New alliance to back Libya, replacing NATO--Qatar

[jakeXT]

Source: Reuters

DOHA Oct 26 (Reuters) - Qatar's top general said on Wednesday that Western countries had proposed setting up a new alliance headed by Qatar to support Libya after NATO ends its mission in the North African country.

He was speaking after NATO postponed until later this week a meeting that had been expected to formalise a decision to end its Libya mission at the end of the month after Libyan officials called for it to be kept going longer.

"After it became clear that NATO has a vision to withdraw at a certain point, Libya's friends from the Western countries have proposed this idea of setting up a new alliance to continue supporting Libya," Qatar's Chief of Staff, Major-General Hamad bin Ali al-Attiyah, said in remarks carried by Al Jazeera television.

..

Attiyah also said that hundreds of Qatari troops were on the ground in Libya helping the fighters who overthrew Gaddafi.

Read more: http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFL5E7LQ4V620111026

[Bosonic]

1. Sophistry is fun!

No NATO ground troops EVER!

[SkyDaddy7]

2. I trusted President Obama's word to begin with. nt.

[pampango]

3. "NATO has said it does not intend to keep forces in the Libyan region after ending its mission..."

[bongbong]

4. Wiggle room

There's a giant gaping hole in that statement.

"Well, we didn't INTEND to keep them there, but a situation came up that required it. What's the situation? Sorry, state secret. Can't tell you."

[jakeXT]

6. ICI is a NATO Treaty Organization, if they decide take that umbrella

The Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI) is an initiative launched during NATO's 2004 Istanbul summit.

During this summit, NATO leaders decided to elevate the Alliance’s Mediterranean Dialogue to a genuine partnership and to launch the ICI with selected countries in the broader region of the Middle East.<1>


...

Members

* Bahrain
* Qatar
* Kuwait
* United
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Istanbul_Cooperation_Initiative

[Fool Count]

5. So Libya will be occupied by Qatar from now on?

How quaint. "Colonialism - not just for the Western countries anymore". That seems to be the first official admission that Qaddafi was overthrown
by Qatari regulars. And they are there to stay. What, they are afraid that if they leave the Libyans may take their country back?

[jakeXT]

7. I saw the flag before

A rebel makes victory signs as he stands between the Qatar flag (top L) and the Kingdom of Libya flag in front of Muammar Qaddafi's residence at the Bab al-Aziziyah complex in Tripoli August 24, 2011. PHOTO: REUTERS

http://tribune.com.pk/story/239221/price-on-qaddafis-head-as-rebels-plan-for-future/

[DCBob]

8. No one is occupying Libya... except Libyans.

Of course you knew that already.

[Fool Count]

14. Something tells me that you also know already where to shove

your condescension, mate.

[DCBob]

20. vile comment.

get lost.

[Fool Count]

21. Now pull it out and shove it back in again. Repeat as needed.

[LanternWaste]

22. Let's do try and ad substance

Let's do try and ad substance rather than pejorative, shall we...? One is constructive, the other little more than a petulant irrelevancy.

[Fool Count]

23. Gimme a break, I am just trying to get to my 1000th post as fast as I could.

That's why I am not leaving any post unanswered, no matter how stupid and insulting,
and trying to be appropriate in the process.

[pampango]

10. If 'several hundred' troops can overthrow a dictator and occupy a country, Qatar should

give some training to the US military. Our military doesn't seem to operate that economically.

BTW, the population of Qatar is 1.5 million of which only 300,000 are Qatari citizens. The rest are foreign workers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qatar#Population

"Qatar’s national income primarily derives from oil and natural gas exports. The country has oil reserves of 15 billion barrels, while gas reserves in the giant North Field (which straddles the border with Saudi Arabia and is almost as large as the peninsula itself) are estimated to be between 80 trillion cubic feet... to 800 trillion cubic feet ... (1 trillion cubic feet of gas is equivalent to about 180 million barrels ... of oil). Qataris’ wealth and standard of living compare well with those of Western European states; Qatar has the highest GDP per capita in the Arab World, according to the International Monetary Fund (2010)<32> and the CIA World Factbook."

Qatar is rich, has plenty of oil and is nowhere near Libya, but they want to occupy Libya with a few hundred troops. Beware Libyans of Qataris bearing gifts. They really want to take over the world.

