Showing posts with label oil shortage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label oil shortage. Show all posts

Monday, March 28, 2011

Germany: Sarkozy remarks dangerous



German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/171906.html

Germany has slammed French President Nicolas Sarkozy's comments about the possibility of Europe's military intervention in the Arab world.

"I am very concerned by the latest public remarks, including from European partners, that we are not just talking about Libya but also about other Arab leaders," Germany's Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle told a Berlin radio station on Friday.

Referring to Sarkozy's speech at a European Union summit in Brussels late Thursday, Westerwelle said it was "dangerous" to threaten military action against autocratic Arab leaders other than Gaddafi.

"I warn against having a discussion in Europe about the possibility of military intervention everywhere in North Africa or the Arab world where there is injustice,” he said, adding that "I see this as a really dangerous discussion with difficult consequences for the region and for the Arab world as a whole."

The French president had warned Arab leaders of military intervention in case any similar movements happen in their countries, AFP reported.

"France calls for there to be no violence against protesting civilians, it is their right to demonstrate," Sarkozy said.

"Every leader, and [every] Arab leader in particular, needs to understand that the reaction of the international community will be the same every time."

France is at the forefront of military action against Libyan leader which many believe aims at capturing the vast oil resources of the North African country.

"We do not see it as a solution that we threaten every Arab leader with military intervention by the international community and Europe every time," Westerwelle said.

Last Saturday, France, Britain and the US launched airstrikes on Libya, firing more than 120 Tomahawk Cruise missiles and conducting bombing raids on key Libyan targets.

The United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1973 on Thursday, permitting military measures to be taken in order to implement a no-fly zone in Libya.

The attacks have come under harsh criticism as they have led to the death of scores of civilians.

Arab League Chief Amr Moussa said on Monday that the invasion was in violation of Resolution 1973, which calls for the protection of civilians.

At least 114 people, including civilians, have been killed and 445 others injured in the week-long campaign of US-led military airstrikes, the Libyan state TV quoted Health Minister Khaled Omar as saying at a press conference in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, on Saturday.

'US drops uranium bombs on Libya'



US B-2 bomber

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/171881.html

The Stop the War Coalition says the bombs and missiles that the US-led military alliance has dropped on several Libyan cities contain depleted uranium (DU).

The report recently published on the Coalition's website said that in the first 24 hours of the war on Libya, dozens of bombs and cruise missiles were launched by US, British, and French forces -- all with depleted uranium warheads.

US B-2 aircraft dropped forty-five 2,000-pound bombs on key Libyan cities, it added.

DU munitions are controversial because they raise long-term health concerns like kidney damage, cancer, skin disorders and genetic defects.

"[Depleted uranium tipped missiles] fit the description of a dirty bomb in every way... I would say that it is the perfect weapon for killing lots of people," said Marion Falk, chemical physicist (retd.), Lawrence Livermore Lab in California.

The report comes as the Western forces claim the operation in Libya is aimed at protecting civilians.

Director of the US military's Joint Staff Bill Gortney has told reporters at a Pentagon briefing that he is not aware of any use of depleted uranium munitions in Libya.

Libya says at least 114 people -- many of them civilians -- have been killed in US-led airstrikes in the country.

"We are losing many lives, military and civilians," Libyan government Spokesman Mussa Ibrahim said in Tripoli.

Dozens of civilians have been killed in Libya since US-led forces launched aerial and sea attacks on the North African country.

Libyan troops have also killed thousands of civilians since a revolution started against Colonel Gaddafi in mid-February.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Gul warns of 'hidden agenda' on Libya



Turkey's President Abdullah Gul

Source: PressTV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/171696.html

Turkish President Abdullah Gul says the goal of NATO-led invasion of Libya is not “liberation of Libyan people,” warning against pursuing any hidden agenda.

Voicing his strong skepticism towards the military operation enforcing UN-mandate no-fly zone over Libya, Gul pointed out that "Those who have supported these regimes for long years are now suddenly changing roles."

"The aim (of coalition forces) is not the liberation of Libyan people. There are hidden agendas and differing interests. We should light the fire, the rest will follow is a wrong mentality, and unfortunately I suspect the presence of such a mentality (on the side of coalition forces),” he said in a three-day tour to Africa.

“I worry that the things that happened in Iraq may repeat itself in Libya. Iraq was looted; now I am afraid that the same will happen in Libya" the Turkish president noted.

Turkey "neither wants the division of Libya, nor bloodshed, nor the continuation of the current administration (in Tripoli)," he further explained.

Pointing to the lack of honesty on the side of the West, the Turkish president said, "Honesty is needed more than ever in the case of Libya."

"We are honest. We don't want Libyan people suffer. Yet, it is the Libyan people who will make possible a revolution, not the outsiders. Therefore, if Mr. Gaddafi really wants the good of his country, if he really cares about his country, he must leave, immediately."

