. Riding to the White House as an anti-war candidate, he vowed to transform relations with the Muslim world through a policy of “mutual interest and mutual respect”. And yet, he has now followed in the footsteps of his predecessors, who did not shy away from launching armed attacks against foreign countries on grounds that are less than credible.

After having adopted commendably restrained and responsible policies on Tunisia and Egypt, wherein the US encouraged genuine popular uprisings against long-entrenched dictatorial regimes, he seems to have lost his way on Libya. While Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi’s murderous assault on his people can neither be explained nor condoned, other than because of his egomaniacal nature and his disdain for human life, the eagerness with which the West assumed guardianship of the ‘freedom fighters’ raises many questions. Moreover, Qaddafi’s track record should have cautioned the US not to expect him to walk away, a la (former Tunisian president Zine El Abidine) Ben Ali or Hosni Mubarak. But in adopting a muscular policy advocated by his European allies, in particular French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron, who have long despised Qaddafi and looked at Libya’s huge oil wealth with avaricious eyes, Obama has stepped into choppy waters that are likely to lead to unforeseen consequences for America’s standing in the world.

The Security Council resolution authorising UN members “to take all necessary measures to protect civilians and civilian populated areas”, was purposely vague though it “excluded a foreign occupation force of any form on any part” of Libya, but it provided adequate latitude to would-be interventionists. Admittedly, Qaddafi’s words that his forces would be warring the rebels of “tracking them down and searching for them, alley by alley, road by road” did not help his cause. But the western powers, in particular France and Britain, who have long viewed Qaddafi as a thorn in their side, even though his son engineered a rapprochement with them, had already decided to cross the Rubicon.

The US is trying to portray itself as a somewhat reluctant participant in the operation, insisting that it was the Arab League endorsement that “changed the diplomatic landscape”, while trying to cajole even a couple of Arab states to join in to give the operation some semblance of legitimacy. Secretary Clinton is also feigning humility, insisting that the US is not taking the leadership role in the operations. These pretensions notwithstanding, Qaddafi’s claim that it is “a colonial crusader aggression” is likely to intensify anti-American sentiments in the region. Moreover, if the fighting results in a stalemate, or worse, in a division of the country, it could embolden the ‘militants’ to take advantage of the ensuing chaos.

A military invasion of a third Muslim state in a decade, especially at a time when the entire region is in a state of unprecedented upheaval and while a brutal crackdown in Bahrain is being ignored, raises all kinds of awkward questions for the US. Obama would have retained far greater credibility had he confined the US to extending political and diplomatic support to the Libyan rebels, while squeezing the Qaddafi regime by economic measures. But then, like his predecessors, Obama too needed to go through his rite of passage. One can only hope that it is not as traumatic and destabilising for the region as the Iraq war.


Published in The Express Tribune, March 23rd, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Qaddafi attacks rebel towns, U.S. plane down</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/136184/qaddafi-attacks-rebel-towns-u-s-plane-down</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/136184/qaddafi-attacks-rebel-towns-u-s-plane-down#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 22 Mar 11 11:33:59 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[reuters]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=136184</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Forces loyal to Muammar Qaddafi attack two Libyan towns after a third night of air raids on Tripoli.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Forces loyal to Muammar Qaddafi attacked two Libyan towns on Tuesday after a third night of air raids on Tripoli, but the Western campaign faced questions over the future of its command structure.

With anti-Qaddafi rebels struggling to create a command structure than can capitalise on the air strikes against Libyan tanks and air defences, Western nations have still to decide who will run the operation once Washington pulls back.

The United States will cede control of the air assault in days, President Barack Obama said, even as divisions in Europe fuelled speculation that Washington would be forced to continue leadership of air patrols to replace the initial bombardment.

"We anticipate this transition to take place in a matter of days and not in a matter of weeks," Obama, facing questions at home about the U.S. military getting bogged down in a third Muslim country, told a news conference on a visit to Chile.

A U.S. Air Force F-15E crashed in Libya overnight and one crewman had been recovered and the other was "in the process of recovery," the U.S. military said. The crash was likely caused by mechanical failure and not hostile fire, it said.

In the latest fighting on Tuesday, Qaddafi forces used tanks to shell the rebel-held western city of Misrata and casualties included four children killed when the car they were travelling in was hit, residents told Reuters. The death toll on Monday had reached 40, they said.

"The situation here is very bad. Tanks started shelling the town this morning," a resident, called Mohammed, told Reuters by telephone from outside the city's hospital, adding:

"Snipers are taking part in the operation too. A civilian car was destroyed killing four children on board; the oldest is aged 13 years."

Al Jazeera news network said Qaddafi forces were trying to seize the western rebel-held town of Zintan near the Tunisian border in an attack using heavy weapons. Residents had already fled the town centre to seek shelter in mountain caves.

Fears of stalemate

Libyan state television said several sites had come under air attack in Tripoli on Monday. There was no immediate confirmation of new air strikes by Western powers in the campaign to enforce a no-fly zone and protect civilians after an uprising against Qaddafi's 41-year rule.

Rebels, who were driven back towards their eastern Benghazi stronghold before the air attacks halted an advance by Qaddafi forces, have done nothing to resume their planned advance on Tripoli – raising fears the war could grind to a stalemate.

But Washington, wary of being drawn into another war after long campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, has ruled out specific action to overthrow Qaddafi, though France said on Monday it hoped the Libyan government would collapse from within.

Obama did not spell out which nation or organisation would take charge of the campaign, but Britain and France took a lead role in pushing for air strikes in Libya which have already destroyed much of its air defences.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said the intention was to transfer command to NATO, but France said Arab countries did not want the U.S.-led alliance in charge of the operation in the oil-producing North African desert state.

NATO officials were due to resume talks in Brussels on Tuesday after failing to reach an agreement on Monday.

Italy's Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said if agreement was not reached for NATO control of the no-fly zone over Libya, Italy would resume its own separate command structure.

A NATO role would require political support from all the 28 NATO states, and on Monday Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey wanted several conditions met for a NATO role.

Andrew Bacevich, a professor of international relations at Boston University, said it would be difficult to stand up a multinational command structure "on the fly."

"If that's what's being attempted then the hand-off may take longer than the Obama administration would like," he said.

Rifts are also growing in the world community over Libya, with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin comparing the U.N. resolution to a call for "medieval crusades". China and Brazil were urging a ceasefire amid fears of civilian casualties.

"Crusader enemy"

Libyan state television reported that several sites in Tripoli had been subject to new attacks by what it called the "crusader enemy". "These attacks are not going to scare the Libyan people," the television station said.

Anti-aircraft gunfire rang out throughout the night and pro-Qaddafi slogans echoed around the city centre. Cars sped through Tripoli streets honking wildly.

Libyan television was showing archive footage of Qaddafi being greeted by cheering crowds waving his portrait. The images were set to stirring patriotic music. Qaddafi himself has not been since in public since the air strikes began at the weekend.

State television was also broadcasting old footage of military parades, including pictures of elite troops marching in formation wearing balaclavas and gas masks.

Al Jazeera television said radar installations at two air defence bases in eastern Libya had been hit.

A Libyan government spokesman also said that foreign attacks had killed many people by bombing ports and Sirte airport.

"You saw that place (Sirte airport)," Mussa Ibrahim told a news conference. "It's a civilian airport. It was bombarded and many people were killed. Harbours were also bombarded."

These reports could not be independently verified.

The United States and its allies have run into some criticism for the intensity of the firepower unleashed on Libya, including more than 110 Tomahawk missiles on Saturday. The next step is to patrol the skies to enforce the no-fly zone.

The U.N. Security Council is far from united over Libya. In last week's vote, 10 countries supported the resolution and the other five council members abstained including Russia and China, which, however, refrained from using their veto power.

Libyan rebels have welcomed the air strikes and say they are coordinating with the Western powers launching them.

Vanguard of battle

But there was little sign at the vanguard of battle in east Libya that this communication extended to forward rebel units.

Western powers say they are not providing close air support to rebels or seeking to destroy Qaddafi's army, but rather only protecting civilians, as their U.N. mandate allows, leaving disorganised rebel fighters struggling to make headway.

Security analysts say it is unclear what will happen if the

Libyan leader digs in, especially since Western powers have made clear they would be unwilling to see Libya partitioned between a rebel-held east and Qaddafi-controlled west.

"There is still a real risk of a protracted stalemate, with neither side wanting to negotiate. So the endgame remains very unclear," said Jeremy Binnie, a senior analyst with IHS Jane's.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said the operation would not drag into another Iraq-style conflict.

"This is different to Iraq. This is not going into a country, knocking over its government and then owning and being responsible for everything that happens subsequently," Cameron said during a parliamentary debate on Libya.]]>
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			<title>Making sense of Libya and Bahrain</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/135969/making-sense-of-libya-and-bahrain</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/135969/making-sense-of-libya-and-bahrain#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 21 Mar 11 18:14:56 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[tanvir.ahmad.khan]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[The GCC commitment to Bahrain’s stability may strengthen elements in the opposition, thus promote a peaceful...]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Libya and Bahrain need a special focus in the panoramic spread of protest movements in the Arab lands. The dynamics at work in them are dissimilar but portend future developments of great strategic import. In both cases, the assertion of people power has brought outside engagement. In Libya’s case, the United Nations’ Resolution 1973 barely masks the international community’s resolve to bring about a regime change. In Bahrain, the states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have invoked collective security and sent limited contingents to help the government.

In Libya, the ‘Arab spring’ has had a distinctive hue of its own. The uprising in eastern Libya was, from the beginning, an armed revolt aimed at bringing down Muammar Qaddafi. Very early on, it sought a no-fly zone to neutralise his military advantage. The western media and then the western governments quickly built up a grim narrative of Qaddafi brutalising his own people. After initial hesitation, US President Obama and most European leaders demanded that he steps down forthwith. The ‘international community’ was never prepared to countenance the defeat of the rebel National Council, a parallel government in eastern Libya. French President Sarkozy, who wants to project Paris as a bastion of western power, was the first to recognise this Council and France carried out the first air strike against a Libyan target. Britain and the United States followed with a crippling rain of Tomahawk cruise missiles on the night of March 19.

The overzealous western interest in the Libyan crisis, doubtless, belongs partially to the saga of oil, blood and sand. Libya has about 3.5 per cent of global oil reserves; its proven reserves stand at 46.5 billion barrels. Many western analysts concede that the present military campaign aims at controlling, Iraq-style, the production, distribution and pricing of Libyan oil. The western rapprochement with Qaddafi began in 2003, when he brought back western oil companies and ended abruptly when the otherwise fawning European politicians saw in the uprising a unique opportunity to overthrow him.

There is no gainsaying that Qaddafi’s defiant response to the initial protest precipitated the civil war that opened the door to ‘humanitarian intervention’. The Libyan crisis was shaped by Muammar Qaddafi’s unusual personality, rivalries of the three major tribes, including his own, and his brand of democracy which subordinated a modern nation state to the culture of a mega tribe, of which he was the chief. He had achieved much, including a per capita income of $12,000 for his people but, tethered to his unique philosophy, the Libyan state remained in denial of the new forces emerging in a rapidly urbanising society.

The broad terms of the UN resolution authorizing the use of force to ‘protect’ the people are being implemented as a mandate to destroy the Qaddafi regime. Western air power is already decimating his command and control centres and other military installations; one can only hope that the economic infrastructure survives. This may enable the ‘rebels’ to recover the towns recently lost to Qaddafi loyalists and make a bid for the capital. The ‘unintended consequence’ would be that Libya is left with tribal guerilla formations engaged in a protracted nightmarish conflict across a vast land.