[jakeXT]

11. hundreds in every region

"We were among them and the numbers of Qataris on the ground were hundreds in every region," said Qatari chief of staff Major General Hamad bin Ali Al-Atiya.

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/25193/World/Region/Qatar-fielded-hundreds-of-soldiers-in-Libya.aspx

[Fool Count]

12. The whole army of Qaddafi at its full strength was hardly 10,000

poorly trained soldiers. By the time the assault on Tripoli started it was likely reduced to
no more than 3-4,000 moderately battle-worthy troops. Few hundred of disciplined,
well trained and motivated regulars could roll demoralized and softened by NATO bombing
Qaddafi's force with ease, as we saw they did. That explains how the "rebels" who couldn't
shoot themselves in the foot if they tried to all the way until August, suddenly turned into
a capable fighting horse. I've been puzzling over it ever since. Thank you Gen. Al-Atiya -
mystery solved. Qatari regulars were most likely inserted into Misurata, arriving on ships to
shore up the city's defenses against Qadaffi's assault. So any current reference to "battle
hardened fighters from Misurata" likely implies Qatari special forces decked out in civilian garb.
It is not outside the realm of possibility that Qatari troops were on the ground in Libya since day
one of the "rebellion" in smaller numbers with a plan of recruiting and training the local force,
which was obviously abandoned after it became clear that locals were just not going to cut it.

[jakeXT]

13. The NTC had the same uniforms as Qatari soldiers, because they were donated to them

As one of the first countries to recognize the National Transitional Council, Qatar supplied the rebels with arms, uniforms, and $400 million in aid, while also helping the rebels sell their oil. Not least, Qatar provided invaluable moral support with its exhaustive coverage of the rebels on the Al Jazeera TV network, the emir's powerful public diplomacy wing.

http://www.hudson.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=publication_details&id=8274

“The principle source of support for the rebels came from ‘Q-SOC,’” the Qatari special forces, says this source, who would only be identified as a former U.S. intelligence contractor with direct knowledge of operations in Libya. With the advance on Tripoli impending, the “Q-SOC” teams went to work getting rebels ready to finish the war, teaching them how to use the shoulder-fired missiles they looted from Gadhafi’s weapons stocks and even the basics of shooting straight.

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/08/tiny-qatar-flexed-big-muscles-in-libya/

[Fool Count]

17. It looks like that 'Q-SOC' not only taught the rebels how to shoot straight,

but actually did most of the fighting for them.

[jakeXT]

18. Probably healthier for them.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php/harveywasserman.com/bcnews.go.com/Blotter/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=385&topic_id=616733&mesg_id=616733

[Fool Count]

16. Well, if they have the wherewithal to stage the World Cup,

as they are doing in 2022, they can certainly occupy Libya, a far less logistically demanding
undertaking.

[pampango]

19. Occupying a country is easier than staging the World Cup?

Qatar has about 300,000 citizens, plenty of money, more oil and natural gas than it knows what to do with and no history of aggression or colonization.

Do you have a theory as to why Qatar would want to have any troops in Libya for any longer than it takes to get through the current chaos? I'm not sure that the alternative of untrained, uncoordinated, but heavily armed, rebel forces being gradually brought under the control of the new government is preferable to a small contingent of troops from a friendly Arab country that can help with this process.

[DCBob]

9. Despite the negative/ignorant comments above this is very good news.

The less NATO/US does and the more other ME nations do is always preferable in situations like this. This could be a good trend for future military actions in the region.

[dipsydoodle]

15. Maybe it's Catarrh and something got lost in translation

The whole issue is a big bag of snot.

[pampango]

24. UN votes to end no-fly zone over Libya

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2011/10/20111027142458981751.html

The United Nations Security Council has voted unanimously to end NATO's no-fly zone over Libya, despite the country's calls for a delay. The 15-member body voted on Thursday to end the no-fly zone, in place since March, from 11:59pm Libyan time (21:59 GMT) on October 31.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the NATO secretary-general, confirmed on Thursday the alliance's decision to end operations in Libya by October 31.

After a meeting with Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, Rasmussen said that the the UN resolution "reflects that we have fully accomplished our mandate to protect the civilian population of Libya, so now we have firm ground for terminating our operations as we decided to do a week ago".

The decision comes a day after Libya's interim leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil urged NATO to continue its Libya campaign until the end of the year to prevent Gaddafi loyalists from leaving the country.