GADDIFI TOPPLED!!!!!TRIPOLI CELEBRATING!!!!!!!!

bb1 wrote:That really is bizarre, LL - is it actually possible that it hadn't occurred to Gaddifi's son that the rebels wanted something so basic?

It is rather sad that in this day and age people in power often do not know what democracy is. After 42 years of dictatorship, he probably has never heard of basic human freedoms. He will have been so conditioned to believe that his father is the fountain of all knowledge and good for the Libyan people that the concept of freedom for all is just about as alien as it gets. Lret us hope that he will perhaps ponder on what the reporter said and maybe take a look at what is happening. But he will have to be very careful if her words cause his beliefs to waver, as I am quite sure his father is not above killing his own son and then claiming he was murdered in a NAT bombing. Gadaffi is almost certainly totally insane now. LL

I think you are right, LL. It may give the son pause for thought, if he is used to bizarre conspiracies from his father - that the rebels want something so simple and basic.

We can but hope, bonny, meanwhile the bombings and killings go on. LL

Al Jazeera:

South Africa hosts AU talks on Libya
African leaders gather in Pretoria to discuss mechanisms to end hostilities and deliver humanitarian aid in Libya.
Last Modified: 26 Jun 2011 10:14

Zuma met Gaddafi last month, securing a deal that was later rejected by the rebels.

A meeting of African Union (AU) leaders has opened in the South African capital, Pretoria, aimed at ending hostilities in battle-ravaged Libya.

Heads of states from the Congo Republic, Mali, Mauritania and Uganda are attending the talks hosted by South African President Jacob Zuma.

The AU leaders are to discuss Zuma's mediation efforts between Muammar Gaddafi and rebels, who are fighting forces loyal to the Libyan leader in a bid to end his four-decades long rule.

Other topics on the agenda at the talks that opened on Sunday are mechanisms for delivery of humanitarian assistance to civilians trapped in the conflict and the protection of foreign nationals, including African migrant workers living in Libya.

Zuma met with Gaddafi last month, securing a deal with the Libyan leader that was later rejected by the rebels.

'Ceasefire coming soon'

The rebels said on Sunday that they expect to receive an offer from Gaddafi "very soon" that could end the four-month war but insisted he must agree to step down.

The rebels said they were not in direct contact with Gaddafi officials but said they anticipated the offer would be delivered through South African and French intermediaries.

"We expect to get an offer very soon; he (Gaddafi) is unable to breathe," Abdel Hafiz Ghoga, vice chairman of the rebel National Transitional Council (NTC), told AFP news agency in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi.

"We want to preserve life, so we want to end the war as soon as possible," he added. "We have always left him some room for an exit."

Ghoga said the NTC understood through contacts with France and South Africa that an offer was being prepared by the authorities in Tripoli.

"These are the countries chosen by the Gaddafi regime to present a proposal to the National Transitional Council, but we have not received anything to date," he said.

"Any proposal that is brought to us, we will take a serious look at it so long as it guarantees that Gaddafi and his regime, his inner circle, do not remain in power."

Gaddafi is a long-time backer of the AU and a forceful advocate for stronger continental integration. He held the pan-African body's rotating chair in 2009 and has twice held talks with members of the panel.

African reservations

Many AU leaders, including Zuma, have voiced reservations over NATO's ongoing air campaign against Gaddafi forces.

The United Nations had sanctioned the air assault with a view to protect civilians from a security crackdown that the Libyan leader unleashed in response to the uprising against his rule.

Zuma's government, which currently holds a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council, did vote in favour of the UN resolution, accusing Gaddafi of committing a "heinous violation of human rights against his own people" with his crackdown on the anti-government protests.

But he has since been critical of NATO for pursuing regime change, straying far outside the resolution's civilian protection focus.

Earlier this month, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, who chairs the AU panel on Libya, told AFP news agency that Gaddafi "can no longer lead Libya," and that "his departure has become necessary".

But he and other African leaders have repeatedly called for a ceasefire and a diplomatic solution to the conflict, although they have so far failed to come up with a truce proposal that meets the rebels' and NATO's pre-condition that Gaddafi and his inner circle must leave power.

In recent days rumours have been rife that the Libyan leader may consider leaving Tripoli and that rebels could accept his internal exile to a remote location. But it remains to be seen if such a deal is just wishful thinking.

The rumours have been fuelled by a military deadlock on the ground and a steady trickle of defections from Gaddafi's forces.

The rebels said on Saturday that 38 Gaddafi officers - including six high-ranking officials - fled to Tunisia a day earlier

Al Jazeera Live Blog:

Libyan rebels were locked in heavy exchanges with Muammar Gaddafi's forces Sunday in the plains below their enclave in the Nafusa Mountains, southwest of Tripoli.

Multiple rocket and heavy machine gunfire was heard from as far away as the hilltown of Yafren, some 15 km from the battleground, the correspondent said.

One rebel casualty from the fighting had already been brought to the town's hospital by mid-morning and an ambulance driver said more were awaiting evacuation from the front, reports AFP.

Rebel commanders said the fighting centered on Bir al-Ghanam, just north of Bir Ayad, a strategic point on the road to Tripoli, 80 km to the northeast, which the rebels seized three weeks ago.

Heartland of the Berber minority, the Nafusa Mountains are one of two rebel-held enclaves in western Libya, along with the country's third-largest city Misurata.

Al Jazeera: More following the earlier report re the AU meeting:

Gaddafi vows to 'stay out of AU peace talks'
African Union officials meeting in Pretoria say Libya leader has agreed not take part in talks to end nation's conflict.
Last Modified: 26 Jun 2011 16:37

Zuma, centre, met Gaddafi last month, securing a deal that was later rejected by Libya's rebels.

Libya's leader, Muammar Gaddafi, has agreed to stay out of negotiations to end the four-month old conflict in his country, African Union (AU) leaders said.

AU leaders announced the agreement in a statement on Sunday following talks in the South African capital, Pretoria, aimed at ending hostilities between pro-Gaddafi forces and opposition fighters seeking an end to his rule in battle-ravaged Libya.

Heads of states from the Republic of Congo, Mali, Mauritania and Uganda attended the talks hosted by South African President Jacob Zuma.

"The AU High Level Ad Hoc Committee welcomes Colonel Gaddafi's acceptance of not being part of the negotiation process," AU leaders said in a statement after Sunday's meeting.

"Following the suspension of hostilities ... the Libyan parties should begin the national dialogue for a comprehensive ceasefire, national reconciliation, transitional arrangements, as well as the agenda for democratic transformation."

Al Jazeera's Peter Greste, reporting from Pretoria, said AU leaders called for an immediate end to hostilities before anything else.

"It says that will all lead to an interim government with the support of the African Union and the United Nations," he said.

"Of course, all of that is a very long way off. We have to get to those talks in the first place. But ... it does appear to be a major breakthrough."