On March 17, the UN Security Council passed a resolution, co-sponsored by France, Britain, Lebanon and the United States, endorsing a no-fly zone over Libya and military strikes on forces loyal to Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi to guard civilians.

Speculations are rife about the real motive behind the war in the oil-rich country, with many analysts saying that under the guise of protecting civilians, as enshrined in the Resolution 1973, which permitted the use of force against the Libyan regime, Washington and its Western allies are basically after the North African country's vast oil reserves.

Many civilians have already been killed in Libya since the US, Britain, France and some other Western countries initiated their attacks on the North African country.

According to US Navy Vice Admiral William Gortney, more than 350 aircraft are participating in the US-led airstrikes against crisis-hit Libya.

Despite the US saying that it seeks to stop the Libyan regime's forces from attacking civilians, coalition military operations in Libya have received negative responses from different countries with some experts believing that the raids go beyond the UN mandate and must stop.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Libya says ready to accept AU mediation



Libyan opposition fighters try to cover from tank shelling near the eastern town of Ajdabiya

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/171635.html

Senior Libyan officials say the country's longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi is ready to accept an African Union-mediated political solution to the unfolding crisis in the country.

"We are ready to implement the Road Map envisaged [by] the High-Level Committee mandated by the Peace and Security Council of the African Union," the Libyan delegation to AU talks said in a statement in Addis Ababa on Friday.

This comes after the African leaders gathered in the Ethiopian capital to discuss the ongoing Libyan crisis.

Gaddafi had also dispatched a high-level delegation to join the African Union talks.

The talks also included EU, UN and Arab League representatives.

It could not immediately be confirmed if representatives from the Benghazi-based National Libyan Council were present at the talks.

The council, headed by Libya's former Justice Minister Mustafa Abdel Jalil, plans to lead the country to an election.

Jalil was among the first high-profile Libyan figures to join protesters following the Gaddafi regime's brutal crackdown on the opposition.

Latest reports say US-led Western warplanes have struck Libyan ground forces for a seventh consecutive day near strategically-important towns.

The US and its Western allies have carried out a bombing campaign against Libya since the Security Council ratified the no-fly zone over the African nation.

Libya says many civilians have been killed in the airstrikes.

The developments also come as revolutionary forces are gearing up for a new attack on troops loyal to Gaddafi to win back the eastern city of Adabiyah.

'Imperialist powers after Libyan oil'



Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/171646.html

The United States and its allies have launched a full-scale imperialistic war on Libya to usurp the wealthy oil nation and impose the continued new world order, a prominent writer says.

Press TV interviewed writer and author of the Hidden History of Zionism Ralph Schoenman regarding the invasion of Libya and the imperialistic goals of the US, UN and NATO allied countries.

Press TV: I'd like to ask you about what you see as the real intention of this war on Libya? Is it really about Gaddafi and controlling his torture and abuse of his own people?

Schoenman: What nauseating rubbish and nonsense that is. This is a full-scale imperialist assault against Libya. 150 cruise missiles and a billion and a half dollars a month, and full-scale armed assault against the population as such. There are countless numbers of civilians who have already been killed in these bombing raids and it's only the beginning.

It is such utter rubbish to think first of all the number 5 to 6 thousand killed by Gaddafi is a fabrication. There is no evidence for that number. But even granting it, since when has the fate of 5,000 Libyan poor been the slightest concern of the imperialist powers who have only one objective? That is the huge control of the oil and to carve it amongst them and subjugate the Libyan people now as they have before.

You see as we are speaking the Saudi troops' with their Cobra attack helicopters are raining death upon the people of Bahrain.100,000 mercenary forces are there with axes and hatches are attacking the population. The doctors and the surgeons are being rounded up and they are disappearing. Is there the slightest interest or concern on the part of the United States or the NATO powers about this? Well of course not.

The NATO US attack on Libya has as its sole objective first of all to subjugate the popular movement, which had in its origins the desire to gain control of the oil production in Libya, and to take it away from the Mobil and Exxon, Total and ENI to which Gaddafi had handed it to the direction of Condoleezza Rice and Richard Chaney with whom he was with close alliance up to a few weeks ago.

This is an imperial undertaking. Have no doubt about it. The scale of the slaughter, and the intensity of the bombardment, which is aimed at populations on the ground will not spare people in their thousands, but you will see them in their hundreds of thousands. Do you think the 2.5 million people in Iraq died from a moon beam in Iraq and Afghanistan from a crossing of the stars? The US-NATO troops that destroyed those countries are at work in Libya as we speak.

Press TV: US officials have said that UAE has given 12 warplanes on Libyan operations as well as Qatar which has given in a hand as far as the imposition of the no-fly zone goes. What do you make of the involvement of these regional countries with regards to their attacks on Libya?

