Libya: RAF Typhoons carry out first attack on Gaddafi forces

13 Apr 2011

RAF Typhoon fighters have carried out their first attack on Muammar Gaddafi's forces in Libya, the Ministry of Defense has confirmed.

A Typhoon, patrolling with a RAF Tornado GR4, hit two Libyan T72 main battle tanks with laser-guided Paveway II bombs near the besieged city of Misurata.

Air Vice Marshal Phil Osborn said that the Tornado attacked a third tank with a Paveway IV bomb - taking to eight the number tanks hit by RAF aircraft yesterday.

It is the first time the Typhoon - formerly known as the Eurofighter - has fired its weapons in anger in the ground attack role since entering service with the RAF.

AVM Osborn rejected reports that the RAF had insufficient Typhoon pilots trained in the ground attack role to mount operations in Libya.

The Typhoon was originally introduced as an air defense fighter and a recent National Audit Office report disclosed that only eight pilots had so far received ground attack operations.

AVM Osborn acknowledged that the full Typhoon ground attack capability would not be available until 2015, but said that they had enough for the current mission in Libya.

''We have sufficient Typhoon aircrew to undertake the task with the appropriate training for the systems and weapons carried by the aircraft, whether air-to-air or air-to-ground munitions,'' he told an MoD press briefing in London.

''We take very seriously what we are asked to do. We wouldn't deploy a capability if we couldn't support it and we weren't able to execute it in the way that you would expect the RAF to execute it, which is in a proportionate, disciplined, reliable way.''

The RAF has designated Typhoons operating from Gioia del Colle in southern Italy for ground attack operations in Libya alongside 12 Tornado GR4s. Together they account for a quarter of the ground attack force available to NATO.

William Hague, the foreign secretary, attending a meeting in Qatar of the international contact group on Libya, has been pressing other NATO members to deploy more aircraft to the operation.

Source: The Telegraph.
Link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8448292/Libya-RAF-Typhoons-carry-out-first-attack-on-Gaddafi-forces.html.

Western powers pressure Gaddafi departure, support oppositions

DOHA, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Inside a spacious meeting hall in Qatar's capital Doha, Western powers and their Arab allies met representatives of the Libyan opposition Interim Transitional National Council to seek a political way out of the Libyan crisis.

In Libya, the fighting between the rebel forces supported by NATO-led coalition and Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's army shows no signs of abating.

Wednesday's meeting of the Contact Group on Libya was part of the international mandates for an end of the deteriorating situation in Libya, and came two days after an African Union (AU)- brokered peace deal was denied by the rebels on the ground that the initiative fell short of their expectations for Gaddafi to step down.

NO EASY POLITICAL SOLUTION

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was present at the high- profile conference with NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and British Foreign Secretary William Hague, as well as senior diplomats from the United States, Arab countries and international organizations.

The participants agreed that a political solution would be the only way to lasting peace in Africa's major oil exporter and they reaffirmed strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and national unity of Libya.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle told reporters on the sidelines of the meeting that the international community was looking forward to a speedy end of war in Libya without dividing the country.

However, analysts said it is not easy for a political solution to be born in the international shuttle diplomacy as Gaddafi would not give up power, but rebels hold his departure as the top priority in any political attempt.

That can be proved by the abortion of the AU-brokered road map, which was accepted by Gaddafi who wants to open political dialogue, but rejected by the rebels who said Gaddafi must leave office.

In the past months, Gaddafi was under mounting pressure to step down, but the veteran leader told the Western countries that he would clinch to the power through his sporadic appearance on TV channels, cheering with supporters.

According to the statement issued after the meeting, participants hold that the veteran Libyan leader had lost all legitimacy and must leave power in order to allow the Libyan people to determine their own future.

Rasmussen said Monday that NATO foreign ministers will hold a meeting on Libya later this week in Germany. He said military action alone won't solve the crisis in Libya.

REBELS TRY TO GAIN SUPPORT

The Libyan government did not send representatives to the contact group meeting, which was initiated in a London conference as a mechanism to bring all parties in Libya together for consultations.

The Contact Group said they regarded the Interim Transitional National Council as the legitimate interlocutor, representing the aspirations of the Libyan people.

Libyan rebel forces in the past weeks have engaged in shuttle diplomacy to gain support and recognition.

Mahmud Awad Shamma, a representative of the rebel forces, said a delegation from the Libyan Interim Transitional National Council will go to Washington Wednesday night to meet some congressional leaders to gain more support.

"We want to gain more support to protect civilians and might invite some of them (congressional leaders) to the ground," Mahmud said.

Qatar, the first Arab state to recognize the Libyan rebel authority, said Tuesday it has already exported two shipments of oil from Tobruk, the main oil hub in east Libya.

Source: Xinhua.
Link: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-04/14/c_13827671.htm.

Spain to send diplomat to Libya for talks with rebels

13/04/2011

Spain will send a diplomat to Libya's rebel stronghold of Benghazi for talks with the Transitional National Council, the main Libyan opposition group, a Spanish diplomatic source said Wednesday.

