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Libya: UK officials tell Gaddafi loyalists to defect or face war crimes trial

Saturday, February 26, 2011


• SAS on standby to rescue trapped Britons 

• Leader says Libya will be 'red with fire'
Muammar Gaddafi in a televised adress
In a televised address, Colonel Gaddafi vowed to ‘open up the arsenals’ to arm his supporters. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images
British officials are contacting senior Libyan regime figures directly to persuade them to desert Muammar Gaddafi or face trial alongside him for crimes against humanity, the Guardian has learned.
With SAS troops and paratroopers on standby to rescue an estimated 150 Britons at workplaces in the Libyan desert, contingency measures were being drawn up to close the British embassy in Tripoli to pre-empt possible reprisals.
But the Foreign Office denied reports that the embassy would be closed as soon as this weekend. "We will react to the situation as it unfolds on the ground. If it gets too dangerous for our people to be there, of course we will pull them out of there. But are we planning to close the embassy down? No," a spokesman said. The US said it was closing its embassy in Tripoli as well as imposing limited unilateral sanctions on Libya.
The foreign secretary, William Hague, urged Britons still in Tripoli to board the last UK-sponsored chartered flight out of the capital at first light. He said HMS Cumberland would return to Benghazi on Sunday to pick up any remaining Britons there, but added that those in the desert remained Britain's biggest worry. All options were being considered, he said.
There were reports that two RAF helicopters had arrived in Malta in what may be the next stage of preparations to airlift some UK oil workers.
Britain's direct warnings to Libyan officials coincided with a joint British and French draft UN security council resolution the Libyan leadership to face war crimes prosecutions at the international criminal court for attacks on protesters. The resolution also called for travel bans and asset freezes for Libya's leaders.
Gaddafi showed no sign of heeding the warnings. Reports said that gunmen in cars in the capital, Tripoli, opened fire on protesters as they emerged from Friday prayers.
Nearby, in Green Square, the Libyan leader made another defiant televised appearance, promising to arm his supporters. "Retaliate against them, retaliate against them," he told a crowd of loyalists from the ramparts of a crusader fort overlooking the square. "Dance, sing and prepare. Prepare to defend Libya, to defend the oil, dignity and independence."
Wearing a fur-lined cap and sunglasses, and flanked by bodyguards, Gaddafi declared: "At the suitable time we will open the arms depot so all Libyans and tribes become armed, so that Libya becomes red with fire."
A vote on the UN resolution is not expected before next week. EU officials also discussed the possible imposition of punitive measures against the Gaddafi government, but stressed that any action would be led by decisions taken by the security council.
The steps under discussion fall a long way short of steps called for by some human rights groups, which wanted the UN to declare a no-fly zone over Libya if the regime continued to use warplanes to bomb or strafe demonstrators.
Mention of a no-fly zone was removed from the Franco-British draft , and an emergency Nato meeting in Brussels did not even discuss it as a contingency measure.
European officials said Russia and China would veto any such suggestions in the security council. They were also anxious about the timing of any punitive action, hoping to avoid a backlash against the many thousands of foreign workers still in the country, while seeking to maximise incentives for Gaddafi's supporters to defect.
Such defections seemed to be accelerating . Envoys to Portugal and Sweden renounced Gaddafi, with the ambassador to Lisbon, Ali Ibrahim Emdored, telling AP he was leaving "due to the killing of my people by this fascist regime".
In Geneva, the Libyan delegation to the UN human rights council called for a moment of silence in the chamber to "honour this revolution".
"We in the Libyan mission have categorically decided to serve as representatives of the Libyan people and their free will. We only represent the Libyan people," one envoy, Adel Shaltut, declared, drawing thunderous applause.
The 47-nation council unanimously declared that it "strongly condemns the recent gross and systematic human rights violations committed in Libya", calling for the launch of a UN human rights investigation into the bloodshed of the past few days. It took the unprecedented step of calling for Libya's membership to be revoked.
Hague, the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, and the EU foreign affairs chief, Lady Ashton, are due to fly to Geneva on Monday to promote the case for prosecutions of Libyan leaders by the international criminal court. The foreign secretary said: "The message is clear: that there will be a day of reckoning for those guilty of the appalling atrocities. The world will act together to hold them to account."
Such measures were decried as paltry by some organisations calling for immediate action to stop the bloodshed.
A coalition of more than 200 Arab organisations and 30 leading Arab intellectuals appealed for the imposition of a no-fly zone over Libya .
One of the signatories, the Egyptian writer and commentator Hani Shukrallah, said: "Stopping Gaddafi and his family shopping in Harrods or on the Champs Elysées is not going to prevent him unleashing further bloodshed.
"It's time to stop fiddling about and get serious."