Bahrain is a small island endowed with enormous geopolitical importance. Political developments in it can alter the regional balance of forces. It is home to the US Fifth Fleet that projects power over a huge body of water. Bahrain’s main fault line is supposed to be a tussle between a Shia majority and the Sunni ruling alKhalifa family. This is an oversimplification, as opposition parties such as al Wefaq traditionally seek redistribution of power between the monarchy and parliament. In fact, King Hamad bin Isa alKhalifa began his reign by bringing a healing touch to the sectarian tendencies that marred politics in the 1990s. Crown Prince Sheik Salman bin Hamad alKhalifa is a strong voice today for further reforms. However, in economic terms, Shia villages need to be mainstreamed into Manama’s prosperity. Political parties, assorted intellectuals, lawyers and youth called for a demonstration on February 14, ostensibly to celebrate Bahrain’s National Action Charter, and the king did not object. They upped the ante by turning the landmark Pearl Roundabout of Manama into a local Tahrir Square, an enduring encampment. The majority still spoke of constitutional monarchy but some extremists from the Shia party Wafa, Haq and the left-leaning Sunni Waad parties, tried to inject republicanism into the movement. On February 17, four persons died during a night-time operation by the security forces to disperse the Pearl Roundabout camp. Persistent efforts to revive it resulted in the demolition of this landmark by the security forces on March 18. The United States has continued to play up the Iranian threat to the region. Recently, it concluded agreements for military sales worth $123 billion with Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait and Oman. These contracts include 84 F-15 jets, 70 Apache gunships and 72 Blackhawk helicopters. US Defence Secretary Gates and Admiral Mullen visited Bahrain during the recent unrest and ‘sources’ revealed that there was ‘much talk about Iran’. The fact of the matter is that only a miniscule section in Bahrain’s Shia population is interested in Iran’s political influence. Arguably, Iran would welcome a shift of power to the Shia majority if Bahrain becomes a constitutional monarchy; it will be consistent with Iranian policy towards Iraq and Lebanon. There is, however, little evidence of Iran’s interference in the current political strife. Against this backdrop of internal and external factors, the GCC acted on March 14 with a Saudi contingent turning the spectacular King Fahd Causeway into a strategic highway. The next day, the king declared emergency for three months though he has since reiterated his resolve to continue reforms. The GCC commitment to Bahrain’s stability may strengthen moderate elements in the opposition and thus promote a peaceful solution. This could help Bahrain avoid the instability that seems to be Libya’s fate at present.

&nbsp;

Published in The Express Tribune, March 22nd, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Air strikes on Libya</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/135956/air-strikes-on-libya</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/135956/air-strikes-on-libya#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 21 Mar 11 17:32:14 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[editorial]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Editorial]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=135956</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Yemen in particular has seen violence for several weeks because the people of Yemen are fed up.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Let us be clear: We are no supporters of Moammar Qaddafi and, in accordance with the expressed wishes of what appears to be the overwhelming majority of Libyans, would like to see him gone.

As a consequence, the action against Libya so far, especially the establishment of a no-fly zone and the minimisation of Qaddafi’s ability to kill his own citizens — is perhaps the only option that could have been employed at this point in time. Almost too late, it appears that they have been successful in pushing back pro-Qaddafi forces from routing rebel forces. However, the end goal of this action is unclear since the forces have no mandate to remove Qaddafi nor would that be possible without the use of ground forces. Tacit acknowledgement of this has come from US military chief Admiral Mike Mullen who was quoted on March 20 as saying that the intention of the air strikes and missile attacks was not to oust the Libyan dictator and that he may well survive the air campaign. In the best case scenario, however, this attack will allow the rebel forces to regroup and eventually overcome Qaddafi’s band of thug supporters and mercenaries.

That said, the action by the international forces does however come across as odd given the silence over the protests and criticism directed of late against the absolute rulers of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. This means that if the West bombs Tripoli whilst watching other Arab despots kill their own citizens, it will seem more and more as if there is an ulterior motive to the attacks. Yemen in particular has seen violence for several weeks because the people of Yemen are fed up with the decades-long rule of their head of state, but the West has so far not asked for Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down, perhaps because he has said that he is committed to stamping out al Qaeda in his country. A double-standard will cause more problems in the long term leaving the basic problems of misrule, corruption and lack of genuine democracy and freedom to be resolved in the future. For its part, Libya must immediately abide by the no-fly zone set up under UN auspices and call an actual halt on all attacks on its own citizens, especially in the country’s east, which has been under the control of forces who want Mr Qaddafi to hand over power.

&nbsp;

Published in The Express Tribune, March 22nd, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Libyan rebels welcome air strikes, no ground troops</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/135872/libyan-rebels-welcome-air-strikes-no-ground-troops</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/135872/libyan-rebels-welcome-air-strikes-no-ground-troops#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 21 Mar 11 13:50:28 +0500</pubDate>
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			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=135872</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Libya rebels back air strikes on pro-Qaddafi forces, say ultimate aim is to capture Tripoli.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Libyan rebels welcome more air strikes by foreign forces against Muammar Qaddafi's army but do not want foreign ground troops to intervene in the war, a rebel spokesman said on Monday.

"The committee rejects foreign troops on the ground but we encourage the (aerial) bombardments of Qaddafi' army," Ahmed El-Hasi, a spokesman for the February 17 opposition coalition, said in the eastern city of Benghazi.

The rebel aim was still to capture the capital Tripoli but they wanted to achieve that without foreign offensive action, he told a news briefing in the rebel headquarters on the Benghazi sea front.

El-Hasi was speaking two days after an assault on Benghazi was repulsed when foreign warplanes hit his troops as fighting raged on the outskirts. The foreign strikes, spearheaded by France, Britain and the United States, have since targeted sites in Tripoli itself and elsewhere.

El-Hasi said the rebel committee would also send a delegation to meet Arab League officials, who after initially supporting foreign action have expressed concern about civilian casualties, to tell them that they approved of the strikes.

Qaddafi's allegations that civilians in Tripoli had been killed or wounded were lies, he said, and footage on state TV showing casualties was staged.

He said the rebel leadership had coordinated with international powers on the air strikes.

"There is a connection between us. One, to pinpoint the position of Qaddafi's troops, and two, to pinpoint the position of our fighters so they don't get hit with bombardments."

Asked if the rebels planned to recapture towns they had won and then lost in the five-week-old uprising against Qaddafi`s rule, El-Hasi said: "Our fighters are at the gates of Ajdabiyah and searching for his terrorists. Soon it will be safe. We are going all the way to Tripoli to remove the regime."

Ajdabiyah, about 150 km south of Benghazi, was the last rebel town to fall to Qaddafi's troops before the failed assault on the rebel stronghold and subsequent retreat.

On whether they expected to be backed by foreign action in the offensive, he said: "We are not asking the allies to pinpoint Qaddafi's troops to help us to advance. We are telling them to target them when they are trying to come into the city.

"The courage of our fighters is very high and we are still fighting Qaddafi's troops," he said.

Benghazi remained tense on Monday despite the push back of Qaddafi's forces. Shops remained shut and youths manned roadblocks on many street corners -- some just a row of plastic chairs or empty paint pots.

A 40-minute firefight on Sunday night outside a downtown hotel heightened fears that Qaddafi loyalists were still operating in the city.]]>
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			<title>Military campaign: Libya calls second truce amid air strikes</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/135748/military-campaign-libya-calls-second-truce-amid-air-strikes</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/135748/military-campaign-libya-calls-second-truce-amid-air-strikes#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 21 Mar 11 02:02:44 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[agencies]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=135748</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Arab League condemns the ‘bombardment of civilians’ by the allied forces.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Libya declared a fresh ceasefire on Sunday after a day of bombardment from Western forces seeking to protect civilians from government troops. “The Libyan armed forces ... have issued a command to all military units to safeguard an immediate ceasefire from 1900 GMT this evening,” a Libyan army spokesman said, prompting a statement from UN chief Ban Ki-moon who said that he hoped the Libyan army would “keep its word” on the new ceasefire.


The Pentagon said on Sunday that it questions all statements from the Libyan government, including its claim that it would enter into a ceasefire.

Minutes before the army spokesman made the ceasefire announcement, heavy anti-aircraft gunfire boomed above central Tripoli, followed by sustained machinegun fire. Smoke was seen rising from the direction of the presidential compound in Tripoli on Sunday, shortly after an explosion, witnesses said. The US military insisted though that it was not going to target  the Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi.

Earlier Arab League chief Amr Moussa condemned the “bombardment of civilians” by the allied forces and both the African Union and Turkey urged “restraint” and called for a review of the operational planning involved in the attacks.

Moussa has called for an emergency meeting of the Arab League to discuss Libya. He requested a report into the bombardment which he said had “led to the deaths and injuries of many Libyan civilians”.

A health official said the number of people killed as a result of Western air strikes overnight had risen to 64 from 48, a figure given by Tripoli. However, the US said it has “no indication” of civilian casualties in air strikes by coalition forces over Libya.

Criticism also seemed to be coming from within the US administration, with the House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner calling on President Barack Obama to explain the US mission in Libya and how his administration intends to achieve its goals.

Qaddafi denounced the air strikes saying it amounted to terrorism and vowed to fight to the death.

His government has begun distributing arms to more than one million people and will complete the operation within hours. Jana news agency quoted sources in Libya’s defence ministry as saying they “expected the operation to end in the next hours to arm more than a million men and women.”

A Libyan rebel spokesman told Al Jazeera that the rebel death toll had crossed the figure of 8,000.

Heavy anti-aircraft gunfire was heard in central Tripoli on Sunday night, a Reuters reporter said.

In Berlin, the US Africa Command spokesman Lieutenant Commander James Stockman said missile strikes against Libya hit at least 20 of their 22 targets. “The other two targets are still under assessment,” said Stockman.

“We struck key integrated air defence and surface-to-air missile sites near Tripoli, Misrata and Sirte,” he said. Al-Watyah air base, 170 km southwest of Tripoli, was among the targets, a Libyan military official said. “They tried to attack the (base’s) anti-aircraft defences,” said the official. “Some were damaged.”

However, Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, the end-game of military action was “very uncertain”, acknowledging that the no-fly zone over Libya could end in a stalemate even though Western warplanes halted an anti-rebel offensive at Benghazi.

Qatari and Italian aircraft are meanwhile poised to join operations against Libya, US and Italian officials said.

More than 3,800 refugees crossed into Egypt from Libya on Saturday, according to UN officials.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 21st, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Missiles hit 20 Libyan targets: US Military</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/135278/western-forces-pound-libya</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/135278/western-forces-pound-libya#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 20 Mar 11 15:05:35 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[agencies]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=135278</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Missile strikes launched by US and Britain as part of a bid to cripple Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi's air defenses.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Missile strikes launched by the United States and Britain as part of a bid to cripple Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi's air defenses hit 20 of 22 targets, the U.S. military said on Sunday.

The missile strikes on Saturday caused 'various levels of damage' at 20 of 22 sites, centered around Libyan air defenses, said Lieutenant Commander James Stockman, a spokesman at U.S. Africa Command. Possible damage at two other sites was being assessed, he said.

Stockman also confirmed that three U.S. stealth bombers took part in airstrikes on Libya early on Sunday.

Libya to give weapons to 1m people: state media

Libya's government has begun distributing arms to more than one million people and will complete the operation within hours, the state news agency reported on Sunday.