There was no immediate confirmation from Libya that Gaddafi would step out of any negotiations - but if confirmed, the agreement would remove a major obstacle to peace.

'Ceasefire coming soon'

Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr, reporting from the eastern Libyan stronghold of Benghazi, said opposition leaders have dismissed the AU proposal.

"What they would like to see the starting point is for Gaddafi to pull back his forces, for his forces to return to the military barracks, as well as for Gaddafi to release the scores of prisoners that they are holding," she said.

"For them, there is no solution to this conflict unless Gaddafi actually leaves office [and] leaves power."

Jalal El Gallal, a spokesman for the opposition Transitional National Council in Benghazi, said opposition leaders are also unwilling to talk to anyone in Gaddafi's family or his inner circle.

"It's very difficult to speak with anybody that has blood on his hands," Gallal told Al Jazeera.

"If there's going to be any negotiations, first they have to adhere to the resolution of the United Nations by withdrawing their forces to the barracks, allowing humanitarian aid and allowing people to demonstrate."

African reservations

Many AU leaders, including Zuma, have voiced reservations over NATO's ongoing air campaign against Gaddafi forces.

Gaddafi is a long-time backer of the AU and a forceful advocate for stronger continental integration. He held the pan-African body's rotating chair in 2009 and has twice held talks with members of the panel.

The UN had sanctioned the air assault with a view to protect civilians from a security crackdown that the Libyan leader unleashed in response to the uprising against his rule.

Zuma's government, which currently holds a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council, did vote in favour of the UN resolution, accusing Gaddafi of committing a "heinous violation of human rights against his own people" with his crackdown on the anti-government protests.

But he has since been critical of NATO for pursuing regime change, straying far outside the resolution's civilian protection focus.

Earlier this month, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, who chairs the AU panel on Libya, told AFP that Gaddafi "can no longer lead Libya," and that "his departure has become necessary".
Click here for more of Al Jazeera's special coverage

The president and other African leaders have repeatedly called for a ceasefire and a diplomatic solution to the conflict, although they have so far failed to come up with a truce proposal that meets the rebels' and NATO's pre-condition that Gaddafi and his inner circle must leave power.

In recent days, rumours have been rife that the Libyan leader may consider leaving Tripoli and that rebels could accept his internal exile to a remote location.

The rumours have been fuelled by a military deadlock on the ground and a steady trickle of defections from Gaddafi's forces.

The rebels said on Saturday that 38 Gaddafi officers - including six high-ranking officials - fled to Tunisia a day earlier.

Al Jazeera - Algeria helping Libya regime:

Algeria's 'one-eyed' American general
The US may not 'see' any evidence of Algerian support for Libya's Gaddafi, but that does not mean it does not exist.
Jeremy Keenan Last Modified: 26 Jun 2011 14:30

Far be it from me to compare Britain's most famous sea-lord with the commander of US AFRICOM, other than to point out that there is something very Nelsonian about General Carter F Ham's statement on June 1 that he "could see no evidence" of Algeria's support for Muammar Gaddafi's beleaguered regime in Libya.

Saying that one 'cannot see' something, like Nelson placing his telescope to his blind eye, is invariably just a disingenuous semanticism for denying the existence of something which, as in the case of Algerian support for Gaddafi, is becoming increasingly evident.

Algeria's support for Gaddafi

Algeria's support for Gaddafi has been extensive. It began with energetic lobbying by Algerian diplomats at the UN and with the EU, NATO and the Arab League to deter any external intervention in Libya. These efforts, first reported by the German-based Algeria Watch and Al Jazeera's Inside Story on February 25, were led by Abdelkader Messahel, Algeria's minister of Maghrebian and African affairs, with Amar Bendjama, Algeria's ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg, and Belkacem Belkaid, Algeria's representative to the EU and NATO, playing key roles.

Algeria Watch also reported that the Algerian government had sent armed detachments to Libya. These were first identified in the western Libyan town of Zawiyah where some of them were captured and identified by anti-Gaddafi forces. Shamsiddin Abdulmolah, a National Transitional Council (NTC) spokesman, later reported the capture of 15 Algerian mercenaries and the deaths of three others in fighting near Ajdabiya - claims were supported by several independent sources.

According to Algeria Watch, Algeria's Département du Renseignement et de la Sécurité (DRS) employed many of the private security forces and Republican Guard of deposed Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and sent them to Libya to shore up Gaddafi. This operation was reportedly directed by Colonel Djamel Bouzghaia, who works directly under Major General Rachid Laalali (alias Attafi), the head of the DRS' external relations directorate. Many of these units were previously used as snipers to assassinate demonstrators in Kasserine, Sidi Bouzid and Thala in Tunisia.

Following the defection of Libyan pilots to Malta in the early stages of the conflict, and prior to the authorisation of the UN 'No-Fly zone' on March 17, Algeria sent 21 of its pilots to the Mitiga air base in Tripoli. There have also been numerous reports of Algerian military transport planes airlifting mercenaries from sub-Saharan Africa. One airlift, reported in Britain's Daily Telegraph on April 20 and sourced to a former Gaddafi loyalist who gave the details to NATO officials, involved 450 mercenaries, believed to be Polisario members, recruited in Algeria's Tindouf camps and airlifted to Libya by Algerian planes.

Data collected from the air traffic control tower at Benghazi's Benina airport ascertained that there had been 22 flights by Algerian aircraft to Libyan destinations between February 19 and 26. Some were listed as Air Algérie and were possibly evacuating nationals. Most, however, were listed as 'special flights' by aircraft bearing registration codes used by the Algerian military. These records show repeated flights by C-130 Hercules and Ilyushin Il-76, aircraft big enough to carry battle tanks. Destinations included the airports at Sebha and Sirte. By March, in a memorandum to the Arab League, the NTC had put the number of Algerian flights that had landed at Tripoli's Mitiga airport at 51. The memorandum said the shipments included ammunition, weapons and Algerian and mercenary fighters.

On April 18, Alain Juppé, the French foreign minister, confronted Algeria with evidence discovered by French military advisers working with the Libyan rebels that a number of military jeeps and trucks used by Gaddafi's forces, which had been abandoned after a military battle, carried serial numbers which identified them as French military equipment that had been sold to Algeria.

As I reported on April 20, both the UK and US governments are embarrassed and irritated at seeing the Algerian regime, which they support, propping up the Libyan dictator whom they are struggling to depose. Washington's growing displeasure at this situation led to an invitation, although 'summons' might be a more appropriate word, for Mourad Medelci, Algeria's foreign minister, to come to Washington. During his two-day visit on May 2-3, Medelci met with Clinton and a number of top US officials involved in North Africa and counter-terrorism. Behind the bonhomie of the press releases, sources reported that Medelci received a rap over the knuckles over Algeria's support for Gaddafi.

