Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire, has been interviewed on numerous occasions on Press TV. Azikiwe has discussed U.S. foreign policy toward Libya and the African continent., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
'US wants puppet regime in Libya'
Interview with Abayomi Azikiwe, Editor of the Pan African News Wire, Detroit.
Sat Jul 2, 2011 7:37AM
To watch this interview on Press TV just click on the URL below:
http://www.presstv.com/detail/187159.html
In brazen violation of the UN resolution on Libya NATO has refused to accept any offer made by Libyan leadership and is targeting their lives and the lives of their families.
Press TV talks with Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of Pan African News Wire in Detroit, who discusses the negotiations for a ceasefire and how NATO is refusing a ceasefire in pursuit of the aim of installing a puppet regime at all costs. The following is a transcript of the interview.
Press TV: The supplying of arms to Libyan opposition forces by some European countries - How does that correspond to the UN Security Council resolution on Libya?
Abayomi Azikiwe: I think it's a total violation of the sovereignty of Libya as an independent state. As the Russian foreign minister said, the paragraph four is very ambiguous, it allows almost anything; in fact it even used the terminology 'by all means necessary' in regard to protecting civilians.
But this is just a mechanism that's being used to escalate tension to bring about regime change inside of Tripoli Libya. The French have openly dropped arms in Libya; in fact NATO is building an air strip in the country. So it's clear that they want to maintain this military campaign against Libya and that this is being done with the ultimate aim of changing the government in Tripoli.
Press TV: How should the US view Gaddafi's strong stance on ending these UN mandated airstrikes, which he further calls a catastrophe?
Abayomi Azikiwe: Well first of all the African Union is meeting as we speak in Equatorial Guinea and they have spent a lot of time in their summit meeting trying to figure out a mechanism to bring about a ceasefire inside the country. Since March 11th the AU has been working very hard to bring about some kind of negotiated settlement between the Transitional National Council and the Libyan government.
These overtures by the AU includes two high-level delegations to Tripoli to try to resolve the crisis. They have sent a delegation to Benghazi, which is the stronghold of the Transitional National Council and all of this has been to no avail.
The rebel forces as well as their supporters in the US and NATO have absolutely refused to negotiate. The government in Libya has agreed to a ceasefire. They have even agreed to hold internationally supervised elections in the country and this has been refused outright.
So the airlifting of weapons, the refusal of any type of cessation of hostilities on the part of the US and NATO is just exacerbating the tensions and the confrontation that's going on right now inside the country.
We feel very strongly that the UN Security Council should convene another session in an attempt to pass a resolution that will actually call for an immediate ceasefire in Libya pending negotiations and some type of political settlement inside the country.
Press TV: With all that being said Gaddafi doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Is Gaddafi's regime over or are his government forces stronger than ever before right now?
Abayomi Azikiwe: It appears as if they've dug in. They're saying that in light of the fact that all of these offers have been made to the opposition forces, to NATO - there have been informal negotiations that have been going on now for several days to no avail - so I think they have absolutely no other choice except to defend their country even if it means their ultimate destruction as a state as well as the lives of the leadership inside the country.
They've already lost a number of people. There have been numerous attempts on the life of Gaddafi as well as his family and the other leaders inside of Libya. They bombed one of his close military official's home just last week killing his wife and his children.
So I don't think there's much room for any type of movement on behalf of the Libyan government because NATO has really backed them into a corner and until that changes there will not be a cessation of hostilities, which has been called for even by the Secretary General of the UN and even the government of Italy several days called for cessation of hostilities.
But apparently the dominant forces inside of NATO as well as the US do not want any settlement short of the overthrow of the government and the installation of a puppet regime that will be compliant with the objectives of the Western countries.
No comments:
Post a Comment