Libyan patriots hold demonstration in support of the unity and sovereignty of the North African state. The military forces are making headway in ending a U.S.-backed rebellion in the east of the country. a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
AU rejects military intervention in Libya: official
Agence France-Presse
March 10, 2011
AU rejects military intervention in Libya: official
ADDIS ABABA: The African Union on Friday rejected military
intervention in Libya...an AU official told the press.
"The council reaffirms its firm commitment to the respect of the
unity and territorial integrity of Libya, as well as its rejection of
any form of foreign military intervention, " Ramtane Lamamra, the AU
commissioner for peace and security, said.
The announcement came after NATO defence ministers meeting in
Brussels on Thursday postponed any decision on a no-fly zone in Libya until it got a UN clearance.
The AU's 15-member peace and security council decided "to put in
place a high level AU ad hoc committee" to monitor the crisis in the
north African country where Kadhafi faces an uprising against his 41
years in power.
The committee, whose members were to be announced in the near future, would also be tasked with working towards "the immediate cessation of all hostilities" , said Lamamra.
The council expressed its "deep concern" over the crisis in Libya
which it said "poses a serious threat to the peace and security in the
country and in the region as a whole".
"The AU has strongly condemned the disproportionate use of force,"
said Lamamara.
"The council took note of the readiness of the government of Libya to
engage in the path of political reforms," he added.
"The council expressed the solidarity of the AU with Libya, and
stressed the legitimacy of the aspirations of the Libyan people for
democracy, political reforms, justice, peace and security as well as
economic and social development. "
Lamamra did not want to comment on France's decision to recognise the Libyan envoys of the opposition national council who represent those fighting Kadhafi's forces.
Libya is a member of the African Union's peace and security council
and was represented at the meeting by Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa.
NATO stalls on Libyan no-fly zone
Emma Alberici reported this story
Friday, March 11, 2011 08:03:00
TONY EASTLEY: France has become the first state to formally recognise the Libyan opposition's Interim Governing Council as the country's only legitimate government.
At a meeting of NATO leaders in Brussels France has also suggested a direct military attack on Colonel Gaddafi's forces - a plan which was rejected in a vote by the 28 member alliance.
Defence ministers decided instead to increase their naval presence closer to Libya.
Here's Europe correspondent Emma Alberici.
EMMA ALBERICI: NATO chiefs meeting in Brussels have agreed to step up surveillance of Libyan air space and to move war ships closer to the Libyan coast.
Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told the gathering that a no-fly zone is still a possible next step.
ANDERS FOGH RASMUSSEN: We considered as well initial options regarding a possible no-fly zone in case NATO were to receive a clear United Nations mandate. Ministers agreed that further planning will be required.
EMMA ALBERICI: Germany's foreign minister Guido Westerwelle is anxious about calls within the EU for a more aggressive response to the crisis.
GUIDO WESTERWELLE: One thing is for the German government absolutely clear - we do not want to get sucked into a war in North Africa.
EMMA ALBERICI: France has a different view. It supports military strikes against Libyan air fields.
After a meeting between president Nicolas Sarkozy and Libya's opposition France became the first country to formally recognise the national council as the only legitimate government in Libya.
Members of the European parliament voted to support the French position but Britain's foreign secretary William Hague is more reluctant to endorse the opposition.
WILLIAM HAGUE: It's a historic moment the European Union has to rise to. It is the most important for 20 years in this respect since the end of the Cold War.
EMMA ALBERICI: Anti-Gaddafi protests intensified in Brussels and in the UK with the flag at the embassy in London replaced by the red, green and black flag which has become the symbol of the Libyan revolt.
Osama Alzuwai is among 300 Libyan students in Britain funded by the Gaddafi regime who were last night offered a thousand pounds each to initiate a pro-Gaddafi march in London.
OSAMA ALZUWAI: The last time they give us 300 pounds and a lounge in the Marriott Hotel.
EMMA ALBERICI: To come here and protest against the rebels?
OSAMA ALZUWAI: Yes.
EMMA ALBERICI: Did you take the money?
OSAMA ALZUWAI: Yes but I demonstrate against him because these people are right. They want freedom. Enough from Gaddafi.
EMMA ALBERICI: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, Colonel Gaddafi's son was also a student in London.