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Surreal: Libya’s UN ambassador makes the case against Qaddafi to the Security Council

POSTED AT 9:57 PM ON FEBRUARY 25, 2011 BY ALLAHPUNDIT
PRINTER-FRIENDLY

An amazing end to an amazing spectacle this week of Qaddafi’s diplomatic corps summarily abandoning him in cities around the world. I remember reading somewhere long ago how western diplomats once spoke privately with Tariq Aziz about defecting, and he dismissed the idea on grounds that while he’d be safe afterwards, his extended family back home in Iraq wouldn’t be. I’m not sure why that logic hasn’t held for Libyan diplomats. Maybe they figure that Qaddafi’s grip on power is so weak that they don’t have to worry as much about targeted retaliation anymore. Or maybe they think he’s capable of such horrors against so many innocents that they have to speak out, the risk to their families notwithstanding. That’s not to defend these guys — like the UN ambassador, many of them have obviously been in bed with the regime for ages — but a humanitarian act at the end that might save lives partly mitigates the damage.
If you don’t want to watch both clips, just watch the first. It ends with him crying and being consoled by other ambassadors. Serious question: Has this ever happened before at the UN, where a country’s envoy ends up making the case at the Security Council against the man who appointed him?

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U.S. Freezes Assets Of Muammar Qaddafi And His Family

Friday, February 25, 2011

President Obama has ordered a freeze on the U.S. assets of Muammar Qaddafi and members of his family and regime.
The executive order says that Qaddafi “and close associates have taken extreme measures against the people of Libya, including by using weapons of war, mercenaries, and wanton violence against unarmed civilians.”
Obama, in a statement, criticized the Libyan government for its “continued violation of human rights, brutalization of its people, and outrageous threats” and said the regime must be held accountable.
“We will stand steadfastly with the Libyan people in their demand for universal rights, and a government that is responsive to their aspirations,” he said. “Their human dignity cannot be denied.”

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President Obama on Libya

President Obama on Libya: "These Sanctions Therefore Target the Qaddafi Government, While Protecting the Assets that Belong to the People of Libya"

The President has just signed an Executive Order regarding Libya Sanctions. In addition, he sent a letter to Congress on the matter and issued the following statement:
The Libyan government’s continued violation of human rights, brutalization of its people, and outrageous threats have rightly drawn the strong and broad condemnation of the international community. By any measure, Muammar el-Qaddafi’s government has violated international norms and common decency and must be held accountable.  These sanctions therefore target the Qaddafi government, while protecting the assets that belong to the people of Libya.
Going forward, the United States will continue to closely coordinate our actions with the international community, including our friends and allies, and the United Nations. We will stand steadfastly with the Libyan people in their demand for universal rights, and a government that is responsive to their aspirations. Their human dignity cannot be denied.
Press Secretary Jay Carney also discussed the sanctions and broader context earlier in the day.