Jose Riera, Spanish ambassador for the special mission for Mediterranean affairs, will head to Benghazi "in around two weeks" to "reinforce dialogue" with the council, the source said.

Spanish Foreign Minister Trinidad Jimenez will give more details regarding Riera's mission later on Wednesday at a top-level diplomatic meeting in Doha called to discuss the crisis in Libya.

NATO has led air strikes against Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi's forces for almost two weeks since taking over from a US-led coalition that began bombing the regime's heavy weaponry on March 19.

Spain has committed four F-18 fighter jets and a refueling aircraft to help enforce a UN-mandated no-fly zone over Libya.

It has also deployed an F-100 frigate, an S-74 submarine and a CN-235 maritime surveillance plane to help enforce an arms embargo on Libya.

© 2011 AFP

Source: Expatica.
Link: http://www.expatica.com/es/news/spanish-news/spain-to-send-diplomat-to-libya-for-talks-with-rebels_142384.html.

Libyan Opposition Envoy To Visit Washington This Week

4/13/2011

(RTTNews) - A envoy of the Libya's Transitional National Council (TNC), an opposition group fighting the regime of authoritarian leader Moammar Qadhafi, is expected to visit Washington later this week to hold talks with senior US administration and defense officials, the State Department announced Wednesday.

According to State Department spokesman Mark Toner, Mahmoud Jibril is visiting the United States in an effort to convince Washington to provide greater support to the rebel movement trying to topple the repressive Qadhafi regime in Libya.

Toner said Jibril is expected to arrive in the United States on Thursday and added that the Libyan would hold talks with senior Pentagon and State Department officials as well as members of Congress in the course of his visit. But Toner did not specify when those talks would take place.

"These meetings will allow us to continue to get a better sense of the opposition and the Transitional National Council and its vision for Libya," Toner said, noting that US envoy Chris Stevens is currently in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi to get a "firsthand" assessment of the opposition.

Toner said the Obama administration is "also trying to take an approach that allows us to understand both their needs as well as who they are." His remarks came as Washington was undecided on arming the Libyan rebels as demanded by the TNC.

Jibril represents the Transitional National Council, which has been recognized as Libya's legitimate government by countries like France, Italy and Qatar. It currently controls most of eastern Libya and is based in the city of Benghazi.

The 31-member TNC, led by former Justice Minister Mustafa Abdul Jalil, has an executive arm, and maintains an armed force consisting mainly of defected military personnel. It is yet to be recognized by the United States.

Currently, a NATO-led military operation is progressing in Libya to enforce a UN-mandated no-fly zone over the North African country, and to protect the civilians from attack by pro-Qadhafi forces. In addition to its original intentions, the operation has also assisted the TNC forces in their fight against the Qadhafi regime.

The TNC has been urging the NATO to intensify its operations in Libya in wake of the brutal shelling of civilian areas in the cities of Misrata and Ajdabiya by pro-Qadhafi forces. Despite making several cease-fire declarations after the international airstrikes began, pro-Qadhafi forces continue to attack rebel-held cities and towns causing many civilian causalities.

Earlier this week, the TNC had rejected a cease-fire deal proposed by the African Union for ending the eight-week-long violent conflict, insisting that it would only accept a deal that includes the removal of Qadhafi from power. The deal, however, was approved by Qadhafi.

Source: RTT News.
Link: http://www.rttnews.com/Content/GeneralNews.aspx?Id=1597706&SM=1.

NATO foreign ministers meet amid looming stalemate in Libya

By Xinhua Writer Zhang Wei

BERLIN, April 13 (Xinhua) -- The Libyan crisis is set to dominate the agenda of NATO foreign ministers' gathering in Berlin on Thursday and Friday, amid rising fears that the alliance-led military campaign may face long stalemate.

Foreign ministers from 28 NATO countries, along with non-NATO contributors to the operation of "Unified Protector", will try to find ways to end the Libyan conflicts Thursday, some two weeks after the alliance assumed full control of the campaign from the United States following days of hard bargaining.

However, new rifts have emerged within the alliance as French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe and his British counterpart William Hague on Tuesday publicly pressed their NATO allies to step up air raids in Libya and provide more ground attack aircraft.

In addition, the leaders of France and Britain will hold an unscheduled summit in Paris to discuss the Libyan crisis Wednesday, just on the eve of NATO's meeting, which is seen as a sign of discord.

French officials have also called for the U.S., Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Sweden to enhance their efforts in the campaign.

The U.S. has withdrawn its aircraft from conducting airstrikes against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's ground forces, leaving NATO short of ground attack aircraft. Several European countries also put restrictions on the use of their planes.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen Wednesday defended the alliance's performance in Libya while attending the Contact Group Meeting on Libya in the Qatari capital of Doha.

"I don't agree with (the description of) NATO being slow, we have kept a very high operational tempo...Our operations will end when there is no longer a threat to civilians on the ground." Rasmussen said.

The NATO chief have denied suggestions by some allies, including arming rebel fighters and deploying ground troops in Libya, saying the alliance had not considered "more robust measures."

Analysts said that despite the NATO-led aerial campaign, which do help the rebel fighters on the ground, Gaddafi has shown no signs of stepping down, leaving the endgame of the operation elusive.