His $16 million home in the exclusive Hampstead Gardens suburb is among the $2 billion worth of Libyan assets so far seized by the British government. It's being occupied by squatters - among them an Australian man.
SQUATTER: We don't believe that these dictators should be able to make money off of people and then buy luxury houses all over the world and hide all their cash when it belongs to Libyan people. So we've occupied this place and we're going to hold it until Gaddafi is toppled.
EMMA ALBERICI: What can you tell us about the house?
SQUATTER: It's what you would expect a tyrant and a dictator to have. It's over the top and excessive for any one person to live in. It's a ridiculous a display of stolen wealth.
EMMA ALBERICI: The EU has decided on further economic sanctions against the Libyan regime including a freeze on assets owned by the country's sovereign wealth fund and its central bank.
This is Emma Alberici in London for AM.
The Nuts and Bolts of a No-Fly Zone in Libya
Hundreds of Aircraft, Numerous Ships Needed to Enforce No-Fly Zone
By MARTHA RADDATZ
March 10, 2011
U.S. officials and the Pentagon have pushed back against calls from Capitol Hill and the international community to implement a no-fly zone in Libya, citing the logistical difficulty and need for military action.
As the United States and others contemplate what actions to take in Libya at NATO meetings today in Brussels, here is a look at some possible options, from the view of Stephen Ganyard, a former fighter pilot who has enforced no-fly zones in Bosnia and flown combat missions in Iraq, as well as served as a deputy assistant secretary of state.
QUESTION: What would it actually take to implement a no-fly zone?
ANSWER: The first thing that would have to happen is we would have to bring in aircraft to take out the enemy surface to air missile systems and enemy fighters that are on the ground.
Q: What would you actually have to take out? What does Libya have in terms of air defenses?
A: There are air defenses all the way 600 miles from Bengazhi to Tripoli and inland 2-300 miles into the southern part of the oil fields. So you would have to take out not just the airfields themselves but the surface to air missile systems that are defending the key ports and airfields themselves.
Q: What it would take in terms of ships, naval bases, how that would work?
A: It would take a sizeable buildup of both naval and air forces, we'd put forces in Sigonella, Sicily, and in Crete, NATO air space here in Southern Europe. We'd have to have aircraft carriers off shore. We have air to air refueling tankers off shore and we'd have to have fighter combat air patrols off shore before we even thought of going inland.
Q: You're talking hundreds of aircraft?
A: Hundreds of aircraft, numerous ships, support aircraft all just offshore and then we would to think about what would it take to take out those enemy air defenses and then what would it take to establish the combat air patrol and a no fly zone.
Q: But watching them does what?
A: It does absolutely nothing unless you have the military force to take on the aircraft that are flying now, and to be able to go in and take out those that are on the ground, just surveiling the area really does no good… It would be very difficult to say these are enemy forces versus refugee movements so until we get over Libya, and are able to take detailed close up pictures, we are really not doing ourselves any good by having air to air surveillance offshore of Libya
Q: In terms of humanitarian relief, they talked a little about ships, possibly being used for humanitarian relief, how do you do that?
A: I don't' see how you do humanitarian relief unless you have secured the shoreline. And to secure the shoreline you are going to have to establish fighter coverage overhead to protect the ships that come ashore.
Q: In terms of military options, when you look at Libya, what makes sense?
A: Very little. Nothing makes sense without a sizeable military buildup, which will take weeks if not months, in southern NATO airbases, and then we'll take a protracted campaign that will need to roll back the enemy air defenses and roll back the fighters that are on the ground. Once that is done, we go in and establish orbits overhead in various key strategic places that will prevent Libyan air force from flying and from strafing civilians or rebel positions.
Q: President Obama has said (Gadhafi) has to leave, we don't have any options?
A: I think we have options, they are not necessarily military options. I think we need to think about things other than military options. Think about aiding rebels. We can provide covert arms through the areas that have already been taken by the rebels. We can do much more in terms of finances, in terms of taking away money from Gadhafi, freezing his funds and making sure he can't pay his mercenary army.
Q: What would you do in terms of making sure they can, the rebels or the civilians can talk to each other via cell phone.
A: One of the things Gadhafi has done is shut down cell phone and internet. We could actually put U.S. aircraft off shore that can serve as airborne servers for internet access or de facto cell phone towers so they could re-establish communications in those areas that Gadhafi has shut down.
No comments:
Post a Comment