Today Friday 25 February 2011 could become an important day in the lives of the people of Libya for good or very bad reasons. Such is the uncertainty. Yesterday evening I watched an excellent review and discussion on the future of the Middle East arranged by the Newsnight team. One of those brought to the programme on line was a young female organiser of the Egyptian revolution who was able to articulate the strength and the unity of purpose and stressed its secular nature.
The historian Simon Schama expressed his surprise and enthusiasm over what had happened but with others expressed caution about the longer term if new governments were unable to advance economies, increase employment opportunities and address the needs of those in poverty and ill health. It was at this point that further unrest could lead to exploitation by new despots, especially those using religious fervour. The role of the USA and Europe had to be one of applauding, encouraging and supporting but not interfering in how any country develops, for altruistic or commercial reasons.
This aspect was also dealt with in Question Time where a visit to Wales was hijacked by those wanting to ask and answer questions on the events in Libya and the Middle East, with one question focussed Tony Blair’s apparent courting of Gaddafi and another on Cameron pleading for peaceful outcomes while including 8 arms dealers among the 30 business representatives accompanying him on the visit to Egypt, Kuwait and Qatar and Oman with Foreign Minister Hague having earlier visited Tunisia and Jordan.
My Blair’s actions were supported by speakers from the three main parties on the basis that he successfully negotiated an end of Gaddafi’s nuclear weapon programme and then persuaded the Colonel to agree to paying compensation to the victims of the blowing up of the aircraft at Lockerbie. Government involvement in facilitating the Scottish Executive of the devolved Parliament to decide to release the only person convicted because of a false diagnosis that he only has a short while to live was criticised by the Tory and Liberal Party representatives.
All the parties then defended successive government permitting the sale of arms for defensive purposes, saying that the UK had the tightest regulations anywhere. However even the right wing editor of the Spectator admitted that it had been a mistake for arms dealers to be included in the Cameron visit. The use for defense defence was the subject of audience ridicule especially for such items a tear gas and rubber bullets which would only have internal use. On a separate programme the Spectator editor said that the time had come for the UK to decide if it was right to trade with ruthless dictatorship
I have held back from commenting again on the situation in Libya because of the fast moving nature of events there over the past week
At the time of writing, mid afternoon it appears that the East part of the country including the desert oilfields is now under the Free Libya movement with International journalists now based in the second city of Benghazi and from where yesterday a British warship was used to collect British and other nationality individuals seeking to depart.
The main public effort of the British authorities has been the evacuation of its citizens. This has led to major criticism as other European countries were reported to have acted with greater speed. There is evidence of the media and some politicians interpreting events to have a go at the Coalition although communications problems and logistical problems have exacerbated the position. Three flights had expected to be made on Wednesday morning, two commercial and one charter. The two commercial planes refused to take off although neither has issued a statement and the chartered plane remained waiting to take off for ten hours because of technical fault. There was a further delay before the plane took off. On Thursday one plane took off with less than 50 people but another had more as it was understood that individuals from other nationalities were included. While the Prime Minister apologised for the delay there are also indications that the UK has had special problems in that one reports suggested that the government had to pay the Libyan authorities a ransom to allow British citizens on to planes at the airport in the state Capital of Tripoli. This was later clarified in that the airport had increases the departure fees several time and was not fixed at £9000 over four times the previous charge. There has also been the problem of getting British Citizens to the airport because of armed road barriers by Government and Opposition interests. Many of the those involved were based in camps in the desert and some were reporting that individuals with guns had arrived, removed vehicles and with food and water supplies running low as some of the camps were being used as refuges.
The reason for the mass evacuation with China having 30000 workers and a large number of Egyptian and Tunisians as well as from other sub Sahara countries is the increasing instability and the continuing threats of the Colonel and his sons to wreck havoc on all who stand against them.
In his latest attempt to prevent what now appears inevitable Colonel Gaddafi was said to have made a TV broadcast telephone call which I heard interpreted live on Al Jazeera in which he accused Al Qaeda for causing the uprising and not the Muslim Brotherhood as he had previously alleged. He pleaded the parents to take their children off the streets and to remove the weapons they were holding. He argued that responsible adults were not involved in the rioting and disorders which made it unsafe for people to go on the streets.