Algeria, however, does not take kindly to external 'advice' from major powers and immediately dispatched one of its rougher political apparatchiks, Sadek Bouguetaya, to address Gaddafi's meeting of Libyan tribes in Tripoli on May 8. Bouguetaya is a member of the central committee of the Front de Libération Nationale (FLN), president of the National Assembly's Commission on Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Community Abroad, and a right hand man of Abdelaziz Belkhadem, the secretary-general of the FLN and special representative of President Bouteflika. In a rabble-rousing speech, Bouguetaya voiced the FLN's unconditional support for Gaddafi and blasted the NATO operations in Libya. He called Gaddafi's effort to stay in power heroic and criticised the West for its "bombing of the civilian population". With specific reference to Algeria's War of Independence, Bouguetaya said that he had confidence that the Libyan people would defeat France, as the Algerian revolutionary forces had done in 1962.

Bouguetaya's remarks did not pass unnoticed in Washington. Apart from implying that both Algeria and Libya were fighting NATO, Bouguetaya likened the NATO operation to the attempts of Paul Brenner, the former US administrator to Iraq, to control Baghdad.

At the same time that Bouguetaya was haranguing NATO in Tripoli, the Libyan ambassador to Algeria publicly announced that his embassy had purchased 500 'military grade' vehicles (believed to be Toyota pickups) from Algerian dealers, with more in the pipeline, to help Gaddafi's forces.

On May 18, the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, described by Robert Fisk, The Independent's acclaimed Middle East correspondent, as "the wisest bird in the Arabian Gulf," paid a one-day visit to Algiers. Sheikh Hamad's message to his Algerian counterpart is believed to have been two-fold. One was that Qatar, and by implication Algeria's other 'friends', were disappointed at Algeria's lack of meaningful political reform. The other, as Robert Fisk reported a few days later on May 30, was to try to 'persuade' the Algerian regime from resupplying Gaddafi with tanks and armoured vehicles. "Qatar," said Fisk, "is committed to the Libyan rebels in Benghazi; its planes are flying over Libya from Crete and – undisclosed until now – it has Qatari officers advising the rebels inside the city of Misrata." Indeed, one reason suggested by Fisk for the ridiculously slow progress the NATO campaign is making against Gaddafi is that Algerian armour of superior quality has been replacing the Libyan material destroyed in air strikes.

The limitations of AFRICOM

In some respects, it would be surprising if AFRICOM were to actually 'see something'. Unlike other US military commands, AFRICOM is woefully short of boots on the ground. With a force of only 1,500, mostly based in Stuttgart as no country in Africa is willing to headquarter it, AFRICOM is very reliant on second-hand and often highly dubious intelligence sources. In fact, its specialties are neither in fighting campaigns nor intelligence, but in handing out contracts to private military contractors; dabbling in the more intellectually impoverished end of the social sciences and producing false information. General Ham's statement falls within the latter.

AFRICOM's commander may be 'one-eyed', but in this instance Ham's duplicitous statement is not the outcome of AFRICOM's limitations but a 'package deal' worked out very hastily between top officials in the US and French governments and Algeria's DRS. The 'deal' has two strands. One is to effectively rehabilitate the Algerian regime with NATO and the Pentagon. The other is to try to save the Algerian regime from itself by 'encouraging' it to move more rapidly on meaningful political reform. The West, notably the US, UK and France, is doing its best, misguidedly in the view of many Algerians, to save Algeria's regime from going the same way as Tunisia's Ben Ali, Egypt's Mubarak and soon, it is presumed, Gaddafi.

While the seeds of the 'deal' may have been sown during Medelci's visit to Washington, or possibly earlier, the first indication that something was afoot came with reports in the third week of May that two of the DRS' top generals - Rachid Laalali, the head the DRS' external relations directorate (DDSE), and Ahmed Kherfi, the head of the DRS' counter-espionage directorate (DCE) - had travelled secretly to France to meet with top French government officials.

The opposition Rachad Movement believes that the secret talks were both political and economic. The political talks, it is believed, involved the DRS sounding out France on the possibility of instigating Clause 88 of the constitution, which allows for the president's removal on medical grounds, if Bouteflika's reform process has achieved nothing, which seems likely, by the end of the summer. This would pave the way for the DRS to present itself as the 'saviour of the nation' and to initiate the sort of reform process Western powers desire.

The two main French figures in the economic talks are believed to have been Pierre Lellouche, the secretary of state for foreign trade and commercial affairs, and Jean-Pierre Raffarin, or 'Monsieur Algérie' as he has been nicknamed since his appointment last September as President Sarkozy's special envoy to manage business relations with Algeria. Having reportedly met with the DRS generals, the two Frenchmen travelled to Algiers to meet with Algeria's Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia on May 31. The back-drop to the meeting was a two-day Franco-Algerian partnership forum, attended by some 150 to 160 French business concerns.

The essence of the economic 'deal' is that if economic and business relations between the two countries are to be boosted through more French business investment in Algeria and partnerships with Algerian companies, Algeria must scrap most, if not all, of the conditions and restrictions imposed on foreign investment by Algeria's nationalistic 2009 Finance Act.

Following their initial talks with top French officials, Laalali and Kherfi met with the Americans. It is not certain whether the meeting took place in Washington, Stuttgart or possibly elsewhere. Nor is it yet known who was involved on the US side. However, the agreement reached between the two sides culminated in Ham making a high-profile visit to Algiers (May 31-June 1), meeting with the president and the country's top brass and making his now famous "I can see no evidence" speech.

The deal struck between the DRS and the US is both a re-affirmation of the strategic importance of Algeria to the US and a reminder to both sides that there has been too much 'recent history' in regard to their joint activities in the global war on terror (GWOT) over the last ten years for them to fall out. By this, I refer to the fabrication of terrorism in 2003 by both parties in order to justify the launch of a Sahara-Sahelian front in the GWOT. In short, neither the US nor Algeria can afford to hang their dirty washing on the line.

The essence of the deal is therefore, that:

1. Algeria will cease its support for Gaddafi. In doing so, the US will save Algeria from international humiliation by reiterating Ham's denial of Algerian support for Gaddafi. Algeria will be encouraged to put the blame for all such 'propaganda' and 'false rumour' onto its steadfast enemy Morocco and opposition movements such as Rachad.

2. Algeria will also desist from its attempts to link the Libyan rebels with al-Qaeda and Islamic extremism.

3. In exchange, the US will back both Algeria's scare-mongering over the threat al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) presents to both Algeria and Europe as well as Algeria's often quite hysterical and unverified statements over the circulation of arms from Libya to AQIM, such as its absurd claim that AQIM has acquired "20 million pieces of armaments" from Libyan arsenals and that AQIM in the Sahel is now armed with surface-to-air missiles (SAMs).

In short, the US will go along with ramping up Algeria's al-Qaeda scare-mongering in the western half of the Sahel, as long as Algeria keeps out of Libya, both militarily and 'verbally'.

