New Libya PM warns toughest battles lie ahead

2011-09-09

By Andrew Beatty - TRIPOLI

Libya's new de facto premier on Thursday used his first major address in Tripoli to warn that liberation was not yet complete and the hardest battles were yet to come.

Speaking in the capital for the first time since Moamer Gathafi's ouster, Mahmud Jibril laid out the stark challenges ahead for a nation reborn in the fire of a seven-month-long civil war.

If Libyans were expecting a triumphalist address two weeks after Gathafi's fall from power, they would have been chastened.

"The battle of liberation is not finished," said the deputy head of the victorious National Transitional Council (NTC) in comments broadcast live across the country from the former offices of the ousted leader.

"What the Libyans have accomplished is an unprecedented achievement in modern and recent history, however our biggest challenge is still ahead of us."

As thoughts turn to revenge and justice against allies of the 42-year dictatorship, Jibril called for order and reconciliation.

"The first challenge is to win against ourselves, and the second challenge is the ability to forgive.

"So the choice in front of Libyans is either to take action against those who shaped our past, or to build a new future for themselves and their future sons and generations."

A key part of beginning that new chapter will undoubtedly be the capture of Gathafi himself. But Jibril gave few clues about how close the NTC was to tracking him down.

The battle for Libya's liberation will end with the "capture or elimination of Kahdafi," he said, because then his followers will truly know that the strongman is "out of the picture."

When asked about the location of the fugitive leader, Jibril said it would be unwise for the NTC to announce his whereabouts. "We will not be divulging that information."

But there was a message for those towns and villages which remain resolute in their support for the Gathafi regime ahead of a Saturday deadline to lay down their arms that looks increasingly redundant.

After rocket attacks on pro-NTC troops near Bani Walid on Thursday, Jibril said the window for a negotiated surrender was nearly closed.

"Unfortunately, this chance was violated and exploited by putting more soldiers and fomenting Libyans to kill each other. We don't really see that the other side truly wants to take a chance and avoid bloodshed," Jibril said.

"We have the right to defend ourselves even before the deadline," he added.

As life returns to normal in the capital, Jibril also warned against rushing the political process before the battle for Libya has ended and reiterated his promise not to stand for office in the immediate future.

"Some have made preparations and attempts to start the political game, before reaching a common consensus on the rules of the game," he said.

"Once the battle is truly finished, there is an interim government and a constitution is agreed upon, the political game can start. As I promised in the past, I will not take part in that."

Jibril, who is unelected, also vowed to step down if his leadership proves contentious.

"If we discover that we are not in common ground, I will retreat so that I give others who may be more capable in participating in such experiments.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=47983.

Erdogan's Turkey emerging as new Mideast power

2011-09-08

ISTANBUL - As the only Muslim member of NATO and the first country in the wider Middle East to forge relations with Israel, Turkey had long been seen as having its diplomatic feet firmly planted in the West.

But under the Islamist-rooted government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, it has come to increasingly rewrite the script, not only falling out with Israel and breaking ranks with the West over its response towards Iran's nuclear ambitions but also showing a willingness to get tough with Syria.

According to Bertrand Badie, a Paris-based professor of international relations, Erdogan is filling the breach while Arab leaders are busy trying to cling onto their posts in the wake of popular uprisings.

"There is an empty space (in the region) due to the lack of Arab power. Turkey is filling that space," said Badie, an international relations professor based in Paris.

Erdogan's office announced on Wednesday that the prime minister would next week embark on a regional tour which will take in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia -- the three countries to have overthrown their leaders in the Arab uprisings.

He has already indicated the trip to Egypt could include a visit to the Gaza Strip, the Hamas-run enclave wedged between Egypt and Israel, which would underline his commitment to the Palestinian cause.

Erdogan has defended Hamas as "resistance fighters who are struggling to defend their land."

Regardless of whether Erdogan actually goes to Gaza or not, his willingness to make such a visit is seen as a veiled reproach to Arab leaders who have shunned the impoverished territory since Hamas seized power in 2007.

Last week's decision to expel the Israeli ambassador and suspend all military and defense industry ties put an end, at least temporarily, to years of friendship and cooperation.

Israel lost an ally, while Turkey lost its role as an intermediary between Arabs and Israel. For example Ankara facilitated indirect discussions between Israel and Syria in the 1990s over the Golan Heights.

Analysts have warned that Erdogan's fall-out with Israel could damage Turkey's standing in Washington, particularly in the US Congress where support for the Jewish state has been particular strong.

