BENGHAZI, Libya – NATO ships patrolled off Libya's coast Wednesday as airstrikes, missiles and energized rebels forced Moammar Gadhafi's tanks to roll back from two key western cities, including one that was the hometown of army officers who tried to overthrow him in 1993.
Libya's opposition took haphazard steps to form a government in the east, as they and the U.S.-led force protecting them girded for prolonged and costly fighting. Despite disorganization among the rebels — and utter confusion over who would ultimately run the international operation — the airstrikes and missiles seemed to have their intended effect in Libya, at least for now.
But the U.S. made clear that others would have to lead the way: Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the U.S. could relinquish control as soon as Saturday. He had no answer when asked about a possible stalemate if Gadhafi hunkers down, and the coalition lacks U.N. authorization to target him.
Rear Adm. Gerard Hueber, a top U.S. officer in the campaign in Libya, said international forces were attacking government troops that have been storming population centers. On Wednesday evening, Libyan state television reported a "Crusader colonialist bombing targeting certain civil and military locations" in Tripoli's Tajoura district — scene of some of the heaviest past protests against Gadhafi.
From Ajdabiya in the east to Misrata in the west, the coalition's targets included mechanized forces, mobile surface-to-air missile sites and lines of communications that supply "their beans and their bullets," Hueber told Pentagon reporters by phone from the U.S. command ship in the Mediterranean sea.
A doctor in Misrata said Gadhafi's tanks fled after the airstrikes, giving a much-needed reprieve to the besieged coastal city, which is inaccessible to human rights monitors or journalists. The airstrikes struck the aviation academy and a vacant lot outside the central hospital, the doctor said.
"Today, for the first time in a week, the bakeries opened their doors," the doctor said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals if Gadhafi's forces take Libya's third-largest city, 125 miles (200 kilometers) southeast of Tripoli.
He and rebel leaders said pro-Gadhafi snipers continued to fire on civilians from rooftops on Wednesday. Abdel-Hafidh Ghoga, a spokesman for the opposition forces, said 16 people were killed today, including five children.
Ghoga said people are being treated "in the hallways of buildings" because they did not dare go outside.
In Zintan, a resident said Gadhafi's forces were shelling from the foot of a nearby mountain, but rebels forced their retreat from all but one side of the city. After five days of fighting, Ali al-Azhari said, rebel fighters captured or destroyed several tanks, and seized trucks loaded with 1,200 Grad missiles and fuel tanks. They captured five Gadhafi troops.
Al-Azhari, who spoke to The Associated Press by phone from the city, said one officer told rebels he was ordered "to turn Zintan into a desert to be smashed and flattened." Resentment against Gadhafi runs high in Zintan, a city of 100,000 about 75 miles (120 kilometers) south of Tripoli, because it was the hometown of many of the detained army officers who took part in a failed coup in 1993.
Ghoga said 16 people died Tuesday and Wednesday in Zintan, which has no electricity or landlines.
The withdrawal of the tanks from Misrata and Zintan was a rare success for the rebels, who are struggling daily against Gadhafi forces in the eastern gateway city of Ajdabiya. The disorganized opposition holds much of the east but has been unable to take advantage of the international air campaign that saved it from the brink of defeat.
Missiles fired from submarines in the Mediterranean, bombs dropped by B-2 stealth bombers and an array of airstrikes easily total hundreds of millions of dollars for the five-day campaign. Rebels say they are well aware of concerns about who, exactly, the costly campaign is backing.
Iman Bughaigis, a spokeswoman for the rebel force, said the tentative beginnings of an interim administration on Wednesday reflected the realization that they needed to get organized. She said the leader of the governing body would be Mahmoud Jibril, a U.S.-educated planning expert who defected from the Gadhafi regime as the uprising gained momentum.
"At the beginning, we thought it would just take a week or two weeks" to depose Gadhafi, she said. "Now we know it will take time. We need a government to liberate the eastern territories. It was just because there was a vacuum. We don't have political experience. We are learning as the days go by. Now there is an understanding that we need a structure."
Neither the rebels nor Gadhafi has mustered the force for an outright victory, raising concerns of a prolonged conflict.
President Barack Obama told the Spanish-language network Univision that a land invasion was "absolutely" out of the question.
Asked about the exit strategy, he didn't lay out a vision for ending the international action, but rather said: "The exit strategy will be executed this week in the sense that we will be pulling back from our much more active efforts to shape the environment."