Schoenman: These are puppet regimes. They are corrupt feudal systems that sit on top of their populations like a great incubus sucking the life out of the population and of the country. They are but crude semi-colonial instruments of US imperialism, and they are doing the bidding. They also have their troops at the moment joined with the Saudi troops using nerve gas, and shooting down people in cold blood across Bahrain. They are seizing the hospital and murdering doctors and surgeons. They are stopping people in the streets, and gunning them down in cold blood. A bloodbath is unfolding across Bahrain. Indeed that is a process in which these very emirates are deeply engaged.

But we should remind ourselves that the location of Bahrain is the headquarters of the 5th fleet, and the national security agency of the British that operated a huge torture apparatus in Bahrain for decades. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, when he flew into Manama, facilitated there the invasion by Saudi troops and the [P]GCC. Now he flies into Cairo, and it's important to understand what he's doing in Cairo. Secretary Gates declared that the duration of the war on Libya is open-ended. It's not time limited he said. There is not current time line in terms of when it may end. So what we are looking at here is a classical imperial intervention.

They are massacring people on the ground. Have no doubt about that. Thousands of pounds of explosives 40 to 90 thousand pound bombs are making round trip flights from Missouri. Cruise missiles and tomahawk missiles that are tipped with depleted uranium, which are highly toxic and caused birth deformities across Iraq. That is the reality on the ground because what they are engaged in doing in Libya is seizing control of the movement that was in opposition to Gaddafi in order to secure NATO, and US control over the 44 billion barrels of oil reserves and the oil wealth of Libya. It is to abort and confuse and contain the uprising in Libya. Not to over throw Gaddafi, but to destroy a popular movement.

The best evidence of that is the highly revealing character of the role of Gates in Cairo. He is the 2nd highest ranking US official to visit the Egyptian capital in the wake of last month's ouster of Hosni Mubarak, and he declares his approval of the post-Mubarak military regime because what has it done? It issued a decree outlawing all protests, all demonstrations, all strikes or sit-ins that disrupt private business or in any way affect the country's economy. This military decree calls for stiff criminal penalties for anyone speaking about such an action: a protest, a demonstration, a strike or a sit-in. The Pentagon Chief stated he was preparing military operations in Libya with filed martial Tantawi the head of the Ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces in Egypt. Do you understand what's at work here?

This is the attempt to destroy the Egyptian revolution, to dictate its outcome, and secure the dictatorship of the rotten military and long collusion with Israel, and the vehicle for 10 percent of the population owning 90 percent of the wealth in Egypt. That is what's going on in Libya. Deploying these counter revolutionary forces to impose imperial destruction of the mass movement in Libya, control of its resources and behind the pretext of seeking to overthrow Muammar Gaddafi.

You will see that they will make a quick deal with most of the elements of the Gaddafi regime who will become instruments of control once again as they had weeks ago for imperialism. It's vanishing [has] little to do with any concern about civilian casualties on the ground because they are killing multiples of people in Libya than they imputed to the regime of Gaddafi himself.

Press TV: Let's look at the UN Security Resolution that was passed by the Security Council for imposing this no-fly zone on Libya. Now it has mentioned multiple times the use of mercenary forces by Gaddafi and condemned it. Now the US is using mercenary forces in Afghanistan, in Iraq and there are reports of mercenary forces in Pakistan as well. Why this double standard on the part of the UN where one ruler is outlawed to use mercenary force and the other isn't?

Schoenman: Truth is only a single standard by the members of these nations that have the same class structure of US imperialism itself, and are its instruments across the world. They did the same thing in Somalia. They invaded Somalia on a humanitarian pretext and started a famine that was caused by US forces themselves, and were destroying the villages and agriculture areas of Somalia when they resisted. Siad Barre was a US puppet at the time the headquarters of the United States embassy was in Conoco, the oil company in Mogadishu. That's the nature of the United Nations' cover for imperial destruction of the nation of Somalia, and to carve up its population into starving remnants so the oil could be secured and seized.

It's the same thing [here] the United Nations is facilitating at this very moment in Libya. Libya is but the vehicle for dictating the outcome of the uprising in Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria. As we all know, as we speak in Bahrain, the nerve gas and the chemical weapons, which have been unleashed on the population have US canisters to identify their source.

They are one kilometer away from the 5th fleet from where they have been dispersed. Do you think if the United States had the slightest interest in the fate of civilian populations that they would be standing by while nerve gas and chemicals were being used on the population? Of course they don't have any concerns to stop this because they are the authors of this, and they are the agents of it. They are suppliers of it and they're the commanders of it.