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Egypt unrest: Protesters hold huge Cairo demonstration


The BBC's John Simpson describes the scene in Cairo's Tahrir Square
Egyptian protesters are holding huge rallies in Cairo and other cities as they step up their efforts to force President Hosni Mubarak from power.
Organisers have been hoping to bring one million people on to the streets of the capital. The demonstration is the biggest since the protests began.
The atmosphere has been festive, with protesters singing and chanting.
State TV said Mr Mubarak was preparing to make a statement. Earlier he held talks with a senior US official.
Frank Wisner, a former ambassador to Egypt sent to Cairo on Monday, advised the president not to seek re-election in September or put forward his son Gamal as a candidate for president, senior US officials said.
The BBC's Kim Ghattas in Washington says the US is waiting for an answer, which could come in his statement.
Protest leaders like Mohamed ElBaradei say Mr Mubarak should step down by Friday at the latest.
"They hope that this will end today or Friday at the latest, and they called the coming Friday 'the Friday of departure', but I hope that President Mubarak will take heed before then and leave the country after 30 years of rule and give the people a chance, and I don't expect that he wants to see more blood," Mr ElBaradei told al-Arabiya TV.
Festive atmosphere
BBC correspondents in Cairo's Tahrir Square say the crowds there have been much bigger than on the previous seven days of protests.

At the scene

From what I saw I would guess there were at least 200,000 people out in Cairo, but it's only a guess. It could be much more. Regardless, nothing like this has ever been seen before in Egypt. The atmosphere of the demonstrations has changed too. The tension and violence of the weekend has gone.
Today was more like a carnival. With the police gone and the military promising not to fire on protesters, whole families came out. The demonstrations were also much more organised. On every street leading to the square, lines of young men and women blocked the way.
They insisted, politely, that everyone show an ID and be searched for weapons. As I was patted down the young man apologised profusely for the inconvenience.
But if the atmosphere has changed the message has not. A huge banner stretched across the middle of the square read: "The People Demand the Removal of the Regime."
Journalists at the scene estimated that hundreds of thousands of people - men, women and children from a cross-section of Egyptian society - were there, although in the absence of official estimates, there is no way of finding out the exact numbers.
The BBC's Jim Muir says that hours after dusk and despite a theoretical 1500 (1300 GMT) curfew and bitter cold the square is still full of people.
Egypt's powerful army has vowed it will not use force against the protesters.
Many carried placards and banners daubed with anti-Mubarak slogans. Earlier, crowds cheered as an effigy of the president was hung from a set of traffic lights in the square.
But the BBC's John Simpson in the square says the demonstration has not been the critical moment people thought it would be, and it has not reached a tipping point.
There is a danger that the demonstrators could lose the initiative if a march to the presidential palace planned for Friday fails to budge Mr Mubarak, but it is hard to see how he can continue in power, he adds.
Meanwhile, new Vice-President Omar Suleiman said he would hold cross-party talks on constitutional reform.
Mr Mubarak reshuffled his cabinet on Monday to try to head off the protests, replacing the widely despised Interior Minister Habib al-Adly.
Prime Minister Ahmad Shafiq told state TV the new government would ensure bread supplies, tackle security problems and "review our entire political, constitutional and legislative situation, into something more satisfactory and appropriate for us as Egyptian citizens".
"Everything is subject to amendments, without limits," he said.
Crowds in Tahrir Square, Cairo, 1 February 2011
But analysts say the army's statement has been a major blow for President Mubarak, and appears to have encouraged protesters, who are flocking to central Cairo in their thousands.
The UN human rights chief, Navi Pillay, says 300 people may have been killed across the country since the protests began a week ago. They followed an internet campaign and were partly inspired by the ousting of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in Tunisia last month.
Egypt has since cut off the internet in the country and text messaging services have been disrupted.
In other developments:
  • The US state department announced it had ordered all non-emergency US embassy and government personnel to leave Egypt
  • AFP news agency reported that US Ambassador Margaret Scobey had spoken by phone to Mr ElBaradei
  • In an opinion piece for the New York Times, US Senate Foreign Affairs Committee head John Kerry called on Mr Mubarak to step down and engineer a peaceful transition
In Egypt's second biggest city, Alexandria, thousands of people have gathered to call for the president to step down.