During the Berlin talks, NATO foreign ministers will also discuss the ISAF mission in Afghanistan and NATO-Russia ties.

Under mounting domestic pressure, NATO countries are eager to pull their troops out of Afghanistan and want to complete the transition process in Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

Though the Afghan government has announced the first batch of provinces and cities, which are set to be taken over by Afghan forces, the transition process will not be proved easy as many hurdles exist, including lack of capacity of Afghan soldiers and police, resilient Taliban militants.

On Friday, NATO foreign ministers and their Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov will focus on the cooperation on Afghanistan and the European missile defense.

Source: Xinhua.
Link: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-04/14/c_13827658.htm.

Youth coalition rejects Egypt's nomination for Arab League chief

Wed, 13/04/2011

A revolutionary youth coalition on Wednesday rejected Egypt's nomination of diplomat and former parliamentarian Mostafa al-Fiqqi for the post of Arab League secretary general.

In a statement, the 25 January Revolution Youth Coalition called on the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to look for another figure who has more popularity among Egyptians. It pointed out that al-Fiqqi had been appointed by former President Hosni Mubarak as the head of the dissolved Shura Council's foreign relations committee.

Foreign Minister Nabil al-Arabi announced al-Fiqqi's nomination to the post, currently held by Amr Moussa, whose term ends on 15 May. Al-Fiqqi, a former ambassador and a political writer, also served as an adviser to Mubarak before working as a diplomat.

Under Mubarak's rule, Egyptian opposition groups accused al-Fiqqi of taking part in the rigging of parliamentary elections at a constituency in Beheira Governorate, which led to him winning over his Muslim Brotherhood rival.

Activists on Tuesday expressed disapproval of the nomination, accusing him of being part of the Mubarak regime rather than representing the revolution's goals.

The 6th of April Youth Movement said in a statement, "The Egyptians who sacrificed their lives for the sake of freedom and purging the country of corruption do not accept, by any means, that a corrupt figure would be nominated to represent them at the Arab League."

Al-Fiqqi told the Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper on Wednesday that his nomination is supported by Saudi Arabia and Syria, adding that Arabs will compliment Egypt for honoring the revolution.

Qatar had also nominated the former secretary general for the Gulf Cooperation Council, Abdul Rahman al-Attiya, to succeed Moussa.

Source: al-Masry al-Youm.
Link: http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/398664.

Egypt sees rebirth of National Democratic Party

Apr 14th, 2011
By Heba Hesham

CAIRO: On Wednesday, Egypt witnessed the rebirth of the National Democratic Party (NDP) in its new format under the name “New National Party” was announced in a press conference at its headquarters in Heliopolis, with new figures and a new president, Talaat El-Sadat, one of the fiercest opponents of the previous policies of the National Democratic Party (NDP) of ousted President Hosni Mubarak.

“We are not the only big party that faced such crisis; there are many parties and both the Democratic and Republican parties in [the] US for example, yet they rose and acquired people’s confidence once more,” said Mohamed Ragab, the Secretary-General of the New National Party.

“We didn’t disperse the party because it has thousands of honest members within it and we cannot put them in one basket with the corrupt figures,” he added.

“We had two choices, either to die as others, which is the easy way or to return the party to its previous track initiated by the former President of Egypt Anwar El Sadat and that fell apart as a result of years of corruption,” continued Ragab.

“We don’t care about the party that vanished by the end of Ahmed Ezz and Gamal Mubarak,” he added. “We care about the party commenced by the late Anwar El-Sadat for the people and by the people.”

Yet, the party cannot become a new party unless it ends the stereotype long-stuck with it as a “corrupted party,” according to Ragab.

“We apologize for any corruption that was caused by the party and we promise the people that the new party will be the same as the first initiated one,” he continued.

The New National Party started a “purification” operation within its ranks by ridding itself of corrupt figures and opening new opportunities for the youth inside the party. “We decided that any new structure in the party should include at least 50% of youth,” said Ragab.

“Our main mistake is that we were wedged with the government although it didn’t support our policies; we were going in different routes and that what caused what happened,” said the Secretary General.

The new policy of the party is to stand by the people not the government. The party is now passing through a transitional period, which will end by the next parliamentary elections that the new president of the party is sure that they will become the majority party.

“I wish that the New Party will be the majority party in all coming elections and I am confident we will do that by winning the people on our side by our new policies and projects in all parts of Egypt like Sinai and Nubia,” said El-Sadat.

“Egypt is now at a crossroads; either to return to its normal position or to destruction,” he added. “The role of the National party is to balance the political defect by allowing the 85 million Egyptians to rule themselves and hindering any minority from ruling the majority.”

“I wish we could reach a political, economical and social reform in the fastest time possible; for instance we want the new Minister of Finance to increase the purchasing power of the Egyptian pound, I also wish that the new government would include from 10 to 15 youth,” he added.

Starting from the date of the conference all branches of the New National Party in all Egyptian governorates will work in full strength to serve the needs of the people, according to the new president of the party.

Source: Bikya Masr.
Link: http://bikyamasr.com/wordpress/?p=32450.