What are we talking about here with this UN pretense of humanitarian concerns with so called no-fly zones which are just a pretext for non-stop, saturated bombing on the ground of forces, of infrastructure, of civilian populations regardless whether they are at the moment supporting Gaddafi or are opposed to Gaddafi they will be equal victims of this.

The name of the game is to impose control and a dictatorial re-reign in Libya that will secure the oil being in the hands of the NATO countries and the United States. That is all that is involved with the United Nation's role in Libya to provide pretense and cover for a ruthless and imperial war that is open ended and expanded far beyond the pretense of the so-called no-fly zone.

London to host Libya war summit



The Houses of Parliament, London

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/171584.html

British Foreign Secretary William Hague says London will hold an international conference on the Western powers' military intervention in Libya next week.

The London-based summit of world foreign ministers, scheduled for Tuesday, would offer political leadership for the response to the crisis in Libya.

Hague said the foreign ministers would discuss the situation in Libya and the two United Nation's resolution adopted with respect to the North African country.

The latest resolution on Libya called for sanctions and the imposition of a no-fly zone over the country, following Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's violent crackdown on the revolutionaries.

In a statement, Hague said that “a wide and inclusive range of countries will be invited,” mainly from the region, however, the UK government did not reveal which countries would participate in the summit.

"It is critical that the international community continues to take united and coordinated action in response to the unfolding crisis. The meeting will form a contact group of nations to take forward this work," Hague added.

The summit is expected to focus on how to pressure the Gaddafi regime.

The Western governments have not yet agreed on who should take the command of the military actions in Libya war. French forces were the first to drop bombs on Libya but soon the United States assumed leadership. However US President Barack Obama has said that Washing is seeking to handover the command to NATO.

The coalition forces have reportedly escalated their aerial attacks on several strategically-important cities across Libya, killing many civilians.

US lawmakers to act against Libya move



Illinois Republican Representative Tim Johnson

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/171484.html

American lawmakers are studying legislation to cut off funding for the US military operations in Libya, arguing the effort lacks congressional authorization.

Leading the Congressional measure is Republican Tim Johnson, who argues that US President Barak Obama should have consulted Congress before launching the military campaign.

In an interview with The Huffington Post on Wednesday, he described Obama as the "new war-mongering president” and said the decision to launch a strike on Libya “elevates hatred toward America.”

Despite the fact that the Obama administration is not asking Congress for a supplemental bill to fund the operation, some lawmakers believe they have the means to withdraw funding and put an end to the operation.

According to a report released on Tuesday, the initial cost of a no-fly zone over Libya is likely to surpass USD 1 billion if the US-led military operations in the country persist for more than a few months.

The first day of the Operation Odyssey Dawn was estimated to have a price tag of over USD 100 million in missiles use by US forces alone.

Meanwhile, Dallas Federal Reserve Bank President Richard Fisher warned on Tuesday that America is going broke as the government is fighting three wars simultaneously.

"If we continue down on the path on which the fiscal authorities put us, we will become insolvent - the question is when," he said.

UAE sends 12 planes to Libya war



UAE F-16 fighter planes in formation

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/171542.html

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has contributed 12 warplanes to the UN-backed no-fly zone over Libya, despite Arab League's opposition to military action on the North African country.

“We are deeply appreciative of their contribution," a US official said Thursday to AFP.

The Emirate's military support of the no-fly zone comes as Pro-Gaddafi forces have reportedly pushed revolutionaries out of oil port cities of Ras Lanuf and Brega, and re-capture a strategic road junction at Ajdabiya.

Pro-Gaddafi forces, having heavier armor and domination on air power as compared to the poorly armored opposition forces, have also reportedly gained control of Zawiya and Zuwara, west of the capital of Tripoli, and are mounting a strong offensive in Misrata.

International opposition to the US-led invasion continues to grow amid US Defense Secretary Robert Gates saying there is no timeline for the end of the assault on Libya.

The type of aircraft donated by the UAE is not known, although rumors say they are F-16 and Mirage aircraft.

The US-led war draws experts to speculate on the real motive behind the move into the oil-rich country, with analysts believing that Western allies are only after the North African country's vast oil reserves.

NATO to take charge of Libya no-fly zone



NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen addresses a news conference at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels on Thursday

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/171540.html

The NATO secretary general says the 28-member coalition has agreed to take control of enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya while the US remains in charge of military operations.

The decision comes as the director of the US military's Joint Staff, Vice Admiral Bill Gortney, had said earlier on Thursday that Washington was working very hard to hand over leadership of the coalition policing a no-fly zone over Libya to some other entity.

"At this moment there will still be a coalition operation and a NATO operation," said NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen in Brussels as he announced the agreement following four days of marathon talks to determine who should take command of US-led operation in Libya.

The NATO, however, stopped short of taking full command of all military operations, which is set to enter its seventh consecutive day.

