(18th March 2011)
Libyan Rebels Celebrate UN No-Fly Zone
Libyan Rebels Celebrate UN No-Fly Zone
By Ryan Lucas and Maggie Michael, AAP March 18, 2011, 3:20 pm
The UN Security Council has authorised "all necessary measures" to stop Muammar Gaddafi in Libya - including strikes by sea and air - hours after he vowed in harrowing terms to launch a final assault and CRUSH the weeks-old rebellion against him.
The UN Security Council has authorised "all necessary measures" to stop Muammar Gaddafi in Libya - including strikes by sea and air - hours after he vowed in harrowing terms to launch a final assault and CRUSH the weeks-old rebellion against him.
[Comment: ITS remind me of the Star War movie 'The Empire Strikes Back'... "WE will crush the rebels..." BUT the problem is, This is NOT a movie, its the people life we are talking here, and its also not the ancient world, where kings, queens, and emperors beheaded and executed the people in the market places and streets].
The resolution, approved with the backing of the United States, France and Britain, imposed a no-fly zone over Libya and authorised force short of a ground offensive to protect its people from Gaddafi's forces. The UN action bans all flights in Libyan airspace in order to protect civilians. While it was unclear how the West might proceed, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said earlier in the day that a no-fly zone would require bombing targets inside Libya, including some of its defence systems.
It was also unclear when any Western action would come. A British MP said British forces could be mobilised within hours. US officials, speaking after a closed-door briefing in Congress, said they expected an attempt to ground Gaddafi's air force could begin by Sunday or Monday and would probably involve jet fighters, bombers and surveillance aircraft.
After deliberating for weeks over what to do about Gaddafi, the West acted with sudden speed as it became clear Gaddafi would attempt to finally put an end to the rebellion. Gaddafi, calling in to Libyan television, said his forces would 'rescue' the people of Benghazi, the Mediterranean port city that has become the capital and staging ground for the opposition. For those who resist, Gaddafi said, there would be "no mercy or compassion."
"This is your happy day, we will destroy your enemies," he said, warning the people of Benghazi not to stand alongside the opposition. "Prepare for this moment to get rid of the traitors. Tomorrow we will show the world, to see if the city is one of traitors or heroes."
"Don't betray me, my beloved Benghazi," he said.
The resolution, approved with the backing of the United States, France and Britain, imposed a no-fly zone over Libya and authorised force short of a ground offensive to protect its people from Gaddafi's forces. The UN action bans all flights in Libyan airspace in order to protect civilians. While it was unclear how the West might proceed, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said earlier in the day that a no-fly zone would require bombing targets inside Libya, including some of its defence systems.
It was also unclear when any Western action would come. A British MP said British forces could be mobilised within hours. US officials, speaking after a closed-door briefing in Congress, said they expected an attempt to ground Gaddafi's air force could begin by Sunday or Monday and would probably involve jet fighters, bombers and surveillance aircraft.
After deliberating for weeks over what to do about Gaddafi, the West acted with sudden speed as it became clear Gaddafi would attempt to finally put an end to the rebellion. Gaddafi, calling in to Libyan television, said his forces would 'rescue' the people of Benghazi, the Mediterranean port city that has become the capital and staging ground for the opposition. For those who resist, Gaddafi said, there would be "no mercy or compassion."
"This is your happy day, we will destroy your enemies," he said, warning the people of Benghazi not to stand alongside the opposition. "Prepare for this moment to get rid of the traitors. Tomorrow we will show the world, to see if the city is one of traitors or heroes."
"Don't betray me, my beloved Benghazi," he said.
[Comment: "I will rescue you... This is your happy days... and those traitors, there will be no mercy or compassion"... scripts like this are mostly found in holy books, where the God talks to human, but definitely, not the tone of man to man... only the 'disillusion' ruler talks like that].
His ground forces were still about 130km south of the city on Thursday evening Libya time, so it was unclear whether they would move on the city as quickly as he suggested. Speaking moments before in an interview with Portuguese television broadcast just before the vote at the UN, Gaddafi pledged to respond harshly to UN-sponsored attacks. "If the world is crazy," he said, "we will be crazy, too."
At the UN headquarters in New York, the vote was 10-0. The United States, France and Britain had all pushed for speedy approval. "We had said all along that Gaddafi must go," said British Foreign Secretary William Hague. "It is necessary to take these measures to avoid greater bloodshed."
Five nations abstained, including Russia and China, which hold veto power on the council. In Washington, officials said the Obama administration was readying plans to enforce the no-fly zone. The French prime minister said before the measure was passed that his nation would support military action within hours. Several Arab nations were expected to provide backup.