From the US perspective, the threat of terrorism, real or false, in the Sahel region provides AFRICOM with an important justification for its existence. For Algeria, the scare of al-Qaeda is used to justify its internal repression and to frighten Algerians. The warning, broadcast almost daily, is: "If you revolt, as in Libya, al-Qaeda will take advantage and spread even further chaos and violence in the country."

Rachad fears that the DRS will carry-out a false-flag terrorist strike, as it has in the past, to back up its exaggerated threats that AQIM is in possession of SAMs. It fears that it will target a civilian airliner or smaller aircraft, possibly in southern Algerian.

Al Jazeera Live Blog today:

21 min 16 sec ago
The AP reports: Two Libyan ministers have crossed into Tunisia to join the foreign minister reportedly seeking a solution to the Libyan crisis.

The official TAP news agency says that Health Minister Mohamed Al-Hijazi and Social Affairs Minister Ibrahim Cherif crossed into southern Tunisia on Sunday, the AP reported.

TAP says Al-Obeidi has met "several foreign parties" there, part of an effort to find a solution to a civil war in the north African country.

2 hours 27 min ago
Jalal El Gallal, a spokesman for the opposition Transitional National Council in Benghazi, said opposition leaders are also unwilling to talk to anyone in Gaddafi's family or his inner circle.

"It's very difficult to speak with anybody that has blood on his hands," Gallal told Al Jazeera.

"If there's going to be any negotiations, first they have to adhere to the resolution of the United Nations by withdrawing their forces to the barracks, allowing humanitarian aid and allowing people to demonstrate."

2 hours 29 min ago
Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr, reporting from the eastern Libyan stronghold of Benghazi, said opposition leaders have dismissed the AU proposal.

"What they would like to see the starting point is for Gaddafi to pull back his forces, for his forces to return to the military barracks, as well as for Gaddafi to release the scores of prisoners that they are holding," she said. "For them, there is no solution to this conflict unless Gaddafi actually leaves office [and] leaves power."

2 hours 33 min ago
Al Jazeera's Peter Greste, reporting from Pretoria, said AU leaders called for an immediate end to hostilities before anything else.

"It says that will all lead to an interim government with the support of the African Union and the United Nations," he said.

"Of course, all of that is a very long way off. We have to get to those talks in the first place. But ... it does appear to be a major breakthrough."

There was no immediate confirmation from Libya that Gaddafi would step out of any negotiations - but if confirmed, the agreement would remove a major obstacle to peace.

2 hours 46 min ago
More on that reported agreement from Gaddafi to stay out of peace talks.

AU leaders announced the agreement in a statement on Sunday following talks in the South African capital, Pretoria, aimed at ending hostilities between pro-Gaddafi forces and opposition fighters seeking an end to his rule in battle-ravaged Libya.

"The AU High Level Ad Hoc Committee welcomes Colonel Gaddafi's acceptance of not being part of the negotiation process," AU leaders said in a statement after Sunday's meeting.

"Following the suspension of hostilities ... the Libyan parties should begin the national dialogue for a comprehensive ceasefire, national reconciliation, transitional arrangements, as well as the agenda for democratic transformation."

Report from Al Jazeera Live Blog on how the rebels manged to keep the telephone lines open in East Libya:

How 'rebel' phone network evaded shutdown
Telecoms engineers in eastern Libya have managed to outwit government moves to sever the region's communications.
Evan Hill Last Modified: 23 Apr 2011 08:06

Mobile phone access has been sporadic in parts of rebel-held eastern Libya since the conflict began.

Benghazi, LIBYA -- On February 17, Ahmed el-Mahdawi's duty engineer called him from the Libyana mobile phone company’s switch room in Benghazi's Fuihat neighbourhood. Military and internal security forces had begun brutally repressing anti-government protesters in Libya's second-largest city, and gunfire rang out through the darkened streets.

"Ahmed, it's dangerous, I'm going home," the man said.

Ahmed told him to go. The man closed down the office, locked the door and left. The team would return five days later. In the meantime, protesters overthrew the city's military garrison and ousted forces loyal to longtime Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Hundreds of civilians were killed and injured.

As the violence raged, Gaddafi's regime severed eastern Libya's communication with the outside world, blocking internet access and international phone calls. News of the brutal crackdown leaked out through rare satellite Internet connections that allowed residents to make intermittent Skype calls, MSN chats, and sometimes upload mobile phone videos. Occasionally, an international call connected to a voice in Benghazi.

Through luck and ingenuity, Libyana, one of the country's two main mobile phone providers, managed to stay online, providing free service throughout the uprising and allowing members of the opposition movement to communicate with one other.

Now, more than two months after the revolt began, and with eastern cities poised to soon regain internet access and international calls, Mahdawi and other local engineers explained how they kept the lines open and why they are upset that a Libyan-American executive living in the United Arab Emirates seems to have gotten all the credit.

"Communication is needed to make people comfortable," Mahdawi said. "We don't need people to be scared."

Survival by accident

The survival of a mobile phone network in eastern Libya, where the communications crackdown has driven the price of Libyana SIM cards to around $111 on the black market, is almost an accident.

Al-Madar, the country's other mobile provider, has been shut down in the east since the revolt began. Gaddafi's government in Tripoli not only ordered the General Post and Telecommunications Company to switch off access from the main offices in the capital, it also severed Libya's main "backbone" fibre optic cable, which connected eastern phone and internet networks to the main servers in the west.

The cable, which runs under water along the coast from Tobruk in the east to Ras Ajdir in the west, was cut – either physically or electronically – somewhere between the cities of Misurata and Khomas, the engineers said. That killed the east's access to Madar and the Libya Telecom and Technology company (LTT), the country's internet service provider.

But Libyana got lucky. Founded in 2004, eight years after Madar, it was less centralised and less beholden to the regime-controlled management in Tripoli. Best of all, engineers in Benghazi had their own HLR, or home location register.

The HLR stored subscriber information for every Libyana user. When a Libyana phone turned on and dialled a number, the HLR recognised the phone's ID and connected it to the network. Such databases are essential to a functioning mobile phone system, and Madar's were in Tripoli. Libyana had kept one in Benghazi as a back-up.

"I think Gaddafi made a mistake by leaving all that equipment here," said Faisal Safi, the local telecommunications and transport chief for Benghazi's opposition council.

Mahdawi, the top Libyana engineer in the city, worked with his team to install the HLR and configure it for use. No one had previous experience setting one up. After the team installed the hardware, Libyana service returned to the east, relayed via the existing array of antenna towers.

The engineers made mobile service free, but with Madar shut down, they experienced a surge of users, all of whom now had unlimited minutes.

The flood overwhelmed the network, and Mahdawi spent the next week at home, tweaking the system from his personal computer.