Gadhafi was defiant in his first public appearance in a week late Tuesday.
State TV said he spoke from his Bab Al-Aziziya residential compound, the same one hit by a cruise missile Sunday night. "In the short term, we'll beat them, in the long term, we'll beat them," he said.
Libyan state TV showed footage of a house that was demolished and burning. Weeping women slapped their faces and heads in grief while men carried a barefoot girl covered in blood on a stretcher to an ambulance. A man screamed "a whole family was killed." The TV labeled the footage as "the crusader imperialism bombs civilians."
Gadhafi's regime has alleged that dozens of civilians have been killed in the international bombardment. The Pentagon on Wednesday said there was no evidence of that.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Prison inmates in Bawku to acquire skills
Bawku (UE), March 23, GNA - The Bawku Municipality is to revamp prison education to provide skill training to inmates, Mr Sulemana Bukari, Bawku Municipal Non-Formal Coordinator, has said.
He said the Municipality was putting in place the necessary measures to realize the objective.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency on Tuesday, Mr Bukari said the inmates needed to be trained to acquire skills to help them to make a living after their prison terms.
He said the skills to be taught include reading, writing, innumeracy and the introduction of developmental activities such as tree planting exercise.
Mr Bukari indicated that the income generating activities such as shea butter extraction, malt preparation, rice processing, dressmaking, and agro-processing undertaken by inmates had been able to support the programme.
He said the Non-Formal Education Unit had trained some facilitators to run the programme and appealed to developmental partners to support the programme with resources to enable it to carry out its activities effectively.
The Coordinator said aside those initiatives, the outfit for the past few years, had undertaken tree planting in communities such as Bazua, Binduri, Zubugu, Wiidii-Zuugu, and Pusiga-Mandago in the Bawku Municipality and its environs.
Mr Edward Menu, Assistant Director of Prisons (ADP) in charge of the Bawku Prisons noted that the programme dubbed: "functional literacy" was currently training nineteen students but said it was being hindered by lack of logistics.
He said teaching and learning materials such as exercise books, writing boards and chalk, pencils and incentives to motivate the facilitators were not adequate enough to run the programme efficiently.
Mr Menu explained that aside the education aspect of the programme, it was also meant to occupy the inmates in their leisure time so they did not fill their minds with negative intentions such as breaking of jail among others.
He said the Prison unit used to be assisted by the Municipal Assembly to train the inmates in smock making, but due to the protracted chieftaincy conflict in the area the programme had come to a standstill.
The Senior Chief Officer in charge of Prisons Administration in Bawku Mr Henry Oduro Abrorwah, indicated that the literacy programme was a laudable one that could increase the level of thinking of prisoners.
However, he said due to the lack of facilities, the programme might not run for long.
He explained that 65 per cent of the inmates were on remand terms and might not be in prison for long.
He, however, appealed to development partners to help to provide recreational facilities in the Prisons to promote quality social relation among the inmates.
GNA
He said the Municipality was putting in place the necessary measures to realize the objective.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency on Tuesday, Mr Bukari said the inmates needed to be trained to acquire skills to help them to make a living after their prison terms.
He said the skills to be taught include reading, writing, innumeracy and the introduction of developmental activities such as tree planting exercise.
Mr Bukari indicated that the income generating activities such as shea butter extraction, malt preparation, rice processing, dressmaking, and agro-processing undertaken by inmates had been able to support the programme.
He said the Non-Formal Education Unit had trained some facilitators to run the programme and appealed to developmental partners to support the programme with resources to enable it to carry out its activities effectively.
The Coordinator said aside those initiatives, the outfit for the past few years, had undertaken tree planting in communities such as Bazua, Binduri, Zubugu, Wiidii-Zuugu, and Pusiga-Mandago in the Bawku Municipality and its environs.
Mr Edward Menu, Assistant Director of Prisons (ADP) in charge of the Bawku Prisons noted that the programme dubbed: "functional literacy" was currently training nineteen students but said it was being hindered by lack of logistics.
He said teaching and learning materials such as exercise books, writing boards and chalk, pencils and incentives to motivate the facilitators were not adequate enough to run the programme efficiently.
Mr Menu explained that aside the education aspect of the programme, it was also meant to occupy the inmates in their leisure time so they did not fill their minds with negative intentions such as breaking of jail among others.
He said the Prison unit used to be assisted by the Municipal Assembly to train the inmates in smock making, but due to the protracted chieftaincy conflict in the area the programme had come to a standstill.