"We are considering whether NATO should take on the broader responsibility in accordance with the UN Security Council resolution, but that decision has not been reached yet." Rasmussen stated.

NATO officials said the coalition's operations as part of efforts to enforce the no-fly zone were expected to begin in 48-72 hours. In the meantime, Pentagon officials said on Thursday that the US warplanes will continue flying over Libya.

Earlier on Thursday, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu stated that NATO will take full command of the ongoing military operation against Libya after Ankara's demands were met in negotiations with Britain, France and the US.

"The coalition formed after a meeting in Paris is going to give up its mission as soon as possible and hand over the entire operation to NATO with its single command structure," Davutoglu said.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton claimed that Libyan regime's air force and air defenses have largely become ineffective and that forces loyal to the embattled ruler Muammar Gaddafi have been pushed back as the result of the Western alliance's aerial strikes.

Speaking at the State Department, Clinton went on to say that the US aircraft flying missions have seen a significant drop as compared to the increasing number of flying missions by other participating countries.

"Today we are taking the next step. We have agreed, along with our NATO allies, to transition command and control for the no-fly zone to NATO," she said.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

'US-led air raids on Libya to continue'



A British Royal Air Force (RAF) Tornado GR4 aircraft is prepared at Gioia Dell Colle Air Base, in Italy March 22, 2011. Dozens of civilians have already been killed in Libya since the US, Britain, France and some other Western countries initiated their at

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/171450.html

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe says that US-led air strikes against Libya would continue as long as necessary, describing them as a “success”.

"We will continue with the airstrikes," AFP quoted Juppe as telling RTL radio on Thursday.

He further pointed out that the strikes were a "success" and would "continue as long as necessary,” denying reports that the airstrikes had killed civilians.

Juppe said that the air raids were aimed at protecting Libya's civilian population from attacks by forces loyal to Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi, adding that the strikes were "only targeting military sites and nothing else."

Dozens of civilians have already been killed in Libya since the US, Britain, France and some other Western countries initiated their attacks on the North African country.

Despite the US saying that it seeks to stop the Libyan regime's forces from attacking civilians, US-led military operations in Libya have received negative responses from different countries and also parties within the United States.

Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa on Monday criticized the US-led airstrikes on crisis-hit Libya and said the bombardments violated a UN Security Council resolution adopted to protect the Libyan civilians.

"What is happening in Libya differs from the aim of imposing a no-fly zone, and what we want is the protection of civilians and not the bombardment of more civilians," Moussa said at a joint press conference with UN Chief Ban Ki-moon.

The UN Security Council adopted a resolution to impose a no-fly zone over Libya, authorizing the use of force to protect civilians against Gaddafi's troops.

“This is unacceptable. The Security Council has an authority and bears responsibility in this matter -- so we gave this matter over to the Security Council as the authority for international peace and security and for this reason we requested a resolution and supported this resolution," Moussa noted.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

NATO fails to agree on Libya control



Italian fighter jets fly over the Birgi NATO Airbase in Trapani on the southern Italian island of Sicily March 23

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/171409.html

NATO members have again failed to reach an agreement on giving the Western alliance command of military operations against Libya.

Ambassadors of the 28-nation NATO alliance ended their third day of meetings in Brussels with "no decision on anything," a senior NATO diplomat told Reuters.

As the US is eager to hand over command to NATO within days, Turkey says it does not want the Western alliance to take responsibility for military offensive against Libya.

"It would be impossible for us to share responsibility in an operation that some authorities have described as a 'crusade,'" Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters in Ankara.

There are fears that enforcing the UN-mandated no-fly zone over Libya could cause civilian casualties as US-led coalition aircraft are simultaneously bombing Libyan forces since Saturday.

Turkey says the air strikes carried out by US-led coalition has already gone beyond the scope of last week's UN Security Council resolution.

During a visit to Egypt, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the Obama administration does not want the US to keep command of the operation for "more than a week or so."

US, European and Arab and African officials have been invited to London next week for political talks about Libya, French and British officials said.

NATO warships on Wednesday began patrolling off Libya's coast to enforce the UN arms embargo against the north African country as US-led coalition continue bombardment of Gaddafi forces in Tripoli and other Libyan cities.

NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said the move was to “cut off the flow of arms and mercenaries,” into Libya.

Six warships were involved in the mission in the first day as 16 ships have been offered by NATO members. Turkey, the organization's sole Muslim member, will send five warships to join the operation.

Putin concerned over Libya killings


Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/171407.html

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has expressed concern over the number of civilian deaths in Libya as some Western countries have launched airstrikes on the North African country.

Putin made the remarks on Wednesday during a visit to Belgrade, slamming the strikes which can result in more civilian casualties in Libya, Reuters reported.