"Today the Security Council has responded to the Libyan people's cry for help," said Susan Rice, the US ambassador to the UN "Colonel Gaddafi and those who still stand by him continue to grossly and systematically abuse the most fundamental of the human rights of his people."
The United States already has warships positioned near Libya. After eight hours of closed-door talks on Wednesday, Rice said a no-fly zone now was not enough, saying it has "inherent limitations in terms of protection of civilians at immediate risk."
[Comment: OF COURSE, a 'no fly zone' is definitely NOT enough, don't assume that this is another Bosnia, or croatia, or Serbia, where the UN reacted very late, in saving the lifes of the people there from genocide by Serbia forces].
In Britain, an MP with knowledge of defence matters confirmed that British forces were on standby for air strikes and could soon be mobilised. The MP declined to be named because the Defence Ministry has not issued official confirmation.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy's office issued a one-sentence statement at about 2am Friday Paris time saying he and Obama had spoken by phone about the resolution. Obama also spoke with British Prime Minister David Cameron. Western countries have significant military assets nearby, including carriers in the Mediterranean, a large US air base in Italy and a large British air presence on the island of Cyprus.
In addition, allied Arab countries such as Jordan and Oman have planes and pilots often trained by the US, and American officials have made clear they want active involvement by Arab countries if any action is taken. The UN resolution specifically bans a ground offensive against Libya.
A large crowd in Benghazi was watching the vote on an outdoor TV projection and burst into cheers, with green and red fireworks exploding overhead. In Tobruk, east of Benghazi, happy Libyans fired weapons in the air to celebrate the vote. Speaking to reporters in Tripoli after the vote, Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khalid Kaim struck a more conciliatory tone, offering to negotiate a ceasefire with the rebels.
He welcomed the Security Council's concern for the people of Libya but called on the world not to allow them to receive weapons. "If any countries do that, they will be inviting Libyans to kill each other," he said. The shift toward international action reflected dramatic change on the ground in Libya in the past week.
The rebels, once confident, found themselves in danger of being crushed by an overpowering pro-Gaddafi force using rockets, artillery, tanks, warplanes. That force has advanced along the Mediterranean coast aiming to recapture the rebel-held eastern half of Libya. There are no official death tolls. Rebels say more than 1,000 people have been killed in a month of fighting, while Gaddafi claims the toll is only 150.
In Britain, an MP with knowledge of defence matters confirmed that British forces were on standby for air strikes and could soon be mobilised. The MP declined to be named because the Defence Ministry has not issued official confirmation.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy's office issued a one-sentence statement at about 2am Friday Paris time saying he and Obama had spoken by phone about the resolution. Obama also spoke with British Prime Minister David Cameron. Western countries have significant military assets nearby, including carriers in the Mediterranean, a large US air base in Italy and a large British air presence on the island of Cyprus.
In addition, allied Arab countries such as Jordan and Oman have planes and pilots often trained by the US, and American officials have made clear they want active involvement by Arab countries if any action is taken. The UN resolution specifically bans a ground offensive against Libya.
A large crowd in Benghazi was watching the vote on an outdoor TV projection and burst into cheers, with green and red fireworks exploding overhead. In Tobruk, east of Benghazi, happy Libyans fired weapons in the air to celebrate the vote. Speaking to reporters in Tripoli after the vote, Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khalid Kaim struck a more conciliatory tone, offering to negotiate a ceasefire with the rebels.
He welcomed the Security Council's concern for the people of Libya but called on the world not to allow them to receive weapons. "If any countries do that, they will be inviting Libyans to kill each other," he said. The shift toward international action reflected dramatic change on the ground in Libya in the past week.
The rebels, once confident, found themselves in danger of being crushed by an overpowering pro-Gaddafi force using rockets, artillery, tanks, warplanes. That force has advanced along the Mediterranean coast aiming to recapture the rebel-held eastern half of Libya. There are no official death tolls. Rebels say more than 1,000 people have been killed in a month of fighting, while Gaddafi claims the toll is only 150.
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COMMENT:
"Why sir is he MAD? Well IF you start killing your own people, would that not be translated as mad?"... Its also as IF to says "IF I die, I will take the whole of Libya with me, including the people..." What crab is that ?!! ITS as if to say, all Libya matters or means is ME, and if I am gone, so should Libya... What selfishness and madness !!
ITS time that United Nations should send in troops to help get rid of the DICTATOR for good!