In this respect in the second city of Benghazi a twenty group strong of lawyers is presently working on a proposed new constitutions The atmosphere has become calm with supermarkets open and banks and normal life returning. There has been film of military and police HQ substantially damaged before those involved transferred surrendered or changed their allegiance. In the military barracks there were underground cells in which political prisoners were held, some for four years, some dead some taken to hospital in serious conditions. Destroyed buildings have been shown said to have been bombed by Gaddafi ordered planes, although as previously mentioned two jets defected to Malta and one plane was said to have crashed rather than carry out orders. With International media now inside Libya verification of information from both sides becomes possible
In the broadcast Colonel Gaddafi then attempted to argue that he had no responsibility for what had happened in his country saying that he was in a similar position to the Queen in UK and the King of Thailand, both rulers who were symbolic head of states and who had held position for longer than himself. He reminded of the good wages, adequate food and of cheap loans. There would be improvements but he was concerned about the impact of the unrest, mentioning the loss of oil revenues.
Earlier state TV had said that he would make a TV broadcast for a town which was reported to have become under rebel control. One eyewitness report said that Gaddafi military arrived in the town, some twenty vehicles each with men and heavy weapon and opened fire on the population killing over 100 and wounding several hundred more. He had a video which he would try to the media. There were about 4000 people in the town square burying the dead and protesting prepared to stay their ground whatever the consequences. This report has not been substantiated although there have been official statements to the effects that thousands may have died in the country.
Later there was an alleged film of him addressing a crowd in the main square in Tripoli defiant but also telling his supporters to sing and dance as well as demonstrate their support for the regime. My impression was that the crowd was filmed in a previous gathering while there was shots of Gaddafi in his maniac raging either from a previous recording or from a special record close to his bunker.
There were a number of meetings on Friday of momentous significance. The first meeting of importance was a special meeting of the Human Right Council of the United Nations who to proposed to exclude Libya in view of action taken against its own people in peaceful protests. The United Nations Security Council also met in emergency session in private and while Russia and China have usually opposed intervention they did agree to the previous statement deploring action taken and calling for restraint. By late evening there were three developments. The first is that on camera the Libyan representative repeated what he had said to the meting, explain why he had change position and on the urgent need for action to prevent the continuing slaughtering of his people. There were also shots of him being warmly embraced by all the members of the Security Council when his speech to them ended. The Secretary General had also released a media statement in which he called for the United Nations to act to stop the violations of human rights in the country.
There were then report of the USA closing its Embassy to business but not withdrawing and this was followed by the announcement that the USA administration was immediately commencing sanctions. It is also understood that the Council is considering a draft resolution framed by Britain and France calling for an embargo on Arms. The stopping of travel by members of the regime and the freezing of their assets to prevent use to stay in power and the referral for investigation of human rights violations by international bodies. The British Prime Minister in calling for sanctions and other action on British TV reminded the regime and those supporting it that the world was not watching closely and that the arm of international justice would apply over time and comprehensively to all who were shown to have been guilty.
There is also a meeting of NATO taking place and of European Foreign Ministers. For a time it looked as if because of the Iraq and also Afghanistan Britain and the USA were taking a public back seat with the French Foreign Minister in calling for sanctions said she was speaking on behalf of the UK. While I believe this has been a factor I also suspect the positions were out of concern that their respective citizen could be kidnapped and used as Shields. There have been repeated appeals for those in the capital to take the last flight being arranged or to make their way to the free Eastern ports.
The British COBRA Council under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister met to day with the Deputy Prime Minister, the Defence and Foreign affairs Ministers including the Minister for Overseas Development met this morning. There is need for further action to safeguard British people (and interests) and then their is the need to plan to provide help for refugees in Tunisia and Egypt, Special forces have been on standby and there is a report of other warships assembling off Malta.
Some twenty journalists including British journalist arrived having been invited by the regime to be shown how normal things were in the city and to attend a media conference at which the eldest son repeated the defiance of his father, called the opposition terrorists but said he was willing to negotiate peace with them. He came across as much as maniac as his father. There was quite in the centre of the city, presumable as the thugs were stood down and the forces having been placed on the outskirts of the city to prevent opposition forces from entering. There were defections of senior people and diplomatic people. In contrast in the East and the second city preparations were being made for the future of one Libya. There is no talk there or among Libyans abroad of a divided country or of giving up until the regime is brought now. It is up to the International community to help stop the carnage or their leaders will be judge by the people and removed at the first opportunity at the ballot box, or by popular and peaceful will. The genie of peaceful people power is now out of the bottle.
