Libya rebel leaders visit EU, call for recognition and no-fly zone

[JanDutchy]

Source: rfi/fr


Former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, who invited Mahmud Gebril and Ali al-Essawi to Brussels on Tuesday

Members of Libya's rebel leadership visited Brussels Tuesday and asked the EU to recognise the legitimacy of a alternate ruling body in Libya. They called on the West to impose a no-fly zone over the country. Two leaders were invited to the European Parliament by former Belgian Prime Minister and the parliament's Liberal group leader Guy Verhofstadt.


Read more: http://www.english.rfi.fr/africa/20110308-lybia-rebel-leaders-call-eu-recognise-visit-eu

[pampango]

1. BBC: The EU foreign affairs chief ... said she would discuss a no-fly zone with Nato on Thursday.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12685960

She was speaking at a passionate debate in Strasbourg in which MEPs heard calls for a no-fly zone and for opening borders to refugees. Pressed by MEPs to recognise Libya's rebel government, she said it was not within her mandate.

Having brought Libya's controversial leader "out of the cold in the past", Lady Ashton said, it was time for the international community to "send Gaddafi back into the cold".

She said she would attend talks on a no-fly zone and other measures at a meeting with Nato on Thursday. But she said she could not, under her mandate, comment on calls for granting recognition to Libya's rebel government, the National Libyan Council (NLC).

Speaking to Lady Ashton on Tuesday, Mahmoud Jebril, head of the NLC's crisis committee, said the EU should recognise the council as the sole legitimate representative of the Libyan people. "A no-fly zone is one of them, supplying the peoples with arms," the rebel representative added.

[pampango]

2. Here's an opposite view: Gadhafi says Libyans will fight against no-fly zone

http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20110309/libya-gadhafi-protests-110309/

Moammar Gadhafi said in an interview broadcast Wednesday that Libyans would fight back if Western nations impose a no-fly zone to prevent the regime from using its air force to bomb government opponents staging a rebellion. He said imposing the restrictions would prove the West's real intention was to seize his country's oil wealth.

In the interview, Gadhafi was responding to U.S. and British plans for action against his regime, including imposing a no-fly zone to prevent Gadhafi's warplanes from striking rebels. Gadhafi claimed such a move would lead Libyans to understand that the foreigners' aim was to seize oil and take their freedom away. If that happened, he said, "Libyans will take up arms and fight."

Libyan state television also broadcast remarks by Gadhafi addressing a group of youths from the town of Zintan, 120 kilometres southwest of Tripoli. Gadhafi again blamed al Qaeda operatives from Egypt, Algeria, Afghanistan and the Palestinian territories for the turmoil roiling his country since Feb. 15.

"If al Qaeda seizes Libya, that will amount to a huge disaster," Gadhafi said. "If they (al Qaeda fighters) take this place over, the whole region, including Israel, will be dragged into chaos. Then, (al Qaeda leader Osama) Bin Laden may seize all of north Africa that faces Europe."

Hmmm, one side supports a no-fly zone and the other opposes it. Can't make both sides happy. Which side do we support?

He is smart enough to appeal to all sides to support his continued rule. Afraid that the US and UK are after Libyan oil, you should back Gaddafi. Afraid that Al Queda will take over Libya, you should back Gaddafi. He overlooks the fact that the Libyan people are tired of his dictatorial rule. He prefers to blame outsiders (which shifts the blame from his 40 years of oppression) but he's certainly not the first authoritarian ruler to use that PR strategy.

[JanDutchy]

3. Where are you chosing for?

Ashton recognized that it is a difficult situation. That's why there is a lot of diplomatic encounters.

I chose - given also differt statements from inside Libya (the ones who searche for self-determination) for a no-fly-zone and for this:




Nine non-violent options for action in Libya
Sunday, 06 March 2011 09:31


Nine non-violent options for international action in Libya by my friend Carne Ross:

1. Establishment of an escrow account for Libyan oil revenues: this would require further UNSC chapter VII authorisation. At present, it appears that all oil revenues, including from oil produced from rebel-held areas, flows to the Libyan government. All payments should instead be paid into a UN-run escrow account, the proceeds of which would be released as soon as a representative government is established in Libya. While the account is in operation, proceeds might in the interim be used for humanitarian purposes in rebel-held areas or to aid refugees. This would be a short-term measure to exert maximum pressure on the regime. My suspicion is that govts are not discussing this for fear of the effect on oil prices (this is uppermost in US debate in particular). To deal with this problem, Saudi Arabia should be asked to make very public commitments to increase its daily production to cover any shortfall of Libyan production.


2. Listing all Libyan personnel involved in repression for sanction under SCR 1970. Paras 22-23 of this resolution encourage states to nominate individuals to whom the asset freeze and travel ban would apply. At the moment, the list is very short and comprises only prominent regime members. The UN or Security Council members should make public this encouragement to Libyans on the ground to nominate members of the security forces. Why not publish an email address for such nominations or set up a wiki for Libyans to compile evidence? I realise the potential downsides of this, but the point would primarily be to act as a deterrent. There is also nothing to stop individual states declaring that those named under paras 22-23 will be subject to these measures in perpetuity. For a start, why not nominate all Libyan diplomats who have not defected for these sanctions? Why not take the names of all senior Libyan army officers and stick them on the list too?


3. Seek public declarations from all commercial companies that they will not do business with the Gadhaffi regime. The admirable folks in the Genocide Intervention Network have already begun campaigning for this and have secured several such commitments. I see no reason why governments, such as the US and UK, should not demand such commitments of companies based in their respective countries. Naming and shaming has considerable effect on the recalcitrant.


4. Immediately position monitoring units on all borders and a naval blockade to ensure that the military embargo under UNSCR 1970 is enforced, and that regime members under ICC investigation or subject to paras 22-23 of UNSCR 1970 do not escape. This could be implemented now, and does not in my view require further Security Council authority.


5. An air blockade to the same effect might also be considered. This should of course exclude all evacuation and humanitarian flights, but the aim is to increase the isolation of the regime. Flights should by contrast be permitted to rebel-held areas. Such measures were imposed on Gadhaffi under the earlier sanctions regime over Lockerbie. He didn't like it.


6. Electronic jamming of all regime communications; interference with internet communications, stuxnet-like attacks on regime IT infrastructure. I hope that US etc are already trying to do this. If not, they should be.


7. Provide immediate and substantial humanitarian assistance in rebel-held areas.


8. Set up publicly accessible websites using satellite and other reconnaissance data to inform anti-Gadhaffi forces of the disposition of regime military and irregular units. Or, get the data to them more covertly using encrypted satphones etc.. (thanks @racionalisimo for that one)


9. Consider making the Libyan currency non-convertible (thanks to @stream47 for this idea). I'm no expert on this so list this for consideration only. Another idea is to impose Swift banking sanctions to freeze all financial transactions beyond the assets freeze imposed in SCR1970. The problem with assets freezes is that it's too easy these days for individuals/regimes to hide money. Tracking these monies is a major forensic effort, and can take time.

http://www.rorystewart.co.uk/

On Rory Stewart, here some information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rory_Stewart

In my opinion, a man not to forget because of his humor, knowlegde and more-over experience with people.