Jana news agency quoted sources in Libya's defence ministry as saying they "expected the operation to end in the next hours to arm more than a million men and women."

19 US planes in Libya raid Sunday

Nineteen US planes, including three B2 stealth bombers, took part in early morning raids Sunday on targets in Libya, the US Africa Command, based in Germany, told AFP.

"What we are doing, with our coalition partners, is the initial phase of an operation to try to create the conditions to be able to set up a no-fly zone," spokesman Kenneth Fidler said.

The "very early morning" raids also involved F15s and F16s jet fighter planes and targeted Libyan "integrated air defence systems," he said.

He also put the number of Tomahawk missiles fired by the United States and Britain on Saturday at 124.

Top US military commander Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said earlier that the initial part of an international operation to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya "has been successful."

He said that as a result forces loyal to Moamer Qaddafi were "no longer marching on Benghazi," the eastern rebel-held city.

Western forces pound Libya

US warships and allied planes have gone into action to stop Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi’s forces from attacking rebel-held Benghazi, US and French officials said on Saturday.


The first shots in the UN-mandated intervention in Libya came at around 1645 GMT when a French aircraft destroyed a military vehicle, French defence ministry and army officials said on Saturday. Several armoured vehicles have since been destroyed. The air operation involved around 20 planes.

Later a US warship, one of two naval destroyers and three US submarines deployed in the Mediterranean, launched cruise missiles against Tripoli.

At the same time hundreds of Qaddafi loyalists massed at his Bab al-Aziziyah headquarters and at the international airport, state television said. The leader’s compound was ringed with pick-up trucks mounted with anti-aircraft guns and some were also parked inside the grounds. Earlier Qaddafi’s troops pushed into the outskirts of Benghazi.

In Tripoli, several loud blasts were heard east of the capital and balls of fire could be seen on the horizon, witnesses told AFP.

“Those taking part agreed to put in place all necessary means, especially military, to enforce the decisions of the United Nations Security Council,” French President Nicolas Sarkozy said. He said the operation supported by France, Britain, the United States and Canada, and backed by Arab states, would continue unless the Libyan leader ceased fire.

Military action could be halted at any time if Qaddafi stopped his forces from  attacking, wSarkozy said. “Colonel Qaddafi has made this happen,” British Prime Minister David Cameron told reporters after the meeting. “He has lied to the international community, he has promised a ceasefire, he has broken that ceasefire.”

Qaddafi has said Western powers had no right to intervene. “This is injustice, this is clear aggression,” government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim quoted Qaddafi as saying in a letter to France, Britain and the United Nations. “You will regret it if you take a step towards interfering in our internal affairs.”

The Libyan government blamed the rebels, who it says are members of al Qaeda, for breaking a ceasefire around Benghazi.

In Paris, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Washington will deploy its “unique capabilities” as part of the military operation against Qaddafi. “America has unique capabilities” to help enforce UN Security Council Resolution 1973 authorising military action, Clinton said. Defence Secretary Robert Gates has postponed a trip to Russia at the last minute to monitor developments in Libya, a senior US official said.

US and British ships and submarines fired more than 110 Tomahawk cruise missiles at Libyan targets to take out their air defenses, a senior US military official said.

Vice Admiral Bill Gortney, director of the US military’s Joint Staff, said no US aircraft were flying over Libya at this time.

“Civilian targets are being bombed by the ‘Crusader’ enemy fighter planes in Tripoli,” state television said. State news agency Jana said there were “civilian casualties as a result of this aggression.”]]>
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			<title>China regrets multinational air strikes in Libya</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/135367/china-regrets-multinational-air-strikes-in-libya</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/135367/china-regrets-multinational-air-strikes-in-libya#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 20 Mar 11 07:16:02 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[afp]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[Russia also issues statement in which it calls for a ceasefire as soon as possible.]]>
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				<![CDATA[China expressed regret on Sunday over the multinational air strikes in Libya, saying in a foreign ministry statement that it opposed the use of force in international relations.

"China has noted the latest developments in Libya and expresses regret over the military attacks on Libya," the statement said.

Russia also issued a similarly worded statement in which it called for a ceasefire as soon as possible.

China's statement made no mention of a ceasefire and stressed that China respected the north African country's "sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity".

"We hope Libya can restore stability as soon as possible and avoid further civilian casualties due to an escalation of armed conflict," it added.

Multinational forces led by France and Britain began bombarding Libya with missiles from air and sea on Saturday to enforce a United Nations-mandated no-fly zone and protection of rebels from Moamer Qaddafi's forces.

China and Russia were the most prominent voices in opposition to military action in Libya within the 15-member United Nations Security Council.

However, neither blocked the UN resolution authorising the operation, abstaining in the Security Council vote on the issue rather than using their veto power.

France and Britain had led the demands for a no-fly zone, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy wrote to the heads of state or government of all the other council members seeking urgent backing for the measure.

China said earlier it abstained after having taken into account "the concerns and positions of Arab countries and the African Union, as well as the current special circumstances in Libya", without elaborating further.

China, which faces frequent foreign criticism over its own human rights record and treatment of restive minority groups, consistently opposes moves deemed as interfering in the affairs of other countries.

"China has always opposed the use of force in international relations," Sunday's statement said, adding that Beijing supported the spirit and principles of the UN Charter, without elaborating.

China's leaders have watched with concern as a mix of issues ranging from the economy to corruption -- and a lack of democracy, sparked popular uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and elsewhere in the Arab world.

Premier Wen Jiabao last year rejected any comparison to the situation in the Middle East and North Africa with China.

Nonetheless, leading web censors have blocked results for "Egypt" and other terms that could be related to the uprisings, for instance on the popular web portal sina.com.

It has also poured security forces into the streets in Beijing, Shanghai and other cities across the country in response to anonymous calls for weekly Sunday "strolling" rallies in major Chinese cities.

The calls have largely fizzled under the smothering police response, and no obvious protest actions have been reported.]]>
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			<title>French air strike kicks off attacks on Qaddafi</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/135061/french-air-strike-kicks-off-attacks-on-qaddafi</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/135061/french-air-strike-kicks-off-attacks-on-qaddafi#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 19 Mar 11 19:02:02 +0500</pubDate>
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			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[France kick off international campaign to prevent Qaddafi's forces from crushing month-old uprising against his rule.]]>
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				<![CDATA[France launched an air strike on a target in Libya on Saturday, kicking off an international campaign to prevent Moamer Qaddafi's forces from crushing a month-old uprising against his rule.

A French warplane "opened fire at 5:45 pm (1645 GMT) on an unspecified vehicle," French army spokesman Colonel Thierry Burckhard told journalists in Paris, adding the military was "assured of the threat" to civilians posed by the target.

Burckhard did not disclose the location of the attack, launched under a UN Security Council resolution, or confirm reports that the target was a tank.

In the rebel camp, celebratory gunfire and honking of car horns broke out in Al-Marj, 100 kilometres (60 miles) from the stronghold of Benghazi in eastern Libya, to welcome the start of military operations against Qaddafi, correspondents said.

As thousands fled Benghazi amid an assault by Qaddafi loyalists earlier on Saturday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy told a summit of world leaders in Paris that his country's fighters were poised to attack.

But Sarkozy said Qaddafi could still avoid the worst if he complied with the Security Council resolution by implementing a ceasefire to allow the diplomatic door to reopen.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon, however, said he was troubled by a telephone call from the Libyan prime minister on Friday night.

"He told me that the Libyan government was fully abiding by the Security Council resolution and there will be an immediate ceasefire," said the secretary general.

"But at the same time and overnight they were attacking Benghazi. It is very troubling; whatever they say must be verified."

Since Friday, the Libyan government has insisted it was observing a self-declared ceasefire, shortly after the Security Council voted to authorise the use of force against Qaddafi's troops to spare civilians.

The regime said its armed forces were under attack west of Benghazi, including by rebel aircraft, and had responded in self-defence.

On Saturday, Foreign Minister Mussa Kussa said Tripoli had met all its obligations under the UN resolution and asked Ban to send observers to monitor the ceasefire.

But the rebels, who have been trying to overthrow the Libyan leader for more than a month, said government troops had continued to bombard cities, violating the ceasefire continuously.

British Prime Minister David Cameron held Qaddafi responsible for the continued violence and said that "the time for action" had come.

"Colonel Qaddafi has made this happen. He has lied to the international community, he has promised a ceasefire, he has broken that ceasefire. He continues to brutalise his own people," Cameron told British television.

"And so the time for action has come. It needs to be urgent. We have to enforce the will of the United Nations and we cannot allow the slaughter of civilians to continue."

Qaddafi has defied the threats against, telling Sarkozy and Cameron, main sponsors of the resolution authorising military action, that they would regret interfering in his country's affairs.

Earlier, a huge plume of smoke rose over Benghazi, Libya's second city, as thousands of people fled eastward after a series of air strikes and sustained shelling, said an AFP reporter in the metropolis of one million people.

Correspondents redeployed along with civilians to Al-Marj reported that Qaddafi tanks had entered the Mediterranean city by mid-morning.

A warplane crashed in flames in a residential area of Benghazi, triggering celebratory gunfire from the rebels, but an insurgent commander later admitted it was one of theirs and had been shot down by Qaddafi's forces.

Ban attended what host France said would be a "decisive" summit in Paris with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as well as countries in the European Union, Arab League and African Union.

Late on Friday, the French presidency said France, Britain, the United States and Arab countries demanded "that a ceasefire must be put in place immediately, that is, that all attacks against civilians must come to an end."

It added that "Qaddafi must end his troops' advance on Benghazi and withdraw from Ajdabiya, Misrata and Zawiyah," referring to rebel-held towns attacked or captured by government forces in past days.

"That is not negotiable," it said, warning that if Qaddafi did not comply with Resolution 1973, he would face "consequences" from the international community and "the resolution will be imposed by military means".

Speaking in Brazil, where he was on a visit Saturday, US President Barack Obama said "the people of Libya must be protected and in the absence of an immediate end to the violence against civilians, our coalition is prepared to act and act with urgency."

Rebels in Misrata said the city east of Tripoli was calm on Saturday, a day after they beat back an onslaught by Qaddafi forces, destroying heavy armour but suffering 27 casualties.

But a witness said government tanks had shelled rebel-held Zintan, 120 kilometres (75 miles) southwest of Tripoli.

Meanwhile, Libyan National Oil Corp chairman Shukri Ghanem said Tripoli would honour all its engagements and contracts with foreign oil companies working in the country.

Ghanem said in Tripoli that Libyan oil production currently stood at 400,000 barrels per day, less than a third of normal output, as a result of the revolt.

In another Middle East hotspot, medics in Yemen on Saturday raised to 52 the death toll from a sniper attack on protesters in Sanaa the previous day, as thousands rallied despite a state of emergency.

The slaughter in Sanaa on Friday was the bloodiest day in weeks of unrest that have shaken the regime of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, a key US ally in its war against Al-Qaeda.

And security forces in Syria fired tear gas on Saturday at mourners burying two men killed in a protest in the southern city of Daraa the previous day, wounding several, rights activists said.

The official SANA news agency said a committee was being formed to investigate the "regrettable" events in Daraa.

In Bahrain, beleaguered King Hamad pledged to bring in reforms as Shiite-led pro-democracy protesters against the Sunni monarchy said they would not give up despite being cleared by police from Pearl Square in central Manama.

And Clinton accused Shiite Iran of undermining stability in the Gulf by trying to "advance its agenda in neighbouring countries," in reference to the unrest in Shiite-majority Bahrain.