However, Erdogan showed his willingness to upset Washington when Turkey publicly opposed new sanctions against Iran drawn up by the United States and the European Union over Tehran's nuclear program.

And yet Erdogan has also been willing to alienate Arab leaders, carpeting neighboring Syria for its bloody crackdown on protests.

Writing in Turkey's Hurriyet newspaper, the columnist Mustafa Akyol said that Turkey was reacting to the reality of a world which "is really less black and white" and that it was no longer to stereotype its allegiances.

"We are an ally of neither Iran nor Syria, as we have been busy condemning the latter’s brutality on its own people," he wrote. "On the other hand, we are an ally of the United States, but not its yes-man."

Nor has the frenetic diplomatic activity been limited to the Arab world. Last month, Erdogan visited drought-hit Somalia, becoming the first non-African leader to visit Mogadishu since the beginning of the civil war in 1991.

"The tragedy going on here is a test for civilization and contemporary values... The civilized world must successfully pass this test in order to prove that Western values are not made up of empty rhetoric," Erdogan said.

In an earlier show of solidarity with Muslim suffering, he paid a visit last year to areas of Pakistan ravaged by floods.

Badie said Turkey's "hyperactive diplomacy" was in part possible due to its burgeoning economy. Gross domestic product grew 8.9 percent last year.

"The privilege of being a developing country is that you have your one foot in the rich countries, and the other in the poor," he said.

And as it takes on a higher diplomatic profile among other Muslim countries, Bradie said there should be no surprise if feathers are ruffled.

"Turkey is becoming a world power, an actor you cannot do without. But to achieve this goal, Turkey must first be a regional power. That's what they are doing," he added.

"But, when you become bigger and more powerful, you can't keep all your friends," Badie warned. "That's what is happening with Israel," he added.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=47974.

Turkey rebuffs Iran over NATO missile shield

2011-09-09

ANKARA - Turkey said Friday NATO's missile system targeted no specific country after Iran heightened criticism of Ankara's plan to host an early-warning radar.

"This system is not against any country. It aims at the defense of NATO sphere," Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Selcuk Unal told a weekly news conference in Ankara.

On Thursday, Iran toughened its criticism of the Turkish plan to host the early warning radar system allocated by the United States to NATO, saying it would create tension and lead to "complicated consequences."

Leaders of the 28-member NATO alliance gave their backing last year for the Europe-wide ballistic missile shield -- which US officials say is aimed at thwarting missile threats from the Middle East, particularly Iran.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=47996.

Interpol issues arrest notice for Gathafi, son Seif

2011-09-09

LYON - World police body Interpol called Friday for the arrest of fugitive former Libyan leader Moamer Gathafi for his alleged crimes against humanity, following a request by the International Criminal Court.

Interpol said it had issued a "red notice" for the arrest of Gathafi, his son Seif al-Islam and his intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi, one day after ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo asked for the agency's help.

Interpol asked its 188 member countries "to take all measures consistent with their national laws to help the ICC locate and apprehend Gathafi."

The "request for Interpol Red Notices will significantly restrict the ability of all three men to cross international borders and is a powerful tool to help in their location and arrest," Interpol chief Ronald Noble said.

"Gathafi is a fugitive whose country of nationality and the International Criminal Court want arrested and held accountable for the serious criminal charges that have been brought against him," the secretary general said.

A red notice by the international police co-operation agency, which is based in the central French city of Lyon, seeks the arrest for an extradition or surrender of a person to an international court based on an arrest warrant.

In June, ICC judges issued arrest warrants against Gathafi, 69, Seif al-Islam, 39, and Senussi, 62, for "crimes against humanity" by troops under their orders, using "lethal force" to quell the uprising against his regime.

Gathafi, who had ruled Libya with an iron fist since 1969, "had absolute, ultimate and unquestioned control over the Libyan state apparatus of power, including the security forces," the ICC said in a court document.

His son Seif al-Islam "the most influential person within his inner circle" is his de facto prime minister, the court added.

As head of military intelligence, Senussi "exercised control over the armed forces under his command that were deployed in the city of Benghazi in order to suppress civilian demonstrations," from February 15 to 20 this year.

His plan to quell the February popular demonstrations by all means involved Libyan soldiers killing civilians as they were leaving mosques and funerals, leaving thousands dead, the prosecutor alleges.

