Libyan Rebels Said to Debate Seeking U.N. Airstrikes

[maddezmom]

Source: NYT

BENGHAZI, Libya — In a sign of mounting frustration among rebel leaders over Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s diminished but unyielding grip on power, rebel leaders here are debating whether to ask for Western airstrikes under the United Nations banner, according to four people with knowledge of the deliberations.

By invoking the United Nations, a council of opposition leaders made up of lawyers, academics, judges and other prominent figures is seeking to draw a distinction between such airstrikes and foreign intervention, which the rebels said they emphatically opposed.

“He destroyed the army; we have two or three planes,” said a spokesman for the council, Abdel-Hafidh Ghoga. He refused to say if there would be any imminent announcement about such strikes, but he wanted to make it clear: “If it is with the United Nations, it is not a foreign intervention.”

That distinction is lost on many people, and any call for foreign military help carries great risks.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/02/world/africa/02libya.html?_r=1&hp

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Libya Rebels March West as Fronts Firm
Gadhafi Opponents Are Seen Moving Out of Benghazi; Pentagon Orders Two Warships to Mediterranean.Article Video Slideshow Interactive Graphics By JULIAN E. BARNES in Washington, MARGARET COKER in Tripoli and CHARLES LEVINSON in Benghazi, Libya

A ragtag army of opponents to Col. Moammar Gadhafi began moving west toward Tripoli from the east and the U.S. ordered two warships to the Mediterranean Sea, as the prospect of an extended war loomed over Libya.

A convoy of armed youth, including what appeared to be rebel military forces, was seen heading Tuesday night toward the pro-Gadhafi stronghold city of Sirte, witnesses said. The forces were viewed passing westward through Ajdabiya, a city about 75 miles from the opposition stronghold of Benghazi, said four residents, including a volunteer rebel soldier and an official on the city's local leadership council. It was unclear how many rebels were on the move.

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"We're worried this conflict could drag on," said Ali Rishi, among the dissidents who met with the State Department this week. "We don't want Gadhafi to feel he can survive."

A senior State Department official confirmed the U.S. has met with a variety of Libyan opposition figures this week but wouldn't discuss the details. "There were a variety of views expressed," he said.

more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704506004576173831133467692.html

[maddezmom]

1. Rebels in east Libya want U.N.-backed air strikes

LIBYA-BENGHAZI/COUNCIL (URGENT)BENGHAZI, Libya, March 2 (Reuters) - A rebel National Libyan Council in east Libya called for U.N.-backed air strikes on foreign mercenaries used by leader Muammar Gaddafi against his own people, a spokesman for the council said on Wednesday.

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"We call for specific attacks on strongholds of these mercenaries," he said, but added: "The presence of any foreign forces on Libyan soil is strongly opposed. There is a big difference between this and strategic air strikes." (Reporting by Tom Pfeiffer, Writing by Edmund Blair in Cairo)

http://www.forexyard.com/en/news/Rebels-in-east-Libya-want-UN-backed-air-strikes-2011-03-02T144300Z