"What do we see today? Strikes are being carried out across the entire territory of the country," asking, "How can you, with the aim of protecting the peaceful population, choose means that lead to an increase of deaths among the civilian population?"

Russia abstained from the vote on the UN Security Council resolution authorizing the use of force to protect civilians against Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi's troops, but did not veto the decision.

Putin had earlier said that the UN Security Council resolution on the imposition of a no-fly zone over Libya resembled “medieval calls for crusades.”

Germany has already announced that it has pulled out of NATO operations in the Mediterranean and Italy says it will review the use of its bases for attacks on Libyan regime forces unless NATO leads the operations.

Russia, China and India as well as several other countries have also opposed the military campaign in Libya.

Despite the negative responses for US-led military operations in Libya, the United States still plans to transfer control of the military mission in Libya to an allied coalition in days with NATO playing a key role.

On Wednesday night, a huge explosion was heard on a military base in eastern Libyan capital Tripoli.

Medical personnel say at least 90 people have died in Misratah in the past five days.

Meanwhile, forces loyal to embattled Gaddafi reportedly killed at least 17 civilians, including five children in Misratah over the past 24 hours.

Libya ground attack likely: Russia



A Libyan soldier stands beside a crater caused by airstrikes on Monday night, at a naval military facility in eastern Tripoli, March 22

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/171406.html

Russia's foreign policy advisor, Sergei Prikhodko, has said that the United States and its European allies will certainly launch a ground invasion of Libya, if the airstrikes are not effective.

"We understand that sooner or later, if the air operation gets bogged down, a ground operation will be inevitable, whatever they tell us," Pikhodko said.

"There is no coordinated plan in place and the operation can drag on," AFP quoted Pikhodko as saying on Wednesday.

Russia abstained from the UN Security Council resolution 1973 which authorized the imposition of a no-fly zone over Libya to “protect civilians” from air attacks by Muammar Gaddafi loyalists.

After the resolution, US, British and French fighter jets embarked on airstrikes on Libya, spawning severe criticism from around the world as the attacks sustained civilian casualties.

Russia has strongly condemned the military action on Libya, saying the purpose of the resolution contradicts what the military alliance is doing in the African country.

The US-led military alliance has reportedly escalated its aerial attacks on several strategically-important cities across Libya, killing many civilians.

As strikes continue, more division is looming among members of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) over a plan initiated by the US to replace the US-Britain-France alliance against Libya with NATO.

Germany has already announced that it has pulled out of NATO operations in the Mediterranean and Italy says it will review the use of its bases for attacks on Libyan regime forces unless NATO leads the operations.

Gates hints at open-ended war in Libya



US Defense Secretary Robert Gates

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/171384.html

The US defense secretary says there is no timeline for the end of the US-led assault on Libya as international opposition to the invasion continues to grow.

During a visit to Cairo, Robert Gates said no one was in a position to predict what would happen in Libya.

Gates also rejected criticism with regards to the air strikes in Libya which have resulted in civilian causalities over the past five days.

However, he predicted that the aerial attacks would be scaled back within days.

Gates also failed to suggest a political solution to the unfolding crisis in the North African country.

"It seems to me that if there is a mediation to be done, if there is a role to be played, it is among the Libyans themselves. This matter at the end of the day is going to have to be settled by Libyans. It's their country," he said.

Five days ago, coalition forces led by the US, France and Britain launched attacks on Libya from air and sea.

A British commander now claims that the air force of embattled Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi has been totally disabled.

Gaddafi has vowed to defeat both the opposition and the foreign forces.

Reports say forces loyal to the Libyan ruler have killed at least 17 civilians, including five children, in Misratah over the past 24 hours.

Residents in Misratah say Western forces have also hit the city's air bases where Gaddafi's brigades are based. Water and electricity has been cut off to the city.

Medical personnel say at least 90 people have died in Misratah in the past five days.

Meanwhile, in a hospital in the city of Benghazi, bodies are piling up in the morgue.

This comes as US-led military operations in Libya have received negative responses from different countries and also parties within the US.

Some US senators have severely slammed President Barack Obama for his decision to attack Libya, saying it is outside the US constitution and that Obama must be impeached for the move.

Russia, China and India as well as several other countries have also opposed the military campaign in Libya.

Germany has already announced that it has pulled out of NATO operations in the Mediterranean.

Italy says it will review the use of its bases for attacks on Libyan regime forces unless NATO leads the operations.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Germany pulls out of NATO operations



A file photo of German troops

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/171235.html

Germany has pulled out of NATO operations in the Mediterranean due to the disagreement over the forces' mission in Libya.

The German defense ministry said on Tuesday that Berlin pulled out of any military operations in the Mediterranean following the Western military alliance's involvement in the Libya conflict, DPA reported.