Earlier, Libyan state television said hundreds of people had gathered at Bab al-Aziziyah, Qaddafi's Tripoli headquarters, and at the capital's international airport, ahead of expected French air strikes.

"Crowds are forming around the targets identified by France," state television said, showing pictures of flag-waving people gathering to serve as human shields.

Last week, a highly placed French source referred to Bab al-Aziziya, a military air base in Sirte, east of the capital, and another in Sebha in the south as likely targets of a strike.]]>
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			<title>Qaddafi defiant as fighting tears Libyan rebel stronghold</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/134972/qaddafi-defiant-as-fighting-tears-libyan-rebel-stronghold</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/134972/qaddafi-defiant-as-fighting-tears-libyan-rebel-stronghold#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 19 Mar 11 13:53:27 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[Qaddafi gives a defiant response to world leaders planning military action against him.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Fighting raged around Libya's rebel stronghold of Benghazi Saturday as Libyan leader Moamer Qaddafi gave a defiant response to world leaders planning military action against him.

A huge plume of smoke rose over Libya's second city as thousands of people fled eastward after a series of air strikes and sustained shelling, an AFP reporter said.

Correspondents reported that tanks belonging to Qaddafi's forces had entered the city of more than one million people mid-morning.

The Libyan government insisted it was observing a ceasefire it had announced on Friday, shortly after the United Nations Security Council voted to authorise the use of force against Qaddafi's troops to spare civilians.

It said its armed forces were under attack west of Benghazi and had responded in self-defence.

But the rebels, who have been trying to overthrow the Libyan leader for more than a month, said his troops had continued to bombard cities, violating the ceasefire continuously since its declaration.

"The gangs of al Qaeda attacked the units of the Libyan armed forces stationed to the west of Benghazi," a statement carried by the official Jana news agency said, using Tripoli's term for the insurgents.

It accused the rebels of using "a helicopter and a fighter jet to bomb the Libyan armed forces in blatant violation of the no-fly zone imposed by the UN Security Council."

A warplane crashed in flames in a residential area of Benghazi, triggering celebratory gunfire from the rebels, but an insurgent commander later admitted it was one of theirs and had been shot down by Qaddafi's forces.

The pilot ejected from the aircraft, which was initially identified as a Russian-built MiG-23 fighter but said later to have been a French-made Mirage.

A number of military units defected to the rebellion soon after the revolt broke out.

In messages to French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron, main sponsors of Friday's UN resolution, Qaddafi said they would regret interfering in his country's affairs, a spokesman said in Tripoli.

"If you intervene in our country you will regret it," the spokesman quoted Qaddafi as telling them, adding that the strongman had also sent messages to US President Barack Obama and UN chief Ban Ki-moon.

And he told Obama that the Libyan people were "prepared to die for me -- men, women and children."

On Friday, Obama delivered a frank ultimatum Qaddafi, threatening military action if he ignores non-negotiable demands for a ceasefire and a retreat from rebel bastions.

"Left unchecked, we have every reason to believe that Qaddafi would commit atrocities against his people," Obama said, reinforcing the international message. "Many thousands could die. A humanitarian crisis would ensue."

Libyan Foreign Minister Mussa Kussa said Saturday Tripoli had fulfilled all its obligations with regard to the UN resolution, and had asked UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to send observers to monitor the ceasefire.

France was hosting what it said would be a "decisive" summit with the European Union, Arab League and African Union, as well as Ban, on taking military action in Libya.

France's ambassador to the UN, Gerard Araud, said he expected military intervention within hours of the summit.

Sarkozy, Cameron and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met ahead of the conference Saturday, focusing on sharing out the military roles in enforcing Resolution 1973, sources said.

Late Friday, the French presidency said France, Britain, the United States and Arab countries had told Qaddafi to "immediately" cease all attacks against his people or face the consequences.

A statement said "that a ceasefire must be put in place immediately, that is, that all attacks against civilians must come to an end."

It added that "Qaddafi must end his troops' advance on Benghazi and withdraw from Ajdabiya, Misrata and Zawiyah," referring to rebel-held towns attacked or captured by government forces in the past few days.

"That is not negotiable," it said, warning that if Qaddafi did not comply with Resolution 1973, he would face "consequences" from the international community and "the resolution will be imposed by military means".

The summit, hosted by Sarkozy, will also be attended by Clinton, Cameron, Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

So far Belgium, Britain, Canada, France, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Qatar and the United States have said they will help to implement the no-fly zone.

Meanwhile, Libyan National Oil Corp chairman Shukri Ghanem said Saturday that Tripoli would honour all its engagements and contracts with foreign oil companies working in Libya.

Ghanem told a press conference in Tripoli that the country's oil production currently stands at 400,000 barrels per day (bpd), less than a third of normal as a result of the rebellion.

In another Middle East hot spot, medics in Yemen on Saturday raised the death toll from a sniper attack on protesters to 52 as thousands rallied despite a state of emergency imposed by the autocratic regime.

The slaughter in Sanaa on Friday was the bloodiest day in weeks of unrest that has shaken the regime of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, a key US ally in the war against Al-Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula.

Clashes in the main southern city of Aden also left seven injured on Saturday when security forces fired tear gas and bullets to disperse anti-regime protesters, witnesses and medics said.

In Bahrain, beleaguered King Hamad pledged to bring in reforms as Shiite-led pro-democracy protesters against the Sunni monarchy said they would not give up despite being cleared by police from the central Pearl Square.

And in Syria, a Facebook page behind an unprecedented string of protests called for a new rally Saturday in the city of Homs, naming the venue in advance in a bold step under the iron-fisted regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

The fresh call for protests came a day after rights groups reported security forces killed four people and wounded hundreds in a rally in the southern city of Daraa.]]>
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			<title>UN resolutions: US demands Libya go  beyond ceasefire</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/134821/un-resolutions-us-demands-libya-go-beyond-ceasefire</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/134821/un-resolutions-us-demands-libya-go-beyond-ceasefire#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 19 Mar 11 03:44:50 +0500</pubDate>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[Libya declares immediate ceasefire, prompting calls from the US and its allies that Tripoli needs to do much more.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Libya on Friday declared an immediate ceasefire in the battle against rebels, prompting calls from the United States and its allies that Tripoli needed to do much more in compliance with the United Nations Security Council resolution passed earlier.


“Libya has decided an immediate ceasefire and an immediate halt to all military operations,” Foreign Minister Mussa Kussa said.

Despite the ceasefire announcement, Britain and France readied to launch military strikes and Nato agreed to speed up plans for a possible role for the 28-nation alliance.

No confirmation was also available that assaults on rebel positions had stopped.

In Washington, US President Barack Obama warned of military action if Muammar Qaddafi refused to honour a tough UN resolution, saying the Libyan leader would commit atrocities if left unchecked.

“All attacks against all civilians must stop,” Obama said in a White House East Room speech.

Amid these warnings, Europe’s air traffic agency banned civilian flights from Libyan air space while British Prime Minister David Cameron said Britain would take part in a joint mission with US and French forces, along with Arab support.

Britain will move Tornado and Typhoon fighter jets to bases near Libya in the “coming hours”, Cameron said. French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said “everything is ready” to intervene in Libya, but he refused to give a timetable.

There was no immediate indication of possible targets but a highly-placed French source last week mentioned Kadhafi’s Bab al-Azizia command headquarters in Tripoli, a military air base in Sirte, east of the capital, and another in Sebha in the south.

An AFP correspondent in Tripoli reported hearing loud, distant explosions, but could not pinpoint them or say what caused them.

Meeting Thursday, the Security Council voted to permit “all necessary measures” to establish a no-fly zone, protect civilian areas and impose a ceasefire on Qaddafi’s military. Resolution 1973 “demands the immediate establishment of a ceasefire and a complete end to violence and all attacks against, and abuses of, civilians.”

Kussa said Libya, as a member of the United Nations, was “obliged to accept the UN Security Council’s resolutions.”

But only hours earlier, Muammar Qaddafi told Portuguese television the council had “no mandate” for such a resolution, “which we absolutely do not recognise.”

Rebel military commander Khalifa Heftir, speaking in the rebels’ eastern bastion of Benghazi, accused Qaddafi of “bluffing.”

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said reports of a ceasefire would be judged on “action” not words.

She said the United States and its allies were still considering what would be “the most effective measures” to end the crisis, while repeating calls for Qaddafi to go.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said, “The issue of course is what’s the significance of the statement on the ceasefire and how that fits in.” “Our view is that Qaddafi should go,” she reiterated.

Earlier, rebels in Misrata, an enclave of the insurrection between Sirte and Tripoli, said Qaddafi’s forces were pounding the city after a night of heavy gunfire.

Clashes were also reported in the western towns of Nalut and Zintan.

The United Nations has estimated more than 1,000 people have been killed in the uprising that began in early February inspired by the protests in Egypt.

In The Hague, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) warned that any indiscriminate attack on civilians in Benghazi would constitute “war crimes.”

“The commanders will be responsible. As the prosecutor of the ICC, I will request an arrest warrant against them.” Luis Moreno-Ocampo said.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 19th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Libya announces immediate halt to all military ops</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/134429/un-approves-military-force-qaddafi-threatens-rebels</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/134429/un-approves-military-force-qaddafi-threatens-rebels#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 18 Mar 11 13:00:00 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[UN author­ised Wester­n-led attack­s on Qaddaf­i's forces, as he vows to crush Libya's revolt.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Libya will halt all military operations immediately, Foreign Minister Mussa Kussa said in Tripoli on Friday.

"Libya has decided an immediate ceasefire and an immediate halt to all military operations," Kussa told a press conference.

He said that, because Libya is a member of the United Nations, it is "obliged to accept the UN Security Council's resolutions."

Earlier, the United Nations (UN) authorised Western-led attacks on Muammar Qaddafi's forces, as he vowed to crush Libya's revolt with "no mercy, no pity" and rebels pleaded for military aid before time runs out.

French sources said action could follow in hours, and could include France, Britain, possibly the United States (US) and one or more Arab countries.

A US official said no immediate US action was expected. Gulf state Qatar said it would take part but it was unclear whether that meant military help, while Denmark said it planned to contribute warplanes.

People in Misrata said the rebel-held western Libyan city was being pounded by Qaddafi's forces on Friday morning.

"They are bombing everything, the houses, the centre of the city," rebel Saadoun told Reuters by phone.

"We believe they want to enter the city at any cost before the international community starts implementing the UN resolution.

"We call on the international community to do something before it's too late. They must act now."

Another fighter named Mohammed said tanks were advancing towards the centre. "All the people of Misrata are desperately trying to defend the city," he said.

Four people had been killed and 70 wounded, Al Arabiya television said. A government spokesman said the military operation should be completed on Friday.

Time was also running short for Benghazi, the eastern city that has been at the heart of Libya's month-old revolt.

But Qaddafi's troops did not fulfil his threat to overrun the rebel base overnight after their rapid counter-offensive brought them to within 100 km (60 miles) of the eastern city.

"We will come. House by house, room by room," Qaddafi said in a radio address to Benghazi late on Thursday.

Qaddafi's son Saif al-Islam said Libya was "not afraid" of the UN resolution, Al Arabiya said.

He said the army would surround but not enter Benghazi and "anti-terror" forces would be sent in to disarm rebel forces, Al Jazeera quoted ABC news as saying.

Al Jazeera television showed thousands of people listening to the speech in a central Benghazi square, then erupting in celebration after the UN vote, waving anti-Qaddafi tricolours and chanting defiance of the man who has ruled for four decades.