"Why sir is he MAD? Well IF you start killing your own people, would that not be translated as mad?"... Its also as IF to says "IF I die, I will take the whole of Libya with me, including the people..." What crab is that ?!! ITS as if to say, all Libya matters or means is ME, and if I am gone, so should Libya... What selfishness and madness !!
ITS time that United Nations should send in troops to help get rid of the DICTATOR for good!
Maybe US should also come in, and intervene, like what they did in Iraq (under Saddam Hussien), or Afghanistan (under Taliban), or Panama (under Manuel Noriega), to name a few.
ITS now, or MORE Libyan (and foreigners) will be massacre in Libya by this MAD man!!
http://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/-/world/8913930/world-scrambles-to-evacuate-thousands-from-libya/
World scrambles to evacuate thousands from Libya
AFP February 27, 2011, 7:46 am
VALLETTA (AFP) - Thousands of foreign workers were evacuated from Libya by air, land and sea in dramatic scenes on Saturday as fears of a civil war in the oil-rich North African state triggered a desperate exodus. British military planes evacuated more than 150 people from camps in the Libyan desert in one rescue mission, while a British warship and a Chinese-chartered ferry docked in the Mediterranean island of Malta loaded with 2,500 evacuees.
"It was very scary, the scariest experience of my life," George Camilleri, a Maltese national who fled violence in the now rebel-held eastern Libyan port of Benghazi, told AFP as he stepped off the ferry back onto his homeland. Camilleri said he witnessed "fierce fighting" in the streets of Benghazi.
A Tunisian official told AFP meanwhile that more than 38,000 people had fled across Tunisia's main Ras Jedir border since the start of the exodus a week ago. The number included 18,000 Tunisians, 15,000 Egyptians, 2,500 Libyans and 2,500 Chinese, said Colonel Malek Mihoub of the Civil Protection authority.
Many are migrant workers who are part of a vast multinational workforce including domestic helpers, builders and oil workers on the move to escape the violence. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said about 15,000 Egyptians were stranded at the Ras Jedir border awaiting evacuation help. Hundreds of foreigners including Egyptians, Iraqis and Syrians have also fled from Libya into Algeria through the Sahara desert.
Algerian press agency APS said nearly 500 Algerians returned to their home country on Saturday on two flights. So far about 2,300 Algerians have been repatriated, with 200 Algerians returning by land.
Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Nigeria, the Philippines and South Korea are among the countries that have or had large communities in Libya -- drawn by an oil boom that has brought billions of euros (dollars) in investments. In Bangladesh, hundreds of angry relatives of workers stranded in Libya blocked a key highway northeast of the capital Dhaka, accusing the government of dragging its heels in rescuing the estimated 60,000 Bangladeshis there.
Britain's HMS Cumberland frigate left Benghazi on Thursday carrying 207 passengers but only arrived on Saturday as it was forced to travel at a reduced speed because of the high waves in the Mediterranean. Richard Weeks, a 64-year-old British manager on the ship, told how he was robbed during the unrest. "They were armed with knives and knew they could take what they wanted, so it was better to let them get on with it," he said.
Britain's government has faced criticism at home for being too slow to help an estimated 170 oil workers stuck at desert camps, who complained they faced the threat of looters as well as diminishing supplies of food and water. A ferry that docked in Malta Saturday carried 2,216 Chinese nationals also from Benghazi, who will remain on board until planes come to pick them up.
Nearly 3,000 Chinese also landed on the Greek island of Crete on Saturday, as China said 16,000 of its 33,000 citizens had been evacuated so far. The Civil Aviation Administration of China said it would send 15 aircraft a day for the next two weeks to speed up the evacuations of Chinese citizens.
Italy, Libya's former colonial ruler, said one of its warships with around 245 evacuees from the Libyan port of Misrata was to arrive in Sicily on Sunday. A plane carrying 56 people evacuated from central Libya landed late Saturday at Belgrade airport in Serbia, Tanjug news agency reported.
Some 500 people from 25 countries also boarded two Turkish military vessels in Libya, together with about 1,200 Turks, officials in Ankara said. The first Indian evacuees arrived in New Delhi, telling reporters of robberies, looting and narrow escapes from spiralling violence.
A state-run Air India flight carrying around 300 evacuees from Libya arrived at the airport in the Indian capital late Saturday and was greeted by India's Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao.
India earlier began the evacuation of some 18,000 Indians in the country.