Egypt's crisis

  • Most populous Arab nation, with 84.5 million inhabitants
  • Authoritarian President Hosni Mubarak has ruled for 30 years
  • Protests against corruption, lack of democracy, inflation, unemployment
  • Unrest triggered by overthrow of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia
Thousands more were out in the streets in Suez, and the Associated Press news agency reported protests in Mansoura, north of Cairo, and the southern cities of Assiut and Luxor.
With limited bus, train and internal flight services, access to the capital has been restricted.
Unnamed security officials were reported as saying all roads and public transportation to Cairo had been shut down.
Some protesters camped out in Tahrir Square on Monday night, saying they would stay there until Mr Mubarak's 30-year rule ended.
One demonstrator, Tarek Shalabi, told the BBC that groups were camped out in tents or sleeping out in the square, and described the atmosphere as "overwhelming".
"We're here because we want to make a statement. We're not going until Mubarak steps down," he said.
He said a stage had been set up where people could go up and make speeches, read out poetry or sing or chant political slogans.
Egyptian pro-Mubarak supporters shout slogans during a march in Cairo, Egypt, 1 February 2011 Mubarak supporters have been holding counter-demonstrations in the Egyptian capital
Meanwhile, crowds of pro-Mubarak demonstrators held counter-protests elsewhere in the capital, raising fears of possible confrontations between the different groups.
'Legitimate'
On Monday, the Egyptian army said it respected the "legitimate rights of the people".
In its statement, carried on Egyptian media, the military said: "To the great people of Egypt, your armed forces, acknowledging the legitimate rights of the people... have not and will not use force against the Egyptian people."
Correspondents say the announcement is absolutely critical because it takes away a huge measure of uncertainty from the mind of any potential demonstrator.
A coalition of political opposition groups - incorporating the Muslim Brotherhood, political parties such as that led by Mr ElBaradei, and other prominent figures - has reportedly met, and told the Egyptian government that it will begin talks on its demands only after Mr Mubarak has stood down.
Concerns have also grown about the economy, as global oil prices on Monday topped $100 (£62) a barrel amid fears over the ongoing unrest.
Map
BBC

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Obama announces Libya sanctions


The BBC's Jeremy Bowen reporting from Tripoli says the uprising is spreading
The US has announced sanctions against the Libyan government, as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged the body's Security Council to take "decisive action" over the Libya crisis.
US President Barack Obama signed an executive order blocking property and transactions related to the country.
Transactions involving assets of Muammar Gaddafi and some close associates were blocked.
Libya's UN envoy deserted him in dramatic scenes in New York.
On Friday, an anti-government demonstration in the Libyan capital Tripoli came under heavy gunfire. Around 1,000 protesters are thought to have been killed by troops attempting to quell the insurrection.
"The Libyan government's continued violation of human rights, brutalization of its people, and outrageous threats have rightly drawn the strong and broad condemnation of the international community," said Mr Obama in a Lstatement late on Friday.
"These sanctions therefore target the Gaddafi government, while protecting the assets that belong to the people of Libya."
'Madman'
Witnesses reported the latest deaths and injuries as militiamen and government troops confronted protesters as they emerged from mosques following Friday prayers and started demonstrating in several areas of the city.
Click to play
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon: ''It is time for the Security Council to consider concrete action''
At the same time, Libyan state TV showed Colonel Gaddafi speaking from the Tripoli's old city ramparts, urging the crowd to arm themselves and defend the nation and its oil against the anti-Gaddafi elements who have taken control of large parts of the country.
"We shall destroy any aggression with popular will," he said. "With the armed people, when necessary we will open the weapons depots. So that all the Libyan people, all the Libyan tribes can be armed. Libya will become a red flame, a burning coal."
Earlier, at a hastily organised news conference at the UN in New York, Libyan deputy ambassador Ibrahim Dabbashi described Col Gaddafi, who has been in power for 42 years, as a "madman". He warned that thousands would die in Tripoli because the Libyan leader would never flee and would fight to the end.