A ministry spokesman said two frigates and two other ships with a crew of 550 would be reverted to German command.

Some 60 to 70 German troops participating in NATO-operated AWACS surveillance operations in the Mediterranean would also be withdrawn, according to the ministry.

Following the disputes among NATO members over the military intervention in Libya, they met in Brussels to mend differences over what role the alliance should play in Libya.

France says the takeover of the operations by NATO will alienate Arab states, however, Italy believes that NATO should take control of the military campaign in Libya.

Meanwhile, the head of the Italian Senate's defense affairs committee, Gianpiero Cantoni, said the French policy is motivated by a desire to secure oil contracts with a future Libyan government.

US President Barack Obama, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron have agreed NATO should play an important role in the command structure of the Libya mission, the White House said.

"They reviewed the substantial progress that's been made in terms of halting the advance of Gaddafi's forces on Benghazi as well as the establishment of a no-fly zone," said White House spokesman Ben Rhodes.

Obama: NATO to join Libya war



A British Royal Air Force (RAF) Tornado takes off from RAF Marham, in eastern England March 21 as Britain struggles to convince the Brits about the Libya war

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/171127.html

US President Barack Obama says the United States will transfer control of the air assault against Libya to the NATO alliance within days.

"We anticipate this transition to take place in a matter of days and not in a matter of weeks," Reuters quoted Obama as saying at a news conference during a visit to Chile on Monday.

"NATO will be involved in a coordinating function because of the extraordinary capacity of that alliance" but details of the transfer would be provided by US military chiefs, he said.

General Carter Ham, the US commander now leading the offensive, has said the missile strikes had crippled embattled Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi's military prowess and set the stage for a broad no-fly zone stretching across most of northern Libya.

French officials had earlier said that Arab countries do not want the US-led NATO alliance in charge of the military operation against Libya.

Meanwhile, Turkey has criticized NATO's role in the military campaign against Libya, saying the large-scale military operation was similar to those in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Ankara has called for a review of other possible measures NATO could take in Libya.

It has also called for an immediate Western ceasefire, urging NATO to give greater consideration to the possibility of civilian deaths.

Germany also announced that it prefers to stay out of the conflict.

The British defense secretary, however, expressed hope that NATO would take command of the campaign in the next few days.

The developments come as the Arab League criticized the Western coalition's airstrikes over Libya.

Dozens of civilians have been killed in Libya since the US, Britain, France and some other Western countries launched their attacks on the North African country.

US-led air strikes on Libya persist



One of three Air Force Global Strike Command B-2 Spirit bombers returns to the US, March 20, 2011 after striking targets in Libya

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/171158.html

US-led coalition forces have bombarded Libya for a third consecutive night, targeting air and ground forces of Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi.

Libyan state television reported that several sites in Tripoli and eastern Libya were targeted on Monday with Gaddafi forces retaliating with heavy anti-aircraft fire.

The strikes, however, failed to free the cities of Ajdabiyah and Misratah, which remain surrounded by Gaddafi's forces.

The US says that it seeks to stop the Libyan regime's forces from attacking civilians, but dozens of civilians have already been killed in Libya since the US, Britain, France and some other Western countries initiated their attacks on the North African country.

Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa on Monday criticized the US-led airstrikes on Libya and said the bombardments violated a UN Security Council resolution adopted to protect Libyan civilians.

"What is happening in Libya differs from the aim of imposing a no-fly zone, and what we want is the protection of civilians and not the bombardment of more civilians," Moussa said at a joint press conference with UN chief Ban Ki-moon.

“This is unacceptable. The Security Council has an authority and bears responsibility in this matter -- so we gave this matter over to the Security Council as the authority for international peace and security and for this reason we requested a resolution and supported this resolution," he added.

The UN Security Council adopted a resolution to impose a no-fly zone over Libya. But some analysts say the US air raids go beyond the resolution and must stop.

War of words in UK mars Libya mission

Defense Secretary Liam Fox arrives with Chief of Defence Staff General Richards for a cabinet meeting.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/171166.html

A war of words has erupted among the UK military and political officials on whether the Western alliance could directly target Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi.

Cabinet ministers, including Prime Minister David Cameron, clashed with Britain's senior military officer General Sir David Richards over targeting Qaddafi directly, after the Chief of the Defense Staff said attacks on the Libyan dictator were “not allowed” under the UN resolution that called for a no-fly zone to protect the country's civilians.

In an unusual sign of disagreement, the UK government said that Gen Richards was wrong, adding that attacks on Qaddafi could be legal if he was a threat to civilians.

According to a senior source, the dispute could hamper the government's ability to win public support for its Libya strategy.

The row also called into question Sir David's authority just as he is overseeing Britain's operations in Libya.