Even today, service remains problematic. Reception fades in and out, and calls typically connect – if ever – only after several attempts. To reduce the load, Mahdawi and his team have had to adopt new roles as harsh arbiters of service. Subscribers who drag the system down – those making hour-and-a-half-long phone calls eight times a day – have been indefinitely suspended until "Free Libyana", as the eastern network is called, can collect new SIM cards and reinstate a pre-paid system.

International calls difficult

The network has another drawback: Most users still can't call out of the country.

A temporary solution was found when a foreign team arrived to help after negotiations between eastern rebel politicians and the United Arab Emirates. The new team included a Libyan-American telecom executive and American and South African engineers, contracted for work by Etisalat, a state-owned UAE telecom provider.

But because the jury-rigged system lacks the bandwidth of a standard network, the Libyan engineers have only given international calling ability to "VIP" Libyana numbers, such as those used by members of the opposition Transitional National Council and other local officials.

Mahdawi and the other engineers bristle at the way the international calling arrangement has been covered by the international media. Ousama Abushagur, the 31-year-old Libyan-American executive who arrived to help in March and who lives in the UAE, received a glowing review in a Wall Street Journal article that portrayed him as nearly single-handedly reviving the east's entire mobile phone network.

Rebel commanders had been unable to communicate with one another by phone until Abushagur arrived and implemented his plan to restore service in March, according to the article.

But Mahdawi and the engineers strenuously deny that account. Thanks to their efforts, they said, local mobile service never went down in the east.

"Ousama honestly didn't even touch a keyboard," Mahdawi said. "The service they provided was providing a channel to make international calls. Configuration is the more difficult side."

Muftah el-Athrm, an engineer for LTT, the internet provider, said he was equally puzzled. "Up to today, I don’t know what role he played," Athrm said.

According to Athrm and Mahdawi, Abushagurr and the rest of the team arrived at the Egyptian border with a large satellite dish, a modem, routers and other equipment, worth millions of dollars and essential to connecting the existing Libyana network to Etisalat and the rest of the world.

With Abushagur were Fred, an American, and Mark, a South African. The engineers said they could not remember the men's last names, but that they worked for Tecore, a Maryland-based networking company that specialises, among other things, in disaster recovery and providing "networks in a box". Tecore works on a subcontract with Etisalat, the Libyan engineers said.

Fred managed the project, Mahdawi said, and soon the incoming team had installed a 3.8-metre satellite dish outside the Benghazi Medical Centre, as well as additional equipment at a nearby indoor facility. Fred got on the phone with the company providing the satellite link and connected the Libyan network to Etisalat.

The Libyan telecom engineers, with crucial technical assistance from local employees of China-based Huawei Technologies, who had got the key Libyana database running earlier, put the whole system together and configured it, Mahdawi said.

Abushagur's remarks to the Journal made it seem as though he was personally responsible for restoring communication to eastern Libya, said Safi, the local committee member, when in his opinion, Abushagur "just brought with him some equipment and installed it".

Still, Safi praised the Emirati government, which he said had acted to help the Libyan opposition out of Arab brotherhood and had not asked for anything in return.

He said that officials in the east also have been negotiating with Qtel, the Qatar-owned internet and mobile service provider, for assistance in restoring the Libyan network to full capacity, but that Qtel has yet to receive permission from the Qatari government.

But the delay has not disappointed Safi, a former flight engineer for Libyan Airlines, who noted Qatar's previous diplomatic and military assistance. He said Qatari engineers were also helping to repair Benghazi's airport.

"We will find people to provide equipment," he said. "We have some connections at high levels in the telecommunications industry."

Safi and the engineers declined to name their connections but said that one Libyan expatriate, also a telecom executive, was personally providing funding to keep the ad-hoc mobile phone network running.

Priority to key institutions

When internet returns to eastern Libya, it will also come through a satellite, Athrm said, most likely from an Italian provider. Because the so-called VSAT, or "very small aperture terminal", will have a far lower capacity than the cut fibreoptic cable once did, the engineers said they will not be able to let everyone on at once.

They will give access first to key institutions, such as banks and government buildings, though soon they hope to allow residential users to get on the satellite internet using their existing connections.

To avoid clogging the network, they will block YouTube and peer-to-peer downloading sites and may also set low download and upload rates, giving users connections with the comparative speed of a fast dial-up modem.

But no matter what the speed, the return of the internet to east Libya will likely restore at least some normalcy to the lives of eastern residents, who until now have been able to read email and check up on friends only if they know someone who has set up their own ad hoc satellite connection – as some protesters did at Benghazi's main courthouse – or if they succeeded in begging a few minutes of computer use from a member of the international media.

Low-wage service workers, many of them immigrants from South Asian countries, often plead with reporters for access to satellite phones so they can call family members who likely have not heard from their relatives in weeks, if not months. Restoring international service to mobile phones will not be much of a boon to such labourers, many of whom sold their SIM cards for extra cash.

But the issue has become personal for men like Mahdawi and Athrm, who witnessed the Gaddafi regime's violence first-hand.

Athrm said he has received emails from LTT engineers in Tripoli expressing their anger with the government's actions, their solidarity with the eastern opposition movement, and their disgust with the regime's crackdown in the west.

Some have stayed home from work in protest, though Mohammed Benayed, the chairman of the General Post and Telecommunications Company, has apparently threatened to withhold the salaries of those who do not turn up for work, according to Athrm.

Athrm's former managers in the capital simply have not contacted him at all since February 17, when the crackdown began in earnest.

On that day, Athrm joined protesters who were trying to cross a bridge into central Benghazi and reach a demonstration outside the city's main courthouse. He handed his mobile phone to a reporter, showing a video he took of the moment when mercenaries wearing yellow hard hats opened fire on the advancing crowd. The phone's tinny speakers blared the noise of shouting and a stream of gunfire.

"Three guys were hit next to me," he said. "I had to help take them back to the hospital, without any introduction."

http://feb17.info/

ICC to render decision on June 27, 2011 (today) concerning prosecution’s request for three arrest warrants.
Posted on June 27, 2011 by KLN1

Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (ICC) is scheduled to render its decision on Monday, 27 June 2011, with regard to the Prosecution’s application of 16 May 2011 for the issuance of three warrants of arrest for Muammar Abu Minyar Gaddafi, Saif Al Islam Gaddafi and Abdullah Al-Senussi. The decision is to be rendered during a public hearing in Courtroom 1, at 13:00 (The Hague local time) on that day.

Al Jazera latest on ICC arrest warrants:

ICC to rule on Gaddafi arrest warrant
Libyan leader, his second-eldest son, and his intelligence chief under investigation for crimes against humanity.
Last Modified: 27 Jun 2011 10:05

ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo declared there would be "no impunity" for regime officials in Libya.

The International Criminal Court is due to decide whether to issue arrest warrants for Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and two of his confidants for crimes against humanity committed against opponents of his regime.