Fireworks burst over the city and gunfire rang out.

Some had fled to the Egyptian border on Thursday but said the UN move had given them new hope. "It's a great development. We are so thankful," said Rajab Mohammed al-Agouri, with five children. "But we are waiting for it to be implemented. We are tired of talk."

The UN Security Council, meeting in emergency session, passed a resolution endorsing a no-fly zone. It also authorised "all necessary measures" code for military attack – to protect civilians from Qaddafi's forces.

Libya's military airfields are mostly strung along the Mediterranean coast, as are its population centres. Qaddafi's ground troops are advancing from the west along the main coast road towards Benghazi in the east.

While other countries or NATO may play roles in military action, US officials expect the United States with its extensive air and sea forces to do the heavy lifting in a campaign likely to include air strikes on tanks and artillery.

Qaddafi warned Benghazi residents that only those who laid down their arms before his advancing troops would be spared the vengeance awaiting "rats and dogs".

"It's over. The issue has been decided," Qaddafi said. "We are coming tonight ... We will find you in your closets.  "We will have no mercy and no pity."

Air strikes

Residents said the Libyan air force unleashed three air raids on the city of 670,000 on Thursday and there was fierce fighting along the Mediterranean coastal highway.

Ten of the Council's 15 member states voted in favour of the resolution, while Russia, China and Germany were among the five that abstained. The resolution was co-sponsored by France, Britain, Lebanon and the United States.

Apart from military action, it expands sanctions against Qaddafi and associates. Among firms whose assets it orders frozen are the Libyan National Oil Corp and the central bank.

US President Barack Obama called British and French leaders David Cameron and Nicolas Sarkozy and agreed to coordinate closely on their next steps.

European air traffic control organisation Eurocontrol said Malta had told it that Tripoli air traffic control was not accepting aircraft into Libyan airspace "until further notice".

Libya said the resolution, which also demands a ceasefire by government forces, was not worth the paper it was written on.

Rebel National Council head Mustafa Abdel Jalil told Al Jazeera television air strikes, beyond the no-fly zone, were essential to stop Qaddafi.

"We stand on firm ground. We will not be intimidated by these lies and claims... We will not settle for anything but liberation from this regime."

Some in the Arab world sense a Qaddafi victory could turn the tide in the region against pro-democracy movements that have unseated autocrats in Tunisia and Egypt and inspired mass protests in Bahrain, Yemen and elsewhere.

Qaddafi's Defence Ministry warned of swift retaliation, even beyond Libyan frontiers, against hostile action.

"Any foreign military act against Libya will expose all air and maritime traffic in the Mediterranean Sea to danger and civilian and military (facilities) will become targets of Libya's counter-attack," the ministry said in a statement.

Retaliation

Foreign military action could include no-fly and no-drive zones, a maritime exclusion zone, jamming army communications and intelligence help. Air strikes would almost certainly be launched to knock out Libyan radar and air defences.

An Italian government source told Reuters Italy was ready to make its military bases available. The airbase at Sigonella in Sicily, which provides logistical support for the United States Sixth Fleet, is one of the closest NATO bases to Libya.

The UN resolution followed a sharp shift in tone by the United States, which had resisted calls to military action. Diplomats said Washington's change of mind was influenced by an appeal to action by the Arab League.

"Mission creep" worries some. Western powers, chastened by protracted wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, would be wary of getting drawn into any ground action in Libya.

Germany said it saw "considerable dangers and risks" and that German troops would not take part in military action. NATO member Turkey also said it opposed the operation.

Arab League chief Amr Moussa said the UN resolution was aimed at protecting civilians and not did not authorise invasion, and said he did not want any side "to go too far".

Rebels have retreated over the last two weeks as Qaddafi has brought air power and heavy armour to bear.]]>
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			<title>Benghazi celebrates as UN clears way for air raids</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/134381/benghazi-celebrates-as-un-clears-way-for-air-raids</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/134381/benghazi-celebrates-as-un-clears-way-for-air-raids#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 18 Mar 11 06:34:31 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[UN Security Council clears way for air strikes to halt Moamer Qaddafi's assault on embattled rebels.]]>
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				<![CDATA[The UN Security Council on Thursday cleared the way for air strikes to halt Moamer Qaddafi's assault on embattled rebels in Libya, sparking wild celebratory gunfire in rebel bastion Benghazi.

The 15-member Security Council in a resolution approved "all necessary measures" to impose a no-fly zone, protect civilian areas and pressure the Libyan leader into accepting a ceasefire.

The UN vote passed 10-0 with five abstentions, permanent members China and Russia which did not wield their veto power, plus Germany, Brazil and India.

No German troops will take part in any military intervention in Libya as there are "considerable risks and dangers", Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said afterwards.

"We remain eminently sceptical on the option of military intervention... anticipated in this resolution. We see in it considerable risks and dangers. That is why we could not approve this part of the text," a statement said.

"German soldiers will not take part in a military intervention in Libya."

Diplomats indicated air strikes from a coalition led by Britain, France and the United States could be imminent, just hours after Qaddafi had threatened to send his troops against Benghazi.

Qaddafi later changed tack as "a humanitarian gesture" and decided to hold off on plans to mercilessly crush all resistance, CNN reported.

"I just took a phone call from one of Qaddafi's sons, Seif (al-Islam). This is the message from the leadership," the CNN correspondent in Tripoli said.

"He said they're going to change the tactics around Benghazi, that the army is not going to go into Benghazi. It's going to take up positions around the stronghold. The reason is they expect a humanitarian exodus."

Libya, despite condemning the resolution as a threat to its unity, said it was ready for a ceasefire but wanted to discuss terms of its implementation, Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaaim told reporters.

He indicated Libya would "react positively to the UN resolution, and we will prove this willingness while guaranteeing protection to civilians."

US President Barack Obama called French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron Thursday to coordinate Libya strategy.

"The leaders agreed that Libya must immediately comply with all terms of the resolution and that violence against the civilian population of Libya must cease," the White House said in a statement.

The European Union welcomed the UN resolution and the head of the European Parliament, Poland's Jerzy Buzek, said "there was no time to waste" to enforce it.

Canadian media also reported plans to send six warplanes to help enforce the no-fly zone.

In Rome, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi met defence officials to discuss the UN decision, ANSA news agency said. It also quoted Kaaim in Tripoli as saying: "Let's hope Italy keeps out of this initiative."

Italy, Libya's former colonial ruler, has been diplomatically cautious so far but has voted in favour of sanctions against Qaddafi's regime.

In Benghazi in the east, Libya's second city and stronghold of the month-long rebellion against Qaddafi's iron-fisted four-decade rule, celebratory gunfire rang out moments after the UN vote.

Preachers in mosques in the Mediterranean city used loudspeakers to shout "God is greatest, God is greatest."

Tracer bullets streaked across the night sky and anti-aircraft fire punctuated the sound of car horns.

Qaddafi, in a televised address, had warned just hours before the vote that his forces would attack Benghazi on Thursday night and show "no mercy."

"We will chase the traitors from Benghazi," he told his troops. "Destroy their fortifications. Show them no mercy. The world needs to see Benghazi free."

The rebel command in Benghazi ordered its fighters to man artillery posts and missile batteries after Qaddafi's announcement, rebel radio reported.

Qaddafi spoke shortly after his defence ministry said "any military operation against Libya will expose all air and maritime traffic in the Mediterranean to danger."

"Any civilian or military moving traffic will be the target of a Libyan counter-offensive," the official Jana news agency quoted the defence ministry spokesman as saying.

Qatar and the United Arab Emirates could be among the Arab nations to join any coalition that takes action against Qaddafi's regime, the Arab League's UN representative said.

Before the vote, protesters in Benghazi said they would welcome air strikes and an internationally enforced no-fly zone.

"The Libyan people want a no-fly zone, we want them to target Qaddafi's forces, his positions, but we don't want any troops on our land, we don't want to be like Iraq," said Mustafa Safez.

"We will win this war, and we are not afraid of him any more."

Insurgents on Thursday claimed they had shot down warplanes trying to bomb Benghazi and disputed claims of territorial gains by Qaddafi forces.

State television had said the regime loyalists were on the outskirts of Benghazi.

Allibya television said "the town of Zuwaytinah is under control (of loyalists) and armed forces are on the outskirts of Benghazi."

A rebel spokesman told AFP by telephone: "The Qaddafi forces tried to carry out an air raid on the city but our anti-aircraft defences repulsed the offensive and two planes were shot down."

Libyan television also said loyalists had overrun the rebel bastion of Misrata, 200 kilometres (125 miles) east of Tripoli, but that was denied by the rebels.

"We still control the city, even its outskirts. Qaddafi is mobilising his forces a few kilometres away," the spokesman said by telephone.

He said 18 people, including three civilians, were "martyred" on Wednesday and that "we inflicted huge losses to the Qaddafi forces, including 60 people killed."

A witness in the western town of Zintan said rebels there were bracing for an attack.

As uncertainty reigned on Thursday, aid agencies on Egypt's border with Libya braced for an onslaught of refugees if Qaddafi prevailed.

"If Benghazi is taken, we are expecting 40,000 to 100,000 people, and we are not ready," said Andrea Oess, of Swiss Humanitarian Aid.

Elsewhere in the Middle East, Bahrain rounded up dissidents as the United Nations warned of "shocking and illegal" abuses in the kingdom where the US-backed Sunni Muslim rulers are waging a bloody crackdown on Shiite-led protesters.

But the opposition vowed to press on with "peaceful" pro-democracy demonstrations, calling for protests after the Muslim weekly prayers on Friday and sit-ins on Saturday.]]>
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			<title>400 Pakistanis return from Libya</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/134373/400-pakistanis-return-from-libya</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/134373/400-pakistanis-return-from-libya#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 18 Mar 11 06:07:03 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[express]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[They arrived in Islamabad on a special PIA flight.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Four hundred more Pakistanis returned from the crisis-hit  Libya on Friday.

They arrived in Islamabad on  Friday on a special PIA flight.

Authorities say the operation to bring Pakistanis back from the  crisis-hit country will continue till all those wanting to leave Libya have been brought back safely.

Those Pakistanis who had fled to Libya's neighbouring countries such as  Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria and Turkey have also been brought back.]]>
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			<title>Libya to stop fighting Sunday to let rebels 'surrender'</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/133976/libya-to-stop-fighting-sunday-to-let-rebels-surrender</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/133976/libya-to-stop-fighting-sunday-to-let-rebels-surrender#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 17 Mar 11 14:51:45 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[afp]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[Qaddafi says his forces are set to regain control over the rebel-held towns of Misrata and Benghazi.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Libyan army announced that it would halt military operations from Sunday to give rebels the chance to lay down their arms and benefit from an amnesty, state news agency Jana reported.

"The provisional general committee (ministry) of defence has decided to halt military operations against the armed terrorist bands from midnight on Sunday (2200 GMT) ... to give (them) a chance to lay down their arms and benefit from a general amnesty," Jana said.

However, the ministry did not give an ultimatum.

Qaddafi set to take Misrata, Benghazi

Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi said his forces were set to regain control over the rebel-held towns of Misrata and Benghazi, Al Arabiya reported on Thursday.

The Arabic satellite television channel reported brief headlines carrying Qaddafi's comments without saying where or when the remarks were made.

One headline, citing Qaddafi, said the battle in Misrata in western Libya "will be determined" on Thursday and the second said Benghazi "will fall without fighting".