A ship carrying 148 Brazilian evacuees meanwhile departed from Benghazi bound for the Greek port of Piraeus near Athens and the first Filipinos out of 26,000 in Libya arrived in Manila. A US-chartered ferry carrying hundreds of people from Tripoli including American diplomats docked in Malta on Friday after braving 20-foot (six-metre) waves, with at least two evacuees taken away on stretchers by paramedics.
A privately chartered ferry from Libya with hundreds of evacuees on board also arrived in Malta on Friday, along with two German warships set to take away German citizens airlifted out of Libya earlier this week.
.
VALLETTA (AFP) - Thousands of foreign workers were evacuated from Libya by air, land and sea in dramatic scenes on Saturday as fears of a civil war in the oil-rich North African state triggered a desperate exodus. British military planes evacuated more than 150 people from camps in the Libyan desert in one rescue mission, while a British warship and a Chinese-chartered ferry docked in the Mediterranean island of Malta loaded with 2,500 evacuees.
"It was very scary, the scariest experience of my life," George Camilleri, a Maltese national who fled violence in the now rebel-held eastern Libyan port of Benghazi, told AFP as he stepped off the ferry back onto his homeland. Camilleri said he witnessed "fierce fighting" in the streets of Benghazi.
A Tunisian official told AFP meanwhile that more than 38,000 people had fled across Tunisia's main Ras Jedir border since the start of the exodus a week ago. The number included 18,000 Tunisians, 15,000 Egyptians, 2,500 Libyans and 2,500 Chinese, said Colonel Malek Mihoub of the Civil Protection authority.
Many are migrant workers who are part of a vast multinational workforce including domestic helpers, builders and oil workers on the move to escape the violence. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said about 15,000 Egyptians were stranded at the Ras Jedir border awaiting evacuation help. Hundreds of foreigners including Egyptians, Iraqis and Syrians have also fled from Libya into Algeria through the Sahara desert.
Algerian press agency APS said nearly 500 Algerians returned to their home country on Saturday on two flights. So far about 2,300 Algerians have been repatriated, with 200 Algerians returning by land.
Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Nigeria, the Philippines and South Korea are among the countries that have or had large communities in Libya -- drawn by an oil boom that has brought billions of euros (dollars) in investments. In Bangladesh, hundreds of angry relatives of workers stranded in Libya blocked a key highway northeast of the capital Dhaka, accusing the government of dragging its heels in rescuing the estimated 60,000 Bangladeshis there.
Britain's HMS Cumberland frigate left Benghazi on Thursday carrying 207 passengers but only arrived on Saturday as it was forced to travel at a reduced speed because of the high waves in the Mediterranean. Richard Weeks, a 64-year-old British manager on the ship, told how he was robbed during the unrest. "They were armed with knives and knew they could take what they wanted, so it was better to let them get on with it," he said.
Britain's government has faced criticism at home for being too slow to help an estimated 170 oil workers stuck at desert camps, who complained they faced the threat of looters as well as diminishing supplies of food and water. A ferry that docked in Malta Saturday carried 2,216 Chinese nationals also from Benghazi, who will remain on board until planes come to pick them up.
Nearly 3,000 Chinese also landed on the Greek island of Crete on Saturday, as China said 16,000 of its 33,000 citizens had been evacuated so far. The Civil Aviation Administration of China said it would send 15 aircraft a day for the next two weeks to speed up the evacuations of Chinese citizens.
Italy, Libya's former colonial ruler, said one of its warships with around 245 evacuees from the Libyan port of Misrata was to arrive in Sicily on Sunday. A plane carrying 56 people evacuated from central Libya landed late Saturday at Belgrade airport in Serbia, Tanjug news agency reported.
Some 500 people from 25 countries also boarded two Turkish military vessels in Libya, together with about 1,200 Turks, officials in Ankara said. The first Indian evacuees arrived in New Delhi, telling reporters of robberies, looting and narrow escapes from spiralling violence.
A state-run Air India flight carrying around 300 evacuees from Libya arrived at the airport in the Indian capital late Saturday and was greeted by India's Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao.
India earlier began the evacuation of some 18,000 Indians in the country.
A ship carrying 148 Brazilian evacuees meanwhile departed from Benghazi bound for the Greek port of Piraeus near Athens and the first Filipinos out of 26,000 in Libya arrived in Manila. A US-chartered ferry carrying hundreds of people from Tripoli including American diplomats docked in Malta on Friday after braving 20-foot (six-metre) waves, with at least two evacuees taken away on stretchers by paramedics.
A privately chartered ferry from Libya with hundreds of evacuees on board also arrived in Malta on Friday, along with two German warships set to take away German citizens airlifted out of Libya earlier this week.
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