A three-judge panel in The Hague, where the Court is based, is expected to announce its decision at 1pm local time (1100 GMT) on Monday.

Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the ICC's chief prosecutor, submitted a 74-page dossier of evidence to the panel on May 16, requesting arrest warrants for Gaddafi, his second-eldest son, Saif al-Islam, and his intelligence chief, Abdullah Senussi.

The judges will decide whether to issue the warrants, reject Ocampo's petition, or request more evidence. If they approve the petition, it would be only the second time in the Court's nine-year history that it has indicted a sitting head of state. The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in 2009.

The Court's decision coincides with the 100th day of NATO operations in Libya. International military intervention succeeded in turning back Gaddafi's advance on rebel-held cities, but opposition forces have made few advances since air strikes began on March 19.

Gaddafi has refused calls to step aside and has issued defiant video and audio messages from undisclosed locations, calling the intervention a "crusade" against his country and an attempt by the West to recolonise Libya. He is believed to still be in Libya, along with Saif al-Islam and Abdullah Senussi.

Ocampo is seeking indictments for all three on charges of crimes against humanity. The three met and planned a brutal crackdown against protesters who took to Libya's streets in mid-February, emboldened by uprisings in nearby neighbouring Tunisia and Egypt, Ocampo alleged in May.

Gaddafi and Senussi personally issued orders to attack protesters, and Saif al-Islam helped organise the recruitment of mercenaries to put down what became an armed rebellion based out of the country's east, Ocampo said.

Security forces and mercenaries attacked civilians in their homes, used heavy weaponry on funeral processions, and set up snipers to shoot at worshippers leaving mosques, he said.

Ability to enforce warrant is unclear

Ocampo's investigation focused on incidents in Benghazi, Misurata and Tripoli from February 15-20. Benghazi successfully overthrew government control in mid-February, while Misurata held out against an oftentimes indiscriminate attack by regime troops for months, only breaking out of its siege in May.

Gaddafi's security forces successfully stifled dissent in Tripoli, the capital, but unrest in the form of enormous petrol-line queues, sporadic demonstrations and occasional night-time assassinations has begun to grow.

Thousands have so far died in the fighting, while around 650,000 others have fled the country. Another 243,000 Libyans have been displaced internally, according to figures from the United Nations.

The UN Security Council referred the Libyan conflict to the ICC on February 26, and Ocampo launched his investigation five days later.

It's unclear what practical effect the arrest warrant will have on the three men. Gaddafi has made no public indication he is willing to give up power, and the warrant against Bashir seems to have little chance of being enforced: Bashir has travelled to Qatar, Chad and Egypt without incident.

Three months? I hope the barsteward doesn't manage to hang on for another 100 days, LL.

bb1 wrote:Three months? I hope the barsteward doesn't manage to hang on for another 100 days, LL.

I know, dosn't time fly when you're murdering you own people? Waiting on the ICC arrest warrant decisions, will post up as soon as they come in. LL

Thanks for the update LL...I did miss your daily update..it saved me form surfing CNN, Al Jazeera etc. so please carry on

Al Jazeera latest!

ICC issues Gaddafi arrest warrant
Libyan leader, his second-eldest son and his intelligence chief indicted for crimes against humanity.
Last Modified: 27 Jun 2011 10:05

ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo declared there would be "no impunity" for regime officials in Libya.

The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and two of his confidants, citing evidence of crimes against humanity committed against opponents of the Libyan regime.

Judge Sanji Mmasenono Monageng announced the decision on behalf of a three-judge panel in The Hague on Monday, saying the warrants were meant to force Gaddafi, his son and his intelligence chief to appear before the court and prevent the possibility of a cover-up.

It was the second time in the ICC's nine-year history that it has issued an arrest warrant for a sitting head of state. The ICC indicted Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in 2009, though he has yet to be arrested.

"State policy was designed at the highest level of the state machinery, and aimed at quelling by any means, including by the use of lethal force, demonstrations of civilians against the regime of Muammar Muhammad Gaddafi," Monageng said.

She stressed that the indictment and warrants for Gaddafi, his son Saif al-Islam, and his military intelligence chief Abdullah Senussi were not proof of guilt, which must be proved at trial.

But she said the evidence submitted by ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo was enough to establish "reasonable grounds to believe" the three were guilty of murder and the persecution of civilians, or "crimes against humanity," and should be arrested.

Oh, that is good news, LL! I know it won't stop the bloodshed instantly, but it should give his remaining 'court' pause for thought.
They will know now that they will never be safe from the law anywhere in the world, till the end of their days.

It's only those 3 at present, but as was shown in the Eichmann case, guilt by association can catch up with you. We shall see! LL

http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=1&id=25677

Libyan rebels advance towards Tripoli: 27/06/2011

TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Libyan rebels trying to overthrow Muammar Gaddafi have pushed to within about 80 km (50 miles) of the capital, a rebel spokesman told Reuters on Monday, in the biggest rebel breakthrough in weeks.

In neighboring Tunisia three Libyan ministers, including the foreign minister, were holding talks with "foreign parties," the Tunisian state news agency reported.

The rebels, based in the Western Mountains region south-west of Tripoli, are fighting pro-Gaddafi forces for control of the town of Bir al-Ghanem, an advance of about 30 km north from their previous position, their spokesman told Reuters.

"We are on the southern and western outskirts of Bir al-Ghanam," Juma Ibrahim, a rebel spokesman in the nearby town of Zintan, said by telephone.

"There were battles there most of yesterday. Some of our fighters were martyred and they (government forces) also suffered casualties and we captured equipment and vehicles. It's quiet there today and the rebels are still in their positions," he said.

A Reuters reporter in the center of Tripoli heard at least two loud explosions on Sunday. The location of the blasts was not clear, a plume of smoke could be seen rising from the direction of Gaddafi's Bab al-Aziziyah compound.

Judges at the International Criminal Court are scheduled to rule on Monday on a request from prosecutors to issue arrest warrants for Gaddafi, his son Saif al-Islam, and Muammar Gaddafi's brother-in-law Abdullah al-Senussi.

The rebels -- backed by NATO air support -- have been battling Gaddafi's forces since late February, when thousands of people rose up against his 41-year-rule, prompting a fierce crackdown by Gaddafi's security forces.

The revolt has turned into the bloodiest of the Arab Spring uprisings sweeping the Middle East.

For weeks now, rebels in their strong-hold in the east and enclaves in western Libya have been unable to make significant advances, while NATO air strikes have failed to dislodge Gaddafi, straining the Western alliance.

Analysts say if rebels outside the capital start gaining momentum, that could inspire anti-Gaddafi groups inside the capital to rise up, a development many believe is the most effective way of forcing him out.

TUNISIA TALKS

Tunisia's TAP state news agency reported late on Sunday that Libyan Foreign Minister Abdelati Obeidi was on the island of Djerba, in southern Tunisia, where he was "negotiating with several foreign parties."