At the scene

Outside the airport there's a sad sight. Several thousand people queuing in the darkness and rain, trying to get flights out. Some people told me they were from Syria, others appear to be from the Indian sub-continent, the kind of migrant workers upon whom this economy has been depending.
I was given a briefing by a man who said he was an engineer who has come back from Italy. The fact that he spoke to us suggests he has been given permission to do so, and he was essentially presenting the regime's position as a point of stability in a sea of chaos. The only place the "system" is operational is in the capital, he said.
There's a fair amount of traffic on the streets. There were some reports of shooting near the airport but I saw no signs of that. In some side streets I saw some road blocks, but they didn't look like military people.
Much of the east of the country is in the hands of anti-Gaddafi protesters and units of the Libyan military that have crossed over to them.
Secretary General Ban said violations of human rights had been carried out by the Libyan government.
He said that 22,000 people had fled Libya via Tunisia, and a further 15,000 via Egypt.
"Much larger numbers are trapped and unable to leave," he added. "There are widespread reports of refugees being harassed and threatened with guns and knives."
He said it was important for neighbouring countries, including those in Europe, to keep their borders open to those fleeing the violence.
Mr Ban also said that there was a food crisis inside Libya that the UN World Food Programme (WFP) expected to worsen. The WFP says Libya's food supply chain is at risk of collapse because imports have not been getting into the country and food distribution is hampered by violence.
Diplomats at the UN Security Council say Britain and France have drawn up a draft resolution with a package of measures aimed at isolating Libya's political and military leaders. As well as targeted sanctions, this could include an arms embargo, and a proposed referral of the situation in Libya to the International Criminal Court.
Libya's ambassador to the UN, Mohamed Shalgham, denounced Col Gaddafi on Friday, just three days after praising him as "my friend".
He told the Security Council he "could not believe" Col Gaddafi's troops were firing on the protesters, but having seen the Libyan leader call for the protests to be put down by force, he was now backing sanctions.
When he finished speaking, he was embraced by his weeping deputy, Ibrahim Dabbashi, who in turn was hugged by other diplomats.
'Exaggerated media campaign'
The BBC's Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen has entered the Libyan capital at the invitation of the Libyan government.
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of the Libyan leader, told him that the reports of extreme violence were an "exaggerated media campaign" run by "hostile Arab TV channels".
It was not true that Libya had bombed civilians, Mr Gaddafi said, although he did say that the air force had bombed ammunition dumps that were in enemy hands.

Help for UK nationals

  • The Foreign Office is advising against all but essential travel to Libya
  • UK nationals in Libya wishing to get on the charter flight are advised to call the following numbers:
  • 020 7008 0000 from the UK or 021 3403644/45 from within Libya
Visitors to Tripoli would not hear gunfire but might hear fireworks, Mr Gaddafi said. He criticised the protesters, some of whom wanted an Islamic "Afghan solution" to the country's problems.
He admitted that the east of Libya was "a big mess". People were behind his father, Mr Gaddafi said, and would come out into the streets to support him.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said the Obama administration was acting "to put pressure on the regime" to cease the violence. "Colonel Gaddafi has lost the confidence of his people," he added.
Evacuations of foreign nationals from Libya by sea has continued:
  • The frigate HMS Cumberland that picked up more than 200 people in Benghazi arrived in Malta in the early hours of Saturday
  • A US-chartered ferry carrying Americans evacuated from Libya arrived in Malta on Friday evening
  • Britain has sent a second ship, the destroyer HMS York, to deploy to the sea area near Libya
  • India is sending warships to the region to evacuate its nationals
Hundreds of sub-Saharan Africans are said to be fleeing southern Libya into Niger. Many more are stranded in Libya, where they say they are being attacked by people accusing them of being mercenaries fighting for Col Gaddafi.
Map showing key locations in Tripoli
BBC

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