Libyan Rebels Lay Seige to Gadhafi Hometown

[Elmore Furth]

Source: Associated Press

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: March 29, 2011 at 4:11 AM ET

BIN JAWWAD, Libya — Rebel forces laid siege to Moammar Gadhafi's hometown and stronghold of Sirte, the gateway to the capital, Tripoli as Western and Arab nations prepared to meet in London Tuesday to seek an exit for Libya's long time leader.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Arab League, the African Union and around 40 foreign ministers were scheduled to join the talks, seeking to ratchet up pressure on Gadhafi.

No representative from Libya's opposition was expected to attend the conference, but an official familiar with planning for the talks said an envoy was expected to travel to London to meet with British diplomats on the sidelines. The official demanded anonymity to discuss the meeting with the opposition envoy ahead of a formal announcement.

Thanks to international airstrikes begun March 19, Libya's rebels are in a much stronger position than a week ago, having recaptured all the territory lost earlier to Gadhafi's forces, including two key oil terminals.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2011/03/29/world/africa/AP-AF-Libya.html?_r=1&ref=news

[abomination]

1. Gaddafi

why are the western countries getting involved in business that is not theres!!
for more gaddafi massacre go to
http://conersationalblog.blogspot.com/

[dipsydoodle]

2. And why does the US get involved in business in Latin America that is not their's.

For details of the murky past rummage through this lot :

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Latin_America/LatinAmericaWatch.html

People in glass houses...........

btw - its their's not there's.

[Keith Bee]

3. Diplomats Meet in London to Ponder Libya’s Future

Source: NYT

BIN JAWWAD, Libya — A barrage of tank and artillery fire from forces guarding one of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s most crucial bastions of support halted the westward advance of rebels seeking to oust him, while diplomats prepared for an international conference in London on Tuesday afternoon to define their political vision of a post-Qaddafi era.

The gathering of some 40 governments and international organizations, including the United States, follows a statement by President Obama opposing regime change as “something we cannot to repeat in Libya” after America’s involvement in Iraq. But the meeting in London also comes after a blunt assessment by the American military, which is conducting the bulk of the air campaign against pro-Qaddafi forces, that insurgent advances would be reversed quickly without continued strikes by coalition warplanes.

“The regime still vastly overmatches opposition forces militarily,” Gen. Carter F. Ham, the ranking American in the coalition operation, warned in an e-mail on Monday. “The regime possesses the capability to roll them back very quickly. Coalition air power is the major reason that has not happened.”

Several loud bombs exploded near Tripoli on Monday night, followed by bursts of antiaircraft fire. In a news conference, government officials said the Sahara town of Sabha — another bastion of tribal support for Colonel Qaddafi, along with Surt — had also been hit hard by airstrikes in recent nights.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/29/world/africa/30libya.html?_r=1&hp

---

(Sigh) It's nice to see that, once again, the future of a country we know nothing about is being mapped out in the capital of a white Christian country. Blessed is the Name of the Lord!

[aSpeckofDust]

4. Alternative title.. Diplomats Meet in London to carve up Libya's resources.

[OKDem08]

5. I think the masses are waking up en masse to this truth

[Ghost Dog]

6. London is more than just

"the capital of a white Christian country". London is the most cosmopolitan city in the world.

[Keith Bee]

7. You get a shiver in the dark/It's raining in the park

But, meantime... ;-)

[dipsydoodle]

8. Off topic

Further to your welcome advice looks like I'll plumb for Fuerteventura for 3 weeks in May.

Any sign of rebellion out there do please warn me. :)

:hi:

[dipsydoodle]

9. Figuring how to duck and dive around the sanctions no doubt.

see response #7 here : http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x760047#762075

Your other note : Of all the things the rebels might be - Sultans of Swing they're not. :)

[Fool Count]

10. What a damn farce that is. Absolute monarchies of Qatar and UAE enforcing

"democracy" on the most democratic and progressive Arab country to date. And now vultures getting together
to decide on the future of a country without a single representative of the country in question. With UN
blessing no less. Does anyone have no shame when oil is involved?

[joshcryer]

15. Libya democratic and progressive?

What?

[Fool Count]

17. What I said.

[ctsnowman]

16. Yup

X2

[Prometheus Bound]

11. Not a single Libyan invited to the meeting.

Only one Libyan representative invited to London but not the meeting and he is the one who was recently in charge of the committee responsible for drafting a new Libyan constitution for Khadafy.

[joshcryer]

13. UN makes it clear that Gaddafi's government is not legitimate.

[xchrom]

12. So pro-gaddafi forces are in a better shape than the rebels still.

Thats after how much money has been spent for this
'no fly' business?

[joshcryer]

14. Rebels are composed of civilians mainly.

It takes months of training to train a regular civilian to be a wholesale murderer, that's the job of any military.

They ran back to Bin Jawad already, scared shitless. If they were islamic militants or something you'd expect them to stand their ground completely.

It doesn't help that their supply lines are spread over a thousand miles.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

18. They're not civilians

Once you sign on, you are no longer a civilian. You are a soldier.

Like the Libyan rebels, you may be an untrained, undisciplined soldier, but a soldier anyway.

It takes months to learn the basic skills, many more months to become really effective. And this assumes you have competent trainers. I don't know if the UN has any "advisers" in the area to help train. The claim would be that they do not. Our special forces are not training the rebels, and are not helping to target the tanks and artillery installations.

Then, it takes even longer, years, to train a recruit to be a leader. The rebels have enthusiastic spokespersons, but don't seem to have much leadership.

But, the rebels are soldiers, and legitimate targets for government forces.