It gave no details on the talks. Libya's rebel leadership, in the eastern city of Benghazi, said last week it was in indirect contact with Gaddafi's government, via foreign intermediaries, about a possible peace settlement.

Obeidi was joined at the Djerba talks by Health Minister Ahmed Hijazi and Social Affairs Minister Ibrahim Sherif, the Tunisian news agency reported.

Libyan officials frequently use Djerba, which is near the border with Libya, as a stopover on foreign trips because flights from Tripoli have ceased.

Libyan state television on Monday showed Obeidi in Sierra Leone meeting President Ernest Bai Koroma. It was not clear from the footage when the meeting took place.

SIGNS OF DISCORD

Gaddafi says he has no intention of relinquishing his grip on power. He has said the rebels are criminals and al Qaeda militants, and has called the NATO bombing campaign an act of colonial aggression aimed at stealing Libya's oil.

There were signs of discord within Gaddafi's ruling circle at the weekend over how best to proceed.

A government spokesman early on Sunday renewed an offer to hold elections to decide on Gaddafi's political future. The idea had previously been proposed by one of Gaddafi's sons, Saif al-Islam.

Later in the day, the same spokesman stepped back from those comments, saying Gaddafi was the historical choice of the Libyan people and could not be cast aside.

"Muammar Gaddafi is Libya's historical symbol, and he is above all political actions, above all political and tactical games," government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim said in a statement issued late on Sunday.

"In this current stage and in the future, Gaddafi is the historical choice which we cannot drop."

"As for the current and future Libya, it is up to the people and the leadership to decide it, and it is not up to the armed groups, nor up to NATO to decide it."

"It is not possible for a new stage to begin before NATO stops its aggression against Libya. As for the armed groups, they have no force on the ground, nor popular representation," the statement said.

Chicane wrote:Thanks for the update LL...I did miss your daily update..it saved me form surfing CNN, Al Jazeera etc. so please carry on

You're very welcome! I felt quite depraved deprived while we were off air! Luckily I have all the necessary links in a special folder on my PC. LL

Article from http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=3&id=25672

Asharq Al-Awsat meets the "Tripoli Council" : The rebels in the capital.
By Khaled Mahmoud 26/06/2011

Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat – Despite Gaddafi's strong security and military presence throughout Tripoli, the Libyan rebels have managed to establish a secret underground movement in the city, named the "Tripoli Council." This rebel group is working from within the capital to bring down the Gaddafi regime. Asharq Al-Awsat spoke with two members of the "Tripoli Council" via telephone, the director of the group who understandably refused to give his name, as well as the official spokesman of the Tripoli underground movement, Mohamed Qanaywa, who was recently able to leave Tripoli. The "Tripoli Council" official lifted the veil about the situation in Tripoli, stressing that this underground movement is making preparations for the "decisive battle" to put an end to the Gaddafi regime.

The following is the full text of the interview:

[Asharq Al-Awsat] What is the "Tripoli Council?" How was it formed? Who are its most prominent members?

[Qanaywa]The "Tripoli Council" was formed during the beginning of the revolution in February, under circumstances that are now well-known; we were facing a brutal suppression at the hands of Gaddafi's mercenaries and his military machinery. We had organized peaceful demonstrations in several regions of Tripoli, but these were met with live fire and mass arrests. The Tripoli uprising has been ongoing since the first day of the revolution when Gaddafi used anti-aircraft weaponry on the demonstrations, and Sheikh Sadiq al-Gharyani issued his famous fatwa that "taking to the streets is a duty." Therefore the Tripoli rebels decided to join together as part of the revolution. We are working in secret because of the security situation and in order to ensure that this Council is not uncovered. We were later able to announce the formation of the "Tripoli Council" in order to show the real picture in this city…despite the intense blockade surrounding the capital.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] How many people are in the "Tripoli Council?"

[Qanaywa] Many of our revolutionary youth are from Tripoli, from all walks of life; we have around 200 members, including people inside and outside of Tripoli.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] How do you communicate with one another in light of the tight security situation in and around Tripoli?

[Qanaywa] Yes, we live under this blockade imposed by Gaddafi and his mercenaries, but thanks to God we have been able to communicate with the outside world, whether this is within the city or without. This is through simple technologies that Gaddafi and his mercenaries are unable to uncover. There are cars driving around the city searching for [our] radio frequencies but God is with us and protecting us.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Are you receiving any support in this regard, such as foreign technology?

[Qanaywa] There are many loyal patriots trying to help us and this country, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the Libyan patriots who are taking part in the uprising and who are trying to help their brothers, the rebels in Tripoli.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Let us talk about the mass arrests. How many Libyans do you believe are imprisoned in Gaddafi jails?

[Qanaywa] There are said to be close to 30,000 [prisoners in Libyan jails] although we don't know where they all are. We have information that many have been killed and placed in mass graves. We have also heard reports that this corrupt regime is abducting youth from the streets and placing them in the vanguard of the armies to fight their brothers in other areas, and should they try to run away they are killed.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] In your opinion, what is Gaddafi's popularity in Tripoli, which is believed by many to be a Gaddafi stronghold?

[Qanaywa] Nobody is with him; he has hired some mercenaries and some of his own people to tarnish the image of Tripoli. He has also released many prisoners [to attend his rallies and show support for him].

[Asharq Al-Awsat] What evidence do you have for this claim?

[Qanaywa]The rebels took the streets since the first day waving flags, whilst since the first day Gaddafi released the criminals from prison to wave his green flag. These mercenaries who he bought also killed our people in Tripoli and elsewhere.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] What is the nature of your relationship with the National Transitional Council [NTC] that is based in Benghazi and which is internationally recognized by many?

[Qanaywa] We work under their patronage and with their support…and we have also supported them. They are the sole and legitimate representative in Libya. The NTC is in contact with the "Tripoli Council" despite the blockade.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] How do you view the talk that the battle for Tripoli is on the horizon?

[Qanaywa] This is true, and the days of Gaddafi's dictatorship are coming to an end. The regime is dying, and we are working night and day to prepare for this battle! Our fighters in Tripoli are monitoring the suspicious movements of the Gaddafi mercenaries; we want to know what hole he [Gaddafi] is hiding in, so that we can seize him and his associates. We are preparing all groups in Tripoli with arms, because the regime is confronting the civilians with arms, and we want to be prepared to destroy him, although we want him alive to hand him over for trial.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] However some would say that this conflict has been going on for four months, and Gaddafi is still in place. What is your response to those?

[Qanaywa] He remains in place…but he is weak. Today he is not as strong as he was in February, and you must understand that the Gaddafi family [until recently] continued to hold onto all Libyan financial and natural resources, and so were able to buy popularity and deal with the terrorist mercenaries in order to remain in power in Libya. However today the regime is weak, it does not have the same resources and capabilities as before, it is suffering from financial problems, whilst a number of the mercenaries have deserted.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] What about Gaddafi personally? Does he remain in strong shape?