The Senior Chief Officer in charge of Prisons Administration in Bawku Mr Henry Oduro Abrorwah, indicated that the literacy programme was a laudable one that could increase the level of thinking of prisoners.
However, he said due to the lack of facilities, the programme might not run for long.
He explained that 65 per cent of the inmates were on remand terms and might not be in prison for long.
He, however, appealed to development partners to help to provide recreational facilities in the Prisons to promote quality social relation among the inmates.
GNA
Bomb rocks Jerusalem bus stop, killing woman
JERUSALEM – A bomb struck a crowded bus stop in central Jerusalem Wednesday, killing one woman and wounding more than 20 other people in what authorities said was the first major Palestinian militant attack in the city in several years.
The bombing brought back memories of the second Palestinian uprising last decade, a period in which hundreds of Israelis were killed by suicide bombings in Jerusalem and other major cities, and thousands of Palestinians died in Israeli military operations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but authorities blamed Palestinian militants and threatened harsh retaliation. The attack came against the backdrop of a rising wave of violence that has threatened a lengthy period of relative calm, and made hopes for a negotiated peace ever more distant. The moderate Palestinian government in the West Bank condemned the violence.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spent the evening huddled with his defense minister, military chief and other top security officials. He vowed a tough response but said he hoped that calm would be restored.
"We will act aggressively, responsibly and wisely in order to preserve the quiet and security that endured here the past two years," he told reporters at Israel's international airport, shortly before boarding a flight to Russia.
The 3 p.m. bombing occurred near the main entrance to Jerusalem, next to the city's central bus station and main convention center, an area that is crowded with travelers and passers-by. The bomb went off next to a food stand called, in a Hebrew play on words, "a blast of a kiosk." The owner said the name was to remember an earlier attack at the same site.
The blast reverberated throughout Jerusalem and blew out the windows of two crowded buses. Rescuers removed bloodied people from the area on stretchers, as sirens from speeding ambulances wailed in the background.
Authorities said a 60-year-old woman was killed, while two dozen other people were hurt, several critically.
Jerusalem's mayor, Nir Barkat, rushed to the scene and urged people to return to their routines. "We will show the terrorists we are not terrorized," he said.
Tensions have been rising in recent weeks, particularly along Israel's southern border with the Gaza Strip. Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza, has been firing rockets and mortar shells across the border, and Israel retaliating with airstrikes and other attacks.
In fresh violence on Wednesday, two rockets landed in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba, moderately wounding one man, and mortar shells struck southern Israel.
Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak threatened retaliation against Hamas.
"We will not tolerate the harming of Israeli citizens, not in the south and not in Jerusalem," Barak said. "Hamas is responsible for the firing of rockets toward Beersheba today and this responsibility has a price."
Earlier this month, five members of a Jewish settler family were stabbed to death in their sleep at their West Bank home. And on Tuesday, an errant Israeli strike meant for Palestinian militants killed four members of a Palestinian family in Gaza.
Adding to the tensions, peace efforts between the Israelis and the Western-backed Palestinian government have been stalled since September.
The attack drew international condemnations as well. In Washington, President Barack Obama offered condolences and called on those responsible to end such attacks. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon called it "unacceptable."
Egypt, however, warned Israel against any military operation in the Gaza Strip.
"Escalation of violence will not serve the interest of any party and will not serve peace or stability," Foreign Ministry spokesman Menha Bakhoum said in a statement.
Jerusalem's police chief, Aharon Franco, said the bomb was about four pounds (one to two kilograms) and was planted in a small bag on the sidewalk. He said security services were on alert for additional attacks.
He said authorities had no firm leads but were investigating a possible link to a small bombing earlier this month that wounded a garbage collector as he removed the device from a trash can.
"I saw kids crying on the street, lying in blood on the side of the road," said one man who witnessed the blast. Crying on the telephone, he frantically tried to reach his daughter, calming down a bit when he found out she was safe. The man, trembling in shock, refused to give his name.
Radio and TV stations posted emergency numbers for concerned citizens to inquire about relatives.
Bus driver Meir Hagid said he heard a loud explosion as he drove by the site, located near the main entrance to Jerusalem and its central bus station. He halted his vehicle and people got off. He said nobody in his bus was hurt.
Samuel Conik, 20, said he ran to the scene when he heard the explosion and saw fire coming out of a phone booth. Nearby was a badly burned man with bloody legs and his skin peeling off.