Rebels in Benghazi said Gaddafi's forces were nowhere near but said the outskirts of the city, Libya's second biggest and the headquarters of the rebel movement, had been hit by air strikes on Thursday.]]>
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			<title>Whither the Libyan quest for freedom? — I</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/133444/whither-the-libyan-quest-for-freedom-%e2%80%94-i</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/133444/whither-the-libyan-quest-for-freedom-%e2%80%94-i#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 16 Mar 11 19:38:45 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[najmuddin.a.shaikh]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=133444</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The Arab League voted as it did because of the personal revulsion towards Qaddafi.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[On March 11, the Arab League called upon the UN Security Council to impose a no-flying zone over Libya. There are mixed reports on whether or not the League, having earlier suspended the membership of Qaddafi’s government, had also recognised the Benghazi-located Libyan National Council as the legitimate representative of Libya, but all reports seem to agree that they did decide to establish contact with this group.

Many observers viewed this resolution as quite remarkable, given that many of the participating foreign ministers had to be mindful of the demands for greater political freedom and the ouster of dictatorial regimes that they had to contend with in their own countries. Partly, of course, the Arab League voted as it did because of the personal revulsion towards Qaddafi. And partly it was because they did not want to be seen as standing aside while fellow Arabs were killed by a megalomaniac. Largely, however, the decision reflected the urgent need to differentiate themselves from Qaddafi and to press the view that they would be seeking talks and compromises as the way to defuse the crises in their own countries.

On the ground, the situation is growing more desperate by the day for the ‘rebels’. Ras Lanuf and Zawiya are now firmly under Qaddafi’s control. The last rebel base in Western Libya, Misrata, is under siege and may fall shortly. The destruction in the cities Qaddafi has taken has been enormous. Zawiya, the last city to fall, reportedly bore the signs not only of the destruction of buildings and other physical infrastructure but also of mass graves into which the victims of the assault had been pushed.

One can no longer dismiss as an idle boast Qaddafi’s son Saif’s message to his “brothers” in the East that “we are coming”. This, of course means Benghazi, a city of 700,000 and the pioneer in the revolt against Qaddafi, and the seat of the Libyan National Council. This is the city that had defied Qaddafi in the past and suffered at his hands. They will resist if only because they have no hope of mercy. The massacre here would be awful, perhaps even more appalling than the slaughter in Srebrenica, which finally caused the world to act against the Serbian butchers.

At this stage, their only hope lies in foreign intervention, perhaps an intervention more forceful than has been called for by the Arab League and which the Libyan National Council may believe will be forthcoming after President Sarkozy announced France’s recognition of the Council as the legitimate government of Libya and the encouraging noises made by Nato which is now conducting round the clock surveillance flights over Libya — albeit without having been able to agree on doing anything more.

And that is the rub. The only country which has the where withal to impose a no-fly zone and to take other military action is the United States. There is considerable support for such action in Congress, which was said by General Clapper, the director of National Intelligence — much to the annoyance of the White House — that in the longer term, the Qaddafi regime would prevail because it had been able to replenish its weapon supplies. Senator McCain reflected the views of Congress when he said that a Qaddafi victory “would signal to rulers across the region that the best way to maintain power in the face of peaceful demands for justice is through swift and merciless violence.”

US President Obama has been categorical in demanding that Qaddafi should be removed from power. His administration claims rightly that they have swiftly imposed sanctions and frozen assets. But in terms of assisting the rebels, he has not gone beyond announcing that a government aid team would go to rebel held Libya and that Secretary of State Clinton would meet with rebel representatives in Cairo this week. Why so? Clinton explains that she was opposed to the United States acting without international authorisation since the “consequences are unforeseeable”. This caution comes not only from the difficulties inherent in imposing a no-fly zone, which would entail to start with the taking out of Libya’s air defence capabilities, but also from the apprehension that it would attract the same opprobrium that followed US unilateral action in Iraq. The Arab League resolution eases this problem somewhat

On March 11, the Arab League called upon the UN Security Council to impose a no-flying zone over Libya. There are mixed reports on whether or not the League, having earlier suspended the membership of Qaddafi’s government, had also recognised the Benghazi-located Libyan National Council as the legitimate representative of Libya, but all reports seem to agree that they did decide to establish contact with this group.

Many observers viewed this resolution as quite remarkable, given that many of the participating foreign ministers had to be mindful of the demands for greater political freedom and the ouster of dictatorial regimes that they had to contend with in their own countries. Partly, of course, the Arab League voted as it did because of the personal revulsion towards Qaddafi. And partly it was because they did not want to be seen as standing aside while fellow Arabs were killed by a megalomaniac. Largely, however, the decision reflected the urgent need to differentiate themselves from Qaddafi and to press the view that they would be seeking talks and compromises as the way to defuse the crises in their own countries.

On the ground, the situation is growing more desperate by the day for the ‘rebels’. Ras Lanuf and Zawiya are now firmly under Qaddafi’s control. The last rebel base in Western Libya, Misrata, is under siege and may fall shortly. The destruction in the cities Qaddafi has taken has been enormous. Zawiya, the last city to fall, reportedly bore the signs not only of the destruction of buildings and other physical infrastructure but also of mass graves into which the victims of the assault had been pushed.

One can no longer dismiss as an idle boast Qaddafi’s son Saif’s message to his “brothers” in the East that “we are coming”. This, of course means Benghazi, a city of 700,000 and the pioneer in the revolt against Qaddafi, and the seat of the Libyan National Council. This is the city that had defied Qaddafi in the past and suffered at his hands. They will resist if only because they have no hope of mercy. The massacre here would be awful, perhaps even more appalling than the slaughter in Srebrenica, which finally caused the world to act against the Serbian butchers.

At this stage, their only hope lies in foreign intervention, perhaps an intervention more forceful than has been called for by the Arab League and which the Libyan National Council may believe will be forthcoming after President Sarkozy announced France’s recognition of the Council as the legitimate government of Libya and the encouraging noises made by Nato which is now conducting round the clock surveillance flights over Libya — albeit without having been able to agree on doing anything more.

And that is the rub. The only country which has the where withal to impose a no-fly zone and to take other military action is the United States. There is considerable support for such action in Congress, which was said by General Clapper, the director of National Intelligence — much to the annoyance of the White House — that in the longer term, the Qaddafi regime would prevail because it had been able to replenish its weapon supplies. Senator McCain reflected the views of Congress when he said that a Qaddafi victory “would signal to rulers across the region that the best way to maintain power in the face of peaceful demands for justice is through swift and merciless violence.”

US President Obama has been categorical in demanding that Qaddafi should be removed from power. His administration claims rightly that they have swiftly imposed sanctions and frozen assets. But in terms of assisting the rebels, he has not gone beyond announcing that a government aid team would go to rebel held Libya and that Secretary of State Clinton would meet with rebel representatives in Cairo this week. Why so? Clinton explains that she was opposed to the United States acting without international authorisation since the “consequences are unforeseeable”. This caution comes not only from the difficulties inherent in imposing a no-fly zone, which would entail to start with the taking out of Libya’s air defence capabilities, but also from the apprehension that it would attract the same opprobrium that followed US unilateral action in Iraq. The Arab League resolution eases this problem somewhat but in the UN Security Council, to which the Arab League has appealed, Russia and China are opposed, at least for now, to any such intervention in a sovereign country.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 17th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Several Arab states would aid Libya military op: France</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/133344/several-arab-states-would-aid-libya-military-op-france</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/133344/several-arab-states-would-aid-libya-military-op-france#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 16 Mar 11 10:15:07 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[afp]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=133344</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[French Foreign Minister writes in his blog that Arab nations are willing to stop the advance of Qaddafi's forces.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Several Arab nations are prepared to take part in a military operation in Libya to stop the advance of leader Muammar Qaddafi's forces, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe wrote on his blog on Wednesday.

"Only the threat of force can stop Qaddafi. It is by bombarding, with the few dozen planes and helicopters he really has, his opponents' positions that the Libyan dictator has turned the balance.

"We can/could neutralise his airborne means by targeted strikes.

"That's what France and Britain have been proposing for two weeks. On two conditions: getting a mandate from the United Nations Security Council, the only source in international law for using force; acting not only with the support but also with the concrete participation of Arab nations.

"This second condition is in the process of being satisfied: several Arab countries have assured us that they would take part."

Juppe was writing after hosting his counterparts from the Group of Eight major powers on Monday and Tuesday.

The foreign ministers failed to agree on military intervention in Libya, notably a Franco-British plan to implement a no-fly zone to prevent Qaddafi's forced advancing on the rebel stronghold of Benghazi.

Instead the G8 agreed to send the issue of dealing with Qaddafi back to the UN Security Council in New York, where further action, including economic sanctions, could be authorised.

"France, with Britain and Lebanon, has just put forward a draft resolution in New York that would give us the expected mandate," Juppe wrote.

"The French president (Nicolas Sarkozy) and the British prime minister (David Cameron) have just called solemnly for the (UN Security) Council members to look at it and adopt it."

"It often happens in our recent history that the weakness of democracies gives dictators free rein. It's not too late to break with this rule."

Rebel forces in Benghazi, Libya's second city, were on Wednesday awaiting a threatened assault by forces loyal to Qaddafi, who has vowed to crush the month-old revolt against his rule.

Qaddafi himself has called the rebels "rats and stray dogs", saying, "If this is a foreign plot, we will crush it; if it is a domestic plot, we will crush it."

"The colonialists will be vanquished, France will be vanquished, America will be vanquished, Great Britain will be vanquished," Qaddafi said on television. "The Libyan people will triumph; liberty will triumph."

He said the Arab League, which suspended Libya from participation and backed calls for a no-fly zone to prevent him from bombing rebels and civilians, was "finished".

Addressing Arab leaders, he said "it is you who should let your peoples live in freedom."

"I challenge them to give freedom to their peoples the way I have done with the Libyan people."

&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>Imperial impulses on Libya</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/132938/imperial-impulses-on-libya</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/132938/imperial-impulses-on-libya#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 15 Mar 11 17:53:48 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[tariq.fatemi]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[The West would do well to restrain its imperial impulses and to ensure a peaceful transition.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Habits die hard, especially those ingrained in our collective psyches, as proven by western reaction to recent events in Libya. What began as a genuine popular expression of anger and outrage against Qaddafi and his murderous regime is in danger of becoming Libya’s second popular uprising against foreign domination.

US President Barack Obama has so far hesitated to succumb to pressure from Republicans and neocons who want the US to take the lead in overthrowing Qaddafi, if need be, by launching an armed invasion. Defence Secretary Gates, too, has demonstrated sensitivity to the likely fallout of such a reckless adventure, commenting that those advocating sending troops to another Asian or African country need to have “their heads examined”.

But pressure on Obama to prove his national security credentials by his readiness to use force is mounting. To placate his critics, Obama announced that Secretary Clinton would meet this week with rebel representatives in Cairo and also send a US aid team into the rebel-held area, moves that indicate growing support for the rebels. But the US has shied away from recognition of the rebels’ Transitional National Council as Libya’s legitimate government. Clinton also emphasised that without international authorisation, the US could not enter into the fray, as this would have “unforeseeable consequences”. Gates, too, reaffirmed that no military action would be taken without a UN Security Council resolution. This ‘debate’ is not surprising, as most American presidents (other than junior Bush) have wrestled with the ever-present dilemma of having to choose between ‘pragmatism’ and ‘idealism’. While Obama’s personal inclination may favour his being a ‘transformative historical figure’, what he decides to do in Libya and later in Bahrain, and possibly at some stage in Saudi Arabia, will come to define his presidency.