“This is all very unhelpful and very unnecessary. Running this thing and then selling it is hard enough, and a row between the government and its principal military adviser is about the last thing anybody needs right now,” said the source.

The row also overshadowed the premier's declaration that the military mission against Libya had, so far, been a success.

The US government has also explicitly ruled out targeting Qaddafi with US Defense Secretary Robert Gates describing it as “unwise” attacks to kill the Libyan despot.

Meanwhile, an ITV news survey found that some 53 percent of Britons believe it would be unacceptable for Britain to engage in an unnecessary conflict.

This is while the ComRes poll said more than one in three people, 35 percent, agreed with the decision to take military action on Libya.

But, according to the survey, 49 percent of adults felt such intervention constituted an unnecessary risk for Britain.

Britain, France and the United States launched air strikes and missile attacks on Libyan targets Saturday, initiating a war of aggression that threatens to destabilize North Africa and the entire Middle East.

The first two days of bombing have already claimed many lives among the Libyan population that the imperialist powers falsely claim to be protecting.

The war is the first step in a campaign by Washington and its partners in crime to strike back against the popular movements that have overthrown US stooge regimes in Tunisia and Egypt and are threatening US-backed monarchies and dictatorships in Bahrain, Oman, Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

UK, allies seeking Libya regime change



Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/171082.html

Britain, US and France have invaded Libya to topple Muammar Qaddafi's regime, says an international relations expert.

In an interview with state-run Russia Today satellite TV, Mark Almond of Bilkent University, Turkey said UK Prime Minister David Cameron, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and US President Barack Obama had made it clear that they wanted to overthrow the North African country's regime.

“They wish to do so by assisting the revolutionary forces against Qaddafi on the ground.”

The bombing campaign unleashed against the Libyan dictator is going ahead with the UK's RAF Tornado jets and Tomahawk missiles attacking targets inside Libya to enforce UN Security Council resolution 1973, which called for a no-fly zone over Libya and the defense of the Libyan civilians.

UK Defense Secretary Liam Fox told state-run BBC on Sunday that the Libyan dictator himself was a legitimate target for allied forces.

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates immediately slapped down Fox's comments, telling reporters on a flight to Russia that it would be "unwise" to have coalition forces try to kill Qaddafi.

Amid dwindling support for the West's military intervention in Libya, Britain's defense chief said he hoped the command of the military operation in Libya would be taken over by NATO “within the next few days.”

When asked about the possibility of targeting Qaddafi, UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said, "I'm not going to speculate on the targets... that depends on the circumstances at the time.”

He had previously insisted that the UN Security Council resolution “is not about regime change," saying that while Britain wanted to see Qaddafi leave power, "what we will do militarily is to enforce the United Nations resolution".

US-led forces reject Gaddafi ceasefire



Libyan opposition fighters south of Benghazi on March 21, 2011

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/171083.html

The US-led Western coalition conducting a military operation over Libya has rejected a ceasefire declared by the Muammar Gaddafi regime.

The coalition accuses Tripoli of lying about the new ceasefire which was declared on Sunday night.

US President Barack Obama's national security aide Tom Donilon says the new ceasefire 'isn't true' or has been 'immediately violated.'

"So we'll continue to monitor Gaddafi's actions, not just his words, and continue our efforts to enforce the terms of the United Nations Security Council resolution 1973," he said.

However, Colonel Gaddafi's loyalists have accused the US-led coalition of violating a new ceasefire.

"The other parties have not respected the ceasefire. Bombs and missiles continue to target Libya as the al-Qaeda terrorists also continue their attacks," Libya's state agency quoted officials as saying.

"The bombs and missiles of the aggressors have killed dozens of civilians at a time when Libya is respecting a total ceasefire,” they added.

Early on Monday, French fighter jets resumed air patrols over Libya to enforce a no-fly zone authorized by the UN Security Council.

This comes as Paris joined Washington and London in insisting that the goal of the US-led military campaign is not to eliminate the embattled Libyan leader.

On Sunday night, explosions rocked Libya's capital city as the US-led forces staged fresh airstrikes.

One of the raids flattened a building in Gaddafi's residence, which is said to have been his command and control center.

Reports say Gaddafi's son Khamis has died of burns apparently sustained earlier in one of the strikes. However, the Libyan government has denied reports. Khamis leads the 32nd brigade of the Libyan armed forces.

Meanwhile, Libya's revolutionary forces say Gaddafi forces have killed at least eleven people in the city of Misratah.

Dozens of civilians have been killed in Libya since the US, Britain, France and some other Western countries launched their attacks on the North African country.

Arab League chief Amr Moussa said on Monday that the invasion was in violation of Resolution 1973, which calls for protection of civilians.

"What is happening in Libya differs from the aim of imposing a no-fly zone, and what we want is the protection of civilians and not the bombardment of more civilians," he said.

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