At the scene, a group of ultra-Orthodox Jews began chanting "Death to Arabs."
Israel's Interior Minister Eli Yishai rushed to the scene and called for swift action. "With these murderers, these terror organizations ... we must act, or we will lose our deterrence," he told Channel 2 TV.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delayed a planned trip to Moscow for several hours to deal with the crisis but said he would go forward with the visit later Wednesday.
In the West Bank town of Ramallah, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad condemned the bombing "in the strongest terms." His boss, President Mahmoud Abbas, who was traveling in Russia, issued a similar condemnation.
In the Gaza Strip, the Islamic Jihad militant group, which has carried out dozens of attacks, said it was not connected to the blast. But spokesman Khader Habib said the group "applauds all efforts to respond to the crimes committed daily against our people."
During the second Palestinian uprising, violence killed more than 6,000 people on the Palestinian side and more than 1,000 on the Israeli side. Jerusalem suffered dozens of Palestinian suicide bombings that targeted buses and restaurants. The violence, which began in 2000, largely subsided five years later.
Jerusalem last experienced a suicide bombing in 2004, and the last suicide bombing in Israel occurred in 2008 in the southern town of Dimona.
Even so, Jerusalem has experienced other deadly violence. In early 2008, eight students at a Jerusalem seminary were killed when Palestinian gunmen entered the school and opened fire.
Palestinians also carried out several attacks with construction vehicles against Jerusalem in the past few years that ended with fatalities when the drivers rammed their vehicles into bystanders.
The bombing brought back memories of the second Palestinian uprising last decade, a period in which hundreds of Israelis were killed by suicide bombings in Jerusalem and other major cities, and thousands of Palestinians died in Israeli military operations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but authorities blamed Palestinian militants and threatened harsh retaliation. The attack came against the backdrop of a rising wave of violence that has threatened a lengthy period of relative calm, and made hopes for a negotiated peace ever more distant. The moderate Palestinian government in the West Bank condemned the violence.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spent the evening huddled with his defense minister, military chief and other top security officials. He vowed a tough response but said he hoped that calm would be restored.
"We will act aggressively, responsibly and wisely in order to preserve the quiet and security that endured here the past two years," he told reporters at Israel's international airport, shortly before boarding a flight to Russia.
The 3 p.m. bombing occurred near the main entrance to Jerusalem, next to the city's central bus station and main convention center, an area that is crowded with travelers and passers-by. The bomb went off next to a food stand called, in a Hebrew play on words, "a blast of a kiosk." The owner said the name was to remember an earlier attack at the same site.
The blast reverberated throughout Jerusalem and blew out the windows of two crowded buses. Rescuers removed bloodied people from the area on stretchers, as sirens from speeding ambulances wailed in the background.
Authorities said a 60-year-old woman was killed, while two dozen other people were hurt, several critically.
Jerusalem's mayor, Nir Barkat, rushed to the scene and urged people to return to their routines. "We will show the terrorists we are not terrorized," he said.
Tensions have been rising in recent weeks, particularly along Israel's southern border with the Gaza Strip. Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza, has been firing rockets and mortar shells across the border, and Israel retaliating with airstrikes and other attacks.
In fresh violence on Wednesday, two rockets landed in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba, moderately wounding one man, and mortar shells struck southern Israel.
Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak threatened retaliation against Hamas.
"We will not tolerate the harming of Israeli citizens, not in the south and not in Jerusalem," Barak said. "Hamas is responsible for the firing of rockets toward Beersheba today and this responsibility has a price."
Earlier this month, five members of a Jewish settler family were stabbed to death in their sleep at their West Bank home. And on Tuesday, an errant Israeli strike meant for Palestinian militants killed four members of a Palestinian family in Gaza.
Adding to the tensions, peace efforts between the Israelis and the Western-backed Palestinian government have been stalled since September.
The attack drew international condemnations as well. In Washington, President Barack Obama offered condolences and called on those responsible to end such attacks. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon called it "unacceptable."
Egypt, however, warned Israel against any military operation in the Gaza Strip.
"Escalation of violence will not serve the interest of any party and will not serve peace or stability," Foreign Ministry spokesman Menha Bakhoum said in a statement.
Jerusalem's police chief, Aharon Franco, said the bomb was about four pounds (one to two kilograms) and was planted in a small bag on the sidewalk. He said security services were on alert for additional attacks.