No such hesitation is, however, to be seen in UK Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who are raring to have a go at Libya. But other European governments are worried over the prospect of getting entangled in another Muslim country, as reflected in German Foreign Minister Westerwelle’s remark: “We don’t want to get sucked into a war in North Africa”.

On the issue of a ‘no-fly zone’ as well, there is some confusion within the ranks of the EU and Nato. Though both Britain and France favour this strongly, others are adopting a cautious attitude. Even Nato Secretary General Rasmussen, no pacifist either, has warned that Nato “will need a clear basis for any action”. But the French president and the British prime minister suffer no such fears. To them, any initiative to resurrect their great power ambitions is legitimate. Sarkozy’s decision to recognise the Benghazi-based National Libyan Council not only surprised other EU leaders, but his own foreign minister as well!

Even by the standards of the region, Libya is peculiar in that there is no distinction between state and regime. Qaddafi has built a power structure centred around his family and dependent on tribal alliances, which explains why the country appears to be dividing along tribal lines, with some seeing it as a revolution, while others call it a civil war. A western military intervention, even under the subterfuge of the Arab League-sanctioned ‘no-fly zone’, would be a colossal mistake and counterproductive, as Qaddafi would seek to portray himself as his country’s protector against historic colonial powers. This is also likely to further enrage Muslim opinion, providing a bonanza to the militants.

The scale and speed of events in North Africa and the Middle East have caught the major powers off-guard, with some concerned with human rights, while others scramble to protect their interests in a fast-evolving situation. There are no easy answers to deal with the emerging challenges, which are political, economic and even human. The West would do well to restrain its imperial impulses and, instead, rely on diplomatic measures, taken in collaboration with Libya’s neighbours and with UN legitimacy, to ensure a peaceful transition.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 16th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Around 20,000 Pakistanis stranded in Libya</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/132025/around-20000-pakistanis-stranded-in-libya</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/132025/around-20000-pakistanis-stranded-in-libya#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 13 Mar 11 10:13:01 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[express]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=132025</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Committee monitoring situation and coordinating early repatriation of the stranded nationals.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF) Managing Director Habibur Rehman Khan on Sunday said that around 15,000 to 20,000 Pakistanis are still stranded in Libya.

Talking to APP, the OPF Managing Director said that a committee was monitoring the situation and coordinating early repatriation of the stranded nationals.

Khan said the committee was working in close coordination with the Special Task Force established at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs adding that the OPF counters were operative round the clock at airports to facilitate Pakistanis returning from Libya by speedy the completion of all necessary formalities.

Six Pakistanis return

Six more Pakistanis returned home from crisis-hit Libya on Sunday.

Nadeem Kamboh, Aslam, Shafiq, Amjad, Amir and Imtiaz Ahmed, speaking to the media at the Lahore Airport, said that the Libyan army had detained and tortured them for a week.

They complained that they were deprived of food and water during this period and said that the Libyan army had also robbed them of their money and luggage.

Nadeem Kamboh, one of the six Pakistanis, said that the Libyan army is killing its own citizens.]]>
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			<title>400 Pakistanis arrive from Libya</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/130488/400-pakistanis-arrive-from-libya</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/130488/400-pakistanis-arrive-from-libya#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 10 Mar 11 09:33:14 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[express]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=130488</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Foreign Office says total number of Pakistanis who have safely returned from Libya is 3,129.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Four hundred Pakistanis arrived in Islamabad  in a special PIA chartered flight from Libya on Thursday. 

Pakistan began flights from Tripoli for the evacuation of its citizens on Monday.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) spokesperson Mashood Tajwar told The Express Tribune earlier that the clearance from the Foreign Office for beginning flights arrived on Friday.

The Foreign Office has stated that the total number of Pakistanis who have safely returned from Libya is 3,129.
The operation to evacuate Pakistanis will continue till all those  wanting to leave Libya have been brought back safely.
Also, Pakistanis who fled the violence to neighbouring countries such  as Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria and Turkey have been repatriated to Pakistan through special, chartered or commercial flights.]]>
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			<title>Qaddafi’s forces regain control of Zawiyah centre</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/130370/qaddafi%e2%80%99s-forces-regain-control-of-zawiyah-centre</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/130370/qaddafi%e2%80%99s-forces-regain-control-of-zawiyah-centre#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 10 Mar 11 04:30:17 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[afp]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=130370</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Clinton says no-fly-zone must not be led by US, fresh artillery barrage in eastern Libya.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Forces loyal to Muammar Qaddafi regained control of the centre of Zawiyah on Wednesday, after using tanks and snipers to drive rebels out of their stronghold in the western city’s main square, residents said.


A fighter told Reuters pro-Qaddafi forces had entered the main square as rebels pulled back. A local doctor confirmed the report and said the death toll in the day’s fighting was at least 40 and probably many more.

“We have pulled back and they are inside the square but we will attack them again and have it back,” the fighter said by telephone. “We will do that tonight. This is not the end.”

The doctor said there were many dead in the streets, including old people, women and children.

Rebels in the east, facing a fresh barrage of artillery fire on their desert frontline outside the oil port of Ras Lanuf, renewed an appeal for outside powers to impose a no-fly zone to at least shield them from air attacks.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made it clear, however, that imposing a no-fly zone is a matter for the United Nations and should not be a US-led initiative.

A rebel fighter and a resident had said earlier the rebel forces were surrounded in Zawiyah’s main square. “They have surrounded the square with snipers and tanks. The situation is not so good. It’s very scary. There are a lot of snipers,” said a Zawiyah resident.

City sealed off

A Tunisian man who crossed the border on the way from Tripoli to Tunis in mid-afternoon said Zawiyah was encircled and the sound of explosions could be heard.

Many foreign governments are wary of moving from sanctions alone to military action.

British Prime Minister David Cameron and President Barack Obama agreed in a telephone call to plan “the full spectrum of possible responses, including surveillance, humanitarian assistance, enforcement of the arms embargo, and a no-fly zone.”

“They had a no-fly zone in Iraq. Why is Qaddafi their darling and Saddam Hussein was not?” said volunteer Naji Saleh near Ras Lanuf.

Rebels captured Ras Lanuf last week and began pushing down the strategic coastal road towards Sirte, Qaddafi’s home town. But they were beaten back and are now on a stretch of no man’s land desert between Ras Lanuf and Bin Jawad, 550 km east of Tripoli.

Qaddafi  loyalists launched a bombardment near rebel positions around the oil terminal of Sidra near Ras Lanuf, on Wednesday, blowing up storage tanks at the facility.

Rebels retaliated by firing back with rockets as a fireball exploded from one of the oil tanks and the sky above the terminal filled with black smoke.

An air strike was reported on Ras Lanuf, which has sustained several attacks in the past days.The Libyan authorities on Wednesday offered a bounty of 500,000 Libyan dinars ($400,000) to anyone who captured rebel leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil and handed him in.

Qaddafi envoy en route for Portugal: EU

A Libyan government emissary was en route Wednesday for Portugal for talks with the country’s foreign minister on the eve of key talks on Libya in Brussels, an EU source told AFP.

Asked to comment on reports that Muammar Qaddafi was sending emissaries to Europe ahead of a series of key diplomatic meetings in Brussels this week, the source said: “there is a plane going to Portugal with a moderate member” of the Qaddafi regime. The emissary was planning to meet Portuguese Foreign Minister Luis Amado, the source added. Amado on Thursday will be attending a gathering of the European Union’s 27 foreign ministers that was hastily called ahead of a crisis summit on Libya taking place in Brussels on Friday.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 10th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Tanks said closing in on rebel-held square in Libya</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/130016/tanks-said-closing-in-on-rebel-held-square-in-libya</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/130016/tanks-said-closing-in-on-rebel-held-square-in-libya#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 09 Mar 11 10:34:39 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=130016</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Snipers shooting at anything that moves, rebels and residents.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The tanks of pro-Qaddafi forces were closing in on the rebel-held main square of Zawiyah on Wednesday and their snipers were shooting at anything that moved, rebels and residents said.

Bodies were lying unrecovered in the ruins of many buildings destroyed in air raids earlier in the week. There was no one in the streets of the centre of the city of 200,000 and it was not possible to verify the reports independently.

"We can see the tanks. The tanks are everywhere," the rebel fighter told Reuters by phone from inside Zawiyah, which lies 50 km west of the Libyan capital, Tripoli.

The fighter, named Ibrahim, said forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi were in control of the main road and the suburbs of Zawiyah, which in the past three days has become the focal point of a civil war on two fronts to oust the 41-year-old Qaddafi regime.

Rebel forces still controlled Zawiyah square, and the enemy was about 1,500 metres away, Ibrahim said.

There were army snipers on top of most of the buildings, shooting whomever dared to leave their homes. Half of the city was destroyed by air attacks, including a mosque.

Zawiyah was, briefly, described as a rebel stronghold in the uprising which erupted against Qaddafi last month. But it may now be on the verge of changing hands.

"The situation is not so good," said a resident reporting by telephone. Civilians are pinned down in their houses, unable to flee from the mounting violence.

"No one can move outside their homes because they there are snipers everywhere," he added.

Many Dead

Ibrahim said Qaddafi forces "have surrounded the square with snipers and tanks" but rebels were holding on to the central square area.

"It's very scary. There are a lot of snipers," he said.

But he said rebel forces still held the central square area.

"There are many dead people and they can't even bury them. Zawiyah is deserted. There's nobody on the streets. No animals, not even birds in the sky," he said.

He said rebels had killed a high-ranking cousin of Qaddafi in fighting earlier in the week, and "that's why he bombed the city. They wanted to retrieve the body and they did."

He said about 60 rebel fighters had gone out from the city to attack an army base on Tuesday about 20 km from Zawiyah.

"None of them has returned and we don't know if they're dead or alive. We haven't heard from them," he said.

Heavy fighting shuts gasoline refinery

Heavy fighting has forced the shutdown of one of Libya's biggest refineries on the edge of the flashpoint town of Zawiyah 50 km west of Tripoli, a refinery official said on Wednesday.

"Heavy weapons have been fired nearby and we can't run the refinery under these conditions," the official told Reuters.

The Zawiyah refinery is the biggest provider of gasoline for cars in Libya, and has a total capacity of 120,000 barrels per day. The refinery has been operating at 70 percent capacity for the past two weeks.

The official said he planned to open the refinery later on Wednesday but it was not clear whether it would be possible.

Any sustained shutdowns at the refinery in the city of 250,000 could add to instability in Libya as government forces try to crush rebels determined to topple the country's leader Muammar Qaddafi.]]>
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			<title>Libya measures: Obama, Cameron discuss no fly zone</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/129897/libya-measures-obama-cameron-discuss-no-fly-zone</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/129897/libya-measures-obama-cameron-discuss-no-fly-zone#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 09 Mar 11 04:37:24 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[afp]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[Obama and Cameron agree to plan “full spectrum” of action on Libya, including a possible no-fly zone.]]>
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				<![CDATA[US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron agreed on Tuesday to plan a “full spectrum” of action on Libya, including a possible no-fly zone, surveillance and a relief effort.

Obama and Cameron spoke amid calls for immediate international action to halt Muammar Qaddafi’s crackdown on rebels but with no clear unified world response to the strongman leader’s defiance emerging.

“The president and the prime minister agreed to press forward with planning, including at Nato, on the full spectrum of possible responses,” the White House said. Possible measures included surveillance, humanitarian assistance, enforcement of the arms embargo, and a no-fly zone, the White House said.