The historian Simon Schama expressed his surprise and enthusiasm over what had happened but with others expressed caution about the longer term if new governments were unable to advance economies, increase employment opportunities and address the needs of those in poverty and ill health. It was at this point that further unrest could lead to exploitation by new despots, especially those using religious fervour. The role of the USA and Europe had to be one of applauding, encouraging and supporting but not interfering in how any country develops, for altruistic or commercial reasons.
This aspect was also dealt with in Question Time where a visit to Wales was hijacked by those wanting to ask and answer questions on the events in Libya and the Middle East, with one question focussed Tony Blair’s apparent courting of Gaddafi and another on Cameron pleading for peaceful outcomes while including 8 arms dealers among the 30 business representatives accompanying him on the visit to Egypt, Kuwait and Qatar and Oman with Foreign Minister Hague having earlier visited Tunisia and Jordan.
My Blair’s actions were supported by speakers from the three main parties on the basis that he successfully negotiated an end of Gaddafi’s nuclear weapon programme and then persuaded the Colonel to agree to paying compensation to the victims of the blowing up of the aircraft at Lockerbie. Government involvement in facilitating the Scottish Executive of the devolved Parliament to decide to release the only person convicted because of a false diagnosis that he only has a short while to live was criticised by the Tory and Liberal Party representatives.
All the parties then defended successive government permitting the sale of arms for defensive purposes, saying that the UK had the tightest regulations anywhere. However even the right wing editor of the Spectator admitted that it had been a mistake for arms dealers to be included in the Cameron visit. The use for defense defence was the subject of audience ridicule especially for such items a tear gas and rubber bullets which would only have internal use. On a separate programme the Spectator editor said that the time had come for the UK to decide if it was right to trade with ruthless dictatorship
I have held back from commenting again on the situation in Libya because of the fast moving nature of events there over the past week
At the time of writing, mid afternoon it appears that the East part of the country including the desert oilfields is now under the Free Libya movement with International journalists now based in the second city of Benghazi and from where yesterday a British warship was used to collect British and other nationality individuals seeking to depart.
The main public effort of the British authorities has been the evacuation of its citizens. This has led to major criticism as other European countries were reported to have acted with greater speed. There is evidence of the media and some politicians interpreting events to have a go at the Coalition although communications problems and logistical problems have exacerbated the position. Three flights had expected to be made on Wednesday morning, two commercial and one charter. The two commercial planes refused to take off although neither has issued a statement and the chartered plane remained waiting to take off for ten hours because of technical fault. There was a further delay before the plane took off. On Thursday one plane took off with less than 50 people but another had more as it was understood that individuals from other nationalities were included. While the Prime Minister apologised for the delay there are also indications that the UK has had special problems in that one reports suggested that the government had to pay the Libyan authorities a ransom to allow British citizens on to planes at the airport in the state Capital of Tripoli. This was later clarified in that the airport had increases the departure fees several time and was not fixed at £9000 over four times the previous charge. There has also been the problem of getting British Citizens to the airport because of armed road barriers by Government and Opposition interests. Many of the those involved were based in camps in the desert and some were reporting that individuals with guns had arrived, removed vehicles and with food and water supplies running low as some of the camps were being used as refuges.
The reason for the mass evacuation with China having 30000 workers and a large number of Egyptian and Tunisians as well as from other sub Sahara countries is the increasing instability and the continuing threats of the Colonel and his sons to wreck havoc on all who stand against them.
In his latest attempt to prevent what now appears inevitable Colonel Gaddafi was said to have made a TV broadcast telephone call which I heard interpreted live on Al Jazeera in which he accused Al Qaeda for causing the uprising and not the Muslim Brotherhood as he had previously alleged. He pleaded the parents to take their children off the streets and to remove the weapons they were holding. He argued that responsible adults were not involved in the rioting and disorders which made it unsafe for people to go on the streets.