He said authorities had no firm leads but were investigating a possible link to a small bombing earlier this month that wounded a garbage collector as he removed the device from a trash can.
"I saw kids crying on the street, lying in blood on the side of the road," said one man who witnessed the blast. Crying on the telephone, he frantically tried to reach his daughter, calming down a bit when he found out she was safe. The man, trembling in shock, refused to give his name.
Radio and TV stations posted emergency numbers for concerned citizens to inquire about relatives.
Bus driver Meir Hagid said he heard a loud explosion as he drove by the site, located near the main entrance to Jerusalem and its central bus station. He halted his vehicle and people got off. He said nobody in his bus was hurt.
Samuel Conik, 20, said he ran to the scene when he heard the explosion and saw fire coming out of a phone booth. Nearby was a badly burned man with bloody legs and his skin peeling off.
At the scene, a group of ultra-Orthodox Jews began chanting "Death to Arabs."
Israel's Interior Minister Eli Yishai rushed to the scene and called for swift action. "With these murderers, these terror organizations ... we must act, or we will lose our deterrence," he told Channel 2 TV.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delayed a planned trip to Moscow for several hours to deal with the crisis but said he would go forward with the visit later Wednesday.
In the West Bank town of Ramallah, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad condemned the bombing "in the strongest terms." His boss, President Mahmoud Abbas, who was traveling in Russia, issued a similar condemnation.
In the Gaza Strip, the Islamic Jihad militant group, which has carried out dozens of attacks, said it was not connected to the blast. But spokesman Khader Habib said the group "applauds all efforts to respond to the crimes committed daily against our people."
During the second Palestinian uprising, violence killed more than 6,000 people on the Palestinian side and more than 1,000 on the Israeli side. Jerusalem suffered dozens of Palestinian suicide bombings that targeted buses and restaurants. The violence, which began in 2000, largely subsided five years later.
Jerusalem last experienced a suicide bombing in 2004, and the last suicide bombing in Israel occurred in 2008 in the southern town of Dimona.
Even so, Jerusalem has experienced other deadly violence. In early 2008, eight students at a Jerusalem seminary were killed when Palestinian gunmen entered the school and opened fire.
Palestinians also carried out several attacks with construction vehicles against Jerusalem in the past few years that ended with fatalities when the drivers rammed their vehicles into bystanders.
Germany pulls out NATO operations in Mediterranean: Defense Ministry
The German Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that Germany has pulled out of NATO operations in the Mediterranean.
A spokesman of the ministry told DPA, the local news agency, that Germany has regained the command of two frigates and two other ships with a total of 550 crew in that area.
Some 60 to 70 German troops who have joined in NATO airborne surveillance operations in the Mediterranean might also be included in this withdrawal action, he said.
Earlier this month, the NATO launched a naval operation to enforce the arms embargo against Libya according to a resolution adopted by the UN at the end of February.
To withdraw those ships and troops is to avoid possible fighting, said the spokesman, as use of force when necessary is part of the arms embargo.
Those affected ships and troops have been involved in three NATO operations in the Mediterranean, including the anti-terror mission Active Endeavour.
However, it remains unclear whether the ships will leave the Mediterranean, the spokesman said.
Earlier on Thursday, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle called for a full-scale oil and gas embargo against Libya, but ruled out again that Germany will join in the military actions against Libya, saying Germany was still skeptical about the action and determined not to become a military partner in this operation.
However, the German government has agreed to send about 300 air force personnel to Afghanistan to relieve the manpower stress on its NATO allies in Libya, local media reported on Tuesday.
Last week Germany also abstained in a UN Security Council vote to permit "all necessary measures," including air strikes, to impose a no-fly zone and protect civilians in Libya.
Source: Xinhua
A spokesman of the ministry told DPA, the local news agency, that Germany has regained the command of two frigates and two other ships with a total of 550 crew in that area.
Some 60 to 70 German troops who have joined in NATO airborne surveillance operations in the Mediterranean might also be included in this withdrawal action, he said.
Earlier this month, the NATO launched a naval operation to enforce the arms embargo against Libya according to a resolution adopted by the UN at the end of February.
To withdraw those ships and troops is to avoid possible fighting, said the spokesman, as use of force when necessary is part of the arms embargo.
Those affected ships and troops have been involved in three NATO operations in the Mediterranean, including the anti-terror mission Active Endeavour.
However, it remains unclear whether the ships will leave the Mediterranean, the spokesman said.
Earlier on Thursday, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle called for a full-scale oil and