Cameron and Obama spoke amid renewed international calls for a no-fly zone as Libya’s air force stepped up strikes on front line rebels.

Washington has been less enthusiastic about such a step than its allies, with some officials noting that it would require bombardments of Libya’s air defences.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 9th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Libya no-fly zone plan fraught with questions</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/129431/libya-no-fly-zone-plan-fraught-with-questions</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/129431/libya-no-fly-zone-plan-fraught-with-questions#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 08 Mar 11 09:59:03 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[afp]]>
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				<![CDATA[US officials say proposed no-fly zone over Libya would have numerous logistical obstacles.]]>
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				<![CDATA[A proposed no-fly zone over Libya would have numerous logistical obstacles and offers no guarantee of achieving the goal of halting government attacks, US officials and analysts say.

Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned last week that enforcing a no-fly zone in Libya would be "extraordinarily complex."

Others have pointed out that this would be an act of war and would likely require a United Nations resolution as a legal basis.

Analysts note that Libya is four times the size of Iraq, even if the population is concentrated along the coast. Any enforcement would require the use of AWACS radar aircraft, refueling tankers and warplanes to block radar and communications of Libyan aircraft.

Helicopters and rescue crews would also be needed to recover any pilots lost over the North African country.

Barry Watts of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments said this would require 50 to 70 aircraft operating each day.

"The bigger problem might be finding air bases close enough to operate," he said. "Italy comes to mind, but the Italians would have to approve it."

The warplanes used in a no-fly zone would need a land base or aircraft carrier. There is no carrier in proximity to Libya, although the USS Enterprise is in the Red Sea and the French carrier Charles de Gaulle is in the Mediterranean port of Toulon.

Britain and France have made the most aggressive calls among Western powers for a no-fly zone to hamper Libyan strongman Moamer Kadhafi's offensive. The United States has said it is studying the possibility while warning of the major military operation it would entail.

Colonel David Lapan, a Pentagon spokesman, said US military planners are examining what would be needed for a no-fly zone if President Barack Obama issues such an order.

"Military planners are looking at all the various options to be able to present to the president a full range, so they would look at sea-based assets, land-based assets, basically what it would take should that decision be made," Lapan said.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said any no-fly operation "begins with an attack on Libya to destroy the air defenses. That's the way you do a no-fly zone."

Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank, said any such operation would have to quickly demonstrate superiority over Libyan forces.

"You wouldn't risk any US or other force simply being caught up in constant surface-to-air attacks and ambushes," he said.

"The problem is in enforcing something like this, you want to have a decisive act, you want to create a situation where there is no Libyan willingness to take risk or engage."

Libya has around 100 SA-2 anti-aircraft missiles designed in the 1950s and another 70 SA-6 missiles which are more recent, according to Globalsecurity.org.

Libya has around 300 warplanes, mostly Russian-made MIG-23s and MIG-25s, around half of which are not operational, according the security website.

Cordesman said a no-fly zone for fixed-wing aircraft is easier to implement than one that deals with attack helicopters "which are harder to track and attack."

But he said that Kadhafi's forces "could potentially suppress the rebels regardless of a no-fly zone."

Similar concerns about the effectiveness of a no-fly zone came from the US envoy to NATO, Ivo Daalder.

"No-fly zones are more effective against fighters but they really have a limited effect against his helicopters or the kind of ground operations that we've seen," he said.

"Which is why a no-fly zone, even if it were to be established, isn't really going to impact what is happening there today. That doesn't mean we shouldn't look at it," Daalder said in a conference call.]]>
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			<title>The Arab awakening: Continuing or faltering?</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/129041/the-arab-awakening-continuing-or-faltering</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/129041/the-arab-awakening-continuing-or-faltering#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 07 Mar 11 18:26:30 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[najmuddin.a.shaikh]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[The Islamists have returned but with a similarly low profile.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Many observers had expected that, as in Tunisia and Egypt, the ‘strongman’ of Libya would recognise that, in the face of the mass uprising, his position was untenable and would resign. These hopes have been belied. Qaddafi continues to hold out and, by all accounts, his grip on the levers of power, at least in Tripoli, remains strong. The big difference has been the army. Learning from his own experience when, as a young officer, he used the army to overthrow the monarch, he has kept the army weak and ill-equipped, while providing the necessary training equipment and facilities only to units under the direct command of his son — the brigade popularly known as the Khamis brigade — or other security units — the People’s Security Organisation and the Revolutionary Guards Corps — whose unquestioning loyalty he could count on and perhaps, above all, the internal security apparatus commanded by his brother-in-law, Brigadier General Senussi. If reports from Tripoli are to be believed, he has had no hesitation in deploying these forces with live ammunition to disperse demonstrators, even in the vicinity of mosques, on Friday last.

Does this mean he will prevail? The people of Tripoli, where Qaddafi’s hold is strongest, made it clear on the few occasions they could talk freely to the 130-odd correspondents Qaddafi had invited to see ‘normalcy’ in Libya, that they hated Qaddafi but feared retribution if they were caught and if Qaddafi ultimately prevailed. This same fear pervaded the conversations of ordinary people in Benghazi in the east from where, at least for now, it seems that Qaddafi’s forces have been permanently evicted and where a temporary government has also been set up. They had lived for too long with the dreaded security police and their spies, whose reports could lead to torture and death, or to unexplained disappearances.

The forces the rebels have mustered are a ragtag motley lot. There is more enthusiasm than military skill. Understandably, they shy away when faced with superior weaponry. But one can see that there is courage, perhaps born of despair, and the hope, perhaps futile, that eventually even Qaddafi’s trusted loyalists will refrain from harming their own compatriots. There must have been an element of this involved in the siege of Zawiya, a city situated a little over 40 kilometres west of Tripoli and home to one of Libya’s largest refineries. On March 4, and again on March 5, all reports seem to agree that the Qaddafi units, with tanks and armoured vehicles, moved into the centre of the town but then pulled back without having suffered any significant losses or an organised counter-attack.

And this will, in my view, be the reason for Qaddafi’s ultimate downfall. Even the members of his elite units will have relatives in the rebel camp and shooting en masse at one’s kin to ensure the survival of a leader whose shenanigans have long been a source of shame, will perhaps be impossible no matter what the rewards on offer.

The Libyan people will prevail and will perhaps do so with a measure of unity that was not expected when the uprising began. There have been signs of discord in the provisional government that has been set up but these seem to have been squelched. There were reports of Qaddafi seeking to exploit tribal differences but these too seem to have been subsumed in the larger struggle. There was the constant refrain in Tripoli of the al Qaeda hand but this seems to be no more than a last ditch effort to exploit an imaginary bogey.

Qaddafi, however, is tenacious and the struggle may well be longer than was at first anticipated. Libya is fortunate. It has the resources to be able to overcome, in a relatively short time, the economic costs — already some 40 per cent of its 1.5 million barrels of oil has stopped flowing out and this figure will probably rise. The world, as much as Libya, will pay the price for the shortfall in oil availability, despite the Saudi willingness to use their excess capacity to meet the shortfall.

But Libya is not alone. The entire Arab world is in ferment. Notably, King Abdullah, on return to Saudi Arabia after an extensive period abroad for medical treatment, made an immediate announcement of $36 billion in additional emoluments and benefits to the people. This, however, was not sufficient and he has now announced, after the first demonstrations in eastern Saudi Arabia by the Shias, that further demonstrations were banned, as they were not in accord with Saudi tradition and would be firmly dealt with by the security authorities. While I do not anticipate any overthrow of the monarchy, reforms are almost inevitable.

Bahrain continues to be in a troubled state but, after the initial escalation in demands, it appears that the demonstrators will be happy if the cabinet and, in particular, the prime minister, the uncle of the king, were to be dismissed. The crown prince has a good chance of being able to compromise with the demonstrators once the uncle is out of the way, without jeopardising the monarchy.

In Oman again, it seems that the monarchy can be preserved if it becomes less autocratic because the sultan continues to be popular. In Yemen, however, the writing is on the wall — President Ali Abdullah Saleh will have to go. The resignation of people from his party has created an untenable situation. But it is Egypt which has to be watched most carefully because it is Egypt today that will influence, more than any other country, the course of events in the Arab world. The army has already acquiesced in the demands of the demonstrators, and has replaced Prime Minister Shafiq and his replacement has been bold enough to go out to the crowds in Tahrir Square to seek their blessings and ask for their help in rebuilding Egypt. It is only a matter of time before the army takes the other measures required — creating the conditions in which political parties can be formed, an independent election commission legislated for and the holding of elections only after these steps have been completed.

In all these steps, one thing seems clear. The ferment may eventually benefit the Islamists but, for the moment, they are in no position to dictate the course of events nor do they appear to want to do so. The Ikhwan has announced that they will have candidates in only 150 of Egypt’s 454 constituencies and they will not field a candidate for president. Elsewhere, the Islamists have returned but with a similarly low profile.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 8th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Counter-attack: Battles rage as rebels seize Libyan towns</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/123329/qaddafi-to-make-public-address-tv</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/123329/qaddafi-to-make-public-address-tv#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 25 Feb 11 03:45:19 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=123329</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Libyan leader calls for calm, says &quot;no sane person&quot; would protest and that only he has &quot;moral authority&quot;.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Forces loyal to Muammar Qaddafi launched a fierce counter-attack on Thursday, fighting gun battles with rebels who have threatened the Libyan leader by seizing important towns close to the capital.

The opposition was already in control of major centres in the east, including the regional capital Benghazi, and reports that the towns of Misrata and Zuara in the west had also fallen brought the tide of rebellion closer to Qaddafi’s power base.

Gun battles in Zawiyah, an oil terminal 50 kilometres from the capital, left 10 people dead, said Libyan newspapers.

France’s top human rights official said up to 2,000 people might have died so far in the uprising.

Qaddafi’s supporters attacked anti-government militias controlling Misrata and several people were killed in fighting near the city’s airport. Soldiers were reported along the roads to Tripoli.

In a rambling appeal for calm, Qaddafi blamed the revolt on al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, and said the protesters were fuelled by milk and Nescafe spiked with hallucinogenic drugs. Qaddafi showed none of the fist-thumping rage of an earlier speech. This time, he spoke to state television by telephone without appearing in person, and his tone seemed more conciliatory.

A Tripoli resident said: “It seems like he realised that his speech yesterday with the strong language had no effect on the people.”

US favours expulsion

The United States called for Libya to be expelled from the UN Human Rights Council because the embattled regime of the North African nation was suppressing the rights of its people.

President Barack Obama will call British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy to coordinate steps designed to halt the crackdown in Libya, the White House said.

European defence ministers are expected to discuss the unrest shaking Libya at a meeting Thursday night, Hungary’s defence minister said, amid efforts to evacuate thousands of European citizens.

Mercenaries jailed

Residents of Benghazi have jailed those they say are mercenaries and set up defences around this eastern city now out of the control of leader Muammar Qaddafi, who has lost control of swathes of Libya.

A court compound in the centre of Benghazi, on the Mediterranean coast, has become a focal point for those seeking to reimpose law and order after a bloody rebellion against Qaddafi loyalists who relinquished the city to residents.

Defences were being prepared in some parts of the city for the chance of an attack by Qaddafi’s forces, said organisers who have set up committees to run the city. The airport was closed because residents feared more mercenaries could be flow in.

A dozen people are being held in a court building. Residents said they were “mercenaries” backing Qaddafi, some were said to be African and others from southern Libya.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 25th, 2011.]]>
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