In this respect in the second city of Benghazi a twenty group strong of lawyers is presently working on a proposed new constitutions The atmosphere has become calm with supermarkets open and banks and normal life returning. There has been film of military and police HQ substantially damaged before those involved transferred surrendered or changed their allegiance. In the military barracks there were underground cells in which political prisoners were held, some for four years, some dead some taken to hospital in serious conditions. Destroyed buildings have been shown said to have been bombed by Gaddafi ordered planes, although as previously mentioned two jets defected to Malta and one plane was said to have crashed rather than carry out orders. With International media now inside Libya verification of information from both sides becomes possible
In the broadcast Colonel Gaddafi then attempted to argue that he had no responsibility for what had happened in his country saying that he was in a similar position to the Queen in UK and the King of Thailand, both rulers who were symbolic head of states and who had held position for longer than himself. He reminded of the good wages, adequate food and of cheap loans. There would be improvements but he was concerned about the impact of the unrest, mentioning the loss of oil revenues.
Earlier state TV had said that he would make a TV broadcast for a town which was reported to have become under rebel control. One eyewitness report said that Gaddafi military arrived in the town, some twenty vehicles each with men and heavy weapon and opened fire on the population killing over 100 and wounding several hundred more. He had a video which he would try to the media. There were about 4000 people in the town square burying the dead and protesting prepared to stay their ground whatever the consequences. This report has not been substantiated although there have been official statements to the effects that thousands may have died in the country.
Later there was an alleged film of him addressing a crowd in the main square in Tripoli defiant but also telling his supporters to sing and dance as well as demonstrate their support for the regime. My impression was that the crowd was filmed in a previous gathering while there was shots of Gaddafi in his maniac raging either from a previous recording or from a special record close to his bunker.
There were a number of meetings on Friday of momentous significance. The first meeting of importance was a special meeting of the Human Right Council of the United Nations who to proposed to exclude Libya in view of action taken against its own people in peaceful protests. The United Nations Security Council also met in emergency session in private and while Russia and China have usually opposed intervention they did agree to the previous statement deploring action taken and calling for restraint. By late evening there were three developments. The first is that on camera the Libyan representative repeated what he had said to the meting, explain why he had change position and on the urgent need for action to prevent the continuing slaughtering of his people. There were also shots of him being warmly embraced by all the members of the Security Council when his speech to them ended. The Secretary General had also released a media statement in which he called for the United Nations to act to stop the violations of human rights in the country.
There were then report of the USA closing its Embassy to business but not withdrawing and this was followed by the announcement that the USA administration was immediately commencing sanctions. It is also understood that the Council is considering a draft resolution framed by Britain and France calling for an embargo on Arms. The stopping of travel by members of the regime and the freezing of their assets to prevent use to stay in power and the referral for investigation of human rights violations by international bodies. The British Prime Minister in calling for sanctions and other action on British TV reminded the regime and those supporting it that the world was not watching closely and that the arm of international justice would apply over time and comprehensively to all who were shown to have been guilty.
There is also a meeting of NATO taking place and of European Foreign Ministers. For a time it looked as if because of the Iraq and also Afghanistan Britain and the USA were taking a public back seat with the French Foreign Minister in calling for sanctions said she was speaking on behalf of the UK. While I believe this has been a factor I also suspect the positions were out of concern that their respective citizen could be kidnapped and used as Shields. There have been repeated appeals for those in the capital to take the last flight being arranged or to make their way to the free Eastern ports.
The British COBRA Council under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister met to day with the Deputy Prime Minister, the Defence and Foreign affairs Ministers including the Minister for Overseas Development met this morning. There is need for further action to safeguard British people (and interests) and then their is the need to plan to provide help for refugees in Tunisia and Egypt, Special forces have been on standby and there is a report of other warships assembling off Malta.
Some twenty journalists including British journalist arrived having been invited by the regime to be shown how normal things were in the city and to attend a media conference at which the eldest son repeated the defiance of his father, called the opposition terrorists but said he was willing to negotiate peace with them. He came across as much as maniac as his father. There was quite in the centre of the city, presumable as the thugs were stood down and the forces having been placed on the outskirts of the city to prevent opposition forces from entering. There were defections of senior people and diplomatic people. In contrast in the East and the second city preparations were being made for the future of one Libya. There is no talk there or among Libyans abroad of a divided country or of giving up until the regime is brought now. It is up to the International community to help stop the carnage or their leaders will be judge by the people and removed at the first opportunity at the ballot box, or by popular and peaceful will. The genie of peaceful people power is now out of the bottle.
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