[Qanaywa] Gaddafi is using all of his security and intelligence apparatus and resources and focusing it on this city, because this is where he is present. Therefore, when the city falls so does Gaddafi! However it is difficult to achieve this, because Gaddafi is using everything in his power to stay here, whilst we are doing everything – in coordination with the NTC – to prepare for the decisive battle with this tyrant, particularly now that he is weak and his days are numbered.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Can you tell us where Gaddafi and his family are at present?

[Qanaywa] They are hiding someplace in Tripoli, Gaddafi no longer tours the Tripoli streets in the same manner that he did during the beginning of the uprising. He is desperate trying to convince everybody in order to remain in power, and the last was the attempt made by his son Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, when he put forward the idea of elections and his father remaining in power. However everybody comprehensively rejects this!

[Asharq Al-Awsat] In your opinion, where exactly is Gaddafi hiding?

[Qanaywa] We have received information in this regard from more than one of our rebels, and there are a number of potential places where he could be hiding; including the Tripoli [Central] hospital, the Ali Askar hospital in the Sabea area [of Tripoli], as well as a compound in the Hay Al-Andulus area [of Tripoli], which belongs to Gaddafi's relative Ahmed Gadhaf al-Dam, who lives in Egypt. Gadhaf a-Dam is respected by the rebels for stranding with the Libyan people [following his defection from the Libyan regime].

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Are the people in Tripoli eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Libyan rebels?

[Qanaywa] At this point, we are at the coordination stage, unifying our ranks. Tripoli is a large city and we are working with a number of groups, coordinating with the freed cities. When zero hour approaches, the rebels will destroy Gaddafi and his mercenaries.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] However we are seeing a lot of Tripoli citizens waving Gaddafi's green flag and expressing their support for his regime?

[Qanaywa] Those you see waving the green flag are mostly criminals released from prison by Gaddafi, and this is something that is well-known.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Are there any fears that the people of Tripoli will be accused of being Gaddafi supporters should the city fall and the regime collapse?

[Qanaywa] Only his supporters from his own tribe as well as the African mercenaries [can be accused of this], however the people of Tripoli are known, we all know each other! The people of Tripoli are chanting "in spirit, in blood, we support you Benghazi!" and so there are no fears or doubts of this [false-accusation] happening…we are all one family,

[Asharq Al-Awsat] What is your message?

[Qanaywa] The message to our people in Tripoli is be patient and endure because this tyrant's days are numbered. We are now coordinating with all other groups to prepare for the forthcoming decisive battle against this tyrant. The heroes of Tripoli are carrying out operations on a daily basis in various areas [of the city] in coordination with all groups to allow us to destroy this tyrant in one blow and capture him and bring him to trial. I want to tell our people in Tripoli that the days of tyranny are numbered.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Can you tell us about the Egyptian community in Tripoli? There is talk about the mass arrest of Egyptians?

[Qanaywa] There is a group [of Egyptians] who escaped via the Tunisian city of Jarbah, whilst there is another group [of Egyptians] that is being oppressed and subjected by this criminal dictator [Gaddafi] by being forced to remain in the country , as well as some being thrown in prison. However I personally know of an Egyptian brother helping with the events during the early days of the revolution.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Some believe that it will be the ongoing NATO air raids [on Tripoli] that will ultimately lead to the end of the regime. What is your response to that?

[Qanaywa] The end of this regime will be at our hands…and all that we need now is weapons.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Do you believe that NATO is unwilling to provide you with the required arms to get the job done?

[Qanaywa] The NTC is dealing with NATO; our mission is to work with them to strike at Gaddafi with our own hands, however long it takes.

Al Jazeera Live Libya Blog:

2 hours 30 min ago - Libya

Libya's rebels, with support from NATO, now have a tentative upper hand in the fight against forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, the top UN political affairs official said.

"While we do not have a detailed understanding of the military situation on the ground, it is clear that the initiative, although halting, is now with the opposition forces, supported at times by NATO air power," UN under secretary-general for political affairs Lynn Pascoe told the UN Security Council.

4 hours 4 min ago - Libya

Operations by NATO states in Libya entered a 100th day on Monday with air strikes having eased the siege of key rebel cities but Muammar Gaddafi still in power and lingering fears of protracted war. Three months after French jets flew their first missions over eastern Libya, NATO is still pounding targets across the country in what has become a war fought on multiple fronts, but with few clear victories for either side.

As "Operation Unified Protector" approaches its 5000th strike sortie, NATO is hitting around 50 targets a day, mostly in or around Tripoli and Misrata in the west; Brega in the east; and the Nafusa Mountains southwest of the capital. Only in Nafusa does the rebel army of ill-equipped irregulars and defectors appear to be making any sustained progress.

Telegraph today:

Misurata celebrates ICC arrest warrant for Gaddafi

Residents of Misurata erupted into celebration on Monday as the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Libyan leader Col. Muammar Gaddafi. It was a rare moment of celebration for the city that continues to struggle under a four month long siege.

By Ruth Sherlock in Misurata, 5:19PM BST 27 Jun 2011

Hundreds of families gathered in the city's central square, as rebels blared car horns, waved flags, and pelted gunfire into the sky.

"It is incredible news. The Libyan people cannot describe the suffering they have been through; it has been the worst nightmare. We hope that this ends now; we hope that they catch him tonight!" said businessman Nureida Nice, 28.

It was a rare moment of celebration for the city that continues to struggle under a four month long siege. "Gaddafi did everything here; he raped the women, bombed the houses, killed civilians. The world needs to judge him for what he has done to his people," said Hadiga Swehesi, one of a group of women in full hijabs that joined the throngs.

"This will motivate the boys on the front lines to fight. It will help the Libyans to liberate themselves" said injured rebel Mohammed Asai, 34.

Rebels in the Western Mountains region southwest of Tripoli launched their strongest offensive in weeks, reaching the town of Bir al-Ghanam, just 50 miles from the capital.

The front lines around Misurata are the quietest they have been since the conflict began said rebels. In Dafnia, to the west, doctors registered only six war related injuries in three days, a dramatic change to last week where 38 rebels were killed and over 100 injured.

"Maybe the Gaddafi forces are facing problems; many of them are escaping or disobeying orders – we hear the troubles over their radio," said fighter Abdalla Shabhai, 25 on the eastern front line. "Maybe the Gaddafi forces will dissolve."

Thanks, LL - sounds a bit more hopeful today?

bb1 wrote:Thanks, LL - sounds a bit more hopeful today?

The issue of the ICC warrants will give the rebels extra impetus, while it must be filling the regime with dread. So many of them will fall if he does, and I cannot see the Libyan people being merciful, not after what has been done to them. LL