Counter-offensive

Troops loyal to fugitive Moamer Gathafi launched a counter-offensive on Thursday to retake Red Valley, an AFP reporter said, a day after new regime forces celebrated its capture.

Gathafi forces fired rockets and artillery shells aiming to recapture Red Valley, 60 kilometers (40 miles) east of the former leader's hometown in Sirte, and one of the lines of defense for troops there.

Forces fighting for the National Transitional Council (NTC) announced the capture of Red Valley on Thursday, but sporadic fighting continued on Friday morning, an AFP correspondent reported.

The counter-offensive began with the arrival of a convoy of 10 pro-Gathafi vehicles along the front line, on the outskirts of Red Valley, an AFP correspondent said.

After two hours of heavy fighting, NTC fighters fired anti-aircraft guns and held their positions under cover along the road and behind two buildings just outside the town.

The NTC on Thursday announced it was going to storm Red Valley in preparation for assaults on strongholds still held by forces loyal to Gathafi, including his hometown Sirte.

They have given the pro-Gathafi forces until Saturday to surrender.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=47998.

Israeli ambassador leaves Egypt

Sat Sep 10, 2011

The Israeli ambassador to Egypt has flown out of Cairo, a few hours after demonstrators stormed the Israeli embassy.

Yitzhak Levanon boarded a plane before dawn on Saturday morning.

Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak called US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in the early hours of Saturday morning Tel Aviv time and urged Washington to help protect the Israeli embassy in Cairo.

Egyptian protesters stormed the embassy on Friday, destroying a part of a barricade wall around the building in the process.

Egyptian police used tear gas to disperse the crowd.

One person died due to asphyxiation after inhaling tear gas, and about 450 demonstrators were injured, medical personnel said.

A protester tore down the Israeli flag at the embassy, to the cheers of thousands of demonstrators on the scene.

In addition, tens of thousands of Egyptians once again gathered at the iconic Liberation Square in Cairo to demand that the military government hand over power to a civilian administration. The protesters gathered in the square after Friday prayers to participate in the "Correcting the Path" demonstration.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.com/detail/198315.html.

NTC forces enter Bani Walid

Fri Sep 9, 2011

The National Transitional Council (NTC) forces have entered the strategically important Libyan town of Bani Walid, one of the last remaining strongholds of fugitive ruler Muammar Gaddafi.

"Sleeper cells of revolutionaries went into action and fighting has taken place between them and armed men loyal to Kadhafi," AFP quoted NTC official Abdullah Kenshil as saying.

The developments come after negotiations aimed at ensuring a peaceful takeover of the strategic town were stalled.

The NTC had given pro-Gaddafi forces in the troubled region until Saturday to surrender or face military force.

Thousands of NTC fighters have been deployed outside Bani Walid and its surrounding region.

In the wake of inconclusive negotiations with tribal leaders in Bani Walid, the revolutionaries say they are ready to enter the town without violence, waiting for orders from their commanders.

Bani Walid is one of the four towns still controlled by Gaddafi supporters. The others towns are Jufrah, Sabha and the dictator's birth place of Sirt.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.com/detail/198304.html.

Egyptians storm Israeli embassy

Sat Sep 10, 2011

Egyptian protesters have stormed the Israeli embassy in Cairo, destroying a part of a barricade wall around the building in the process, and one demonstrator has died, Press TV reports.

Egyptian police used tear gas to disperse the crowd, the Press TV correspondent in Cairo reported on Friday.

One person died due to asphyxiation after inhaling tear gas, and about 450 demonstrators were injured, medical personnel said.

The demonstrators threw documents out the windows of the embassy building and also torched a police car.

The crowd managed to break into the embassy building despite the presence of heavily armed Egyptian security forces in the area.

Gunfire was also heard near the embassy.

A protester tore down the Israeli flag at the embassy, to the cheers of thousands of demonstrators on the scene.

Last month, another Egyptian protester became a national hero after he climbed up the wall of the Israeli embassy, took down the Israeli flag, and hoisted an Egyptian flag in its place during a demonstration held to condemn Israel for killing a number of Egyptian policemen on the border.

Five Egyptian border police officers were killed on August 18 in an attack by Israeli forces.

On Friday, the Egyptian demonstrators also called for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador and chanted anti-Israeli slogans.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Egyptians once again gathered at the iconic Liberation Square in Cairo to demand that the military government hand over power to a civilian administration. The protesters gathered in the square after Friday prayers to participate in the "Correcting the Path" demonstration.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.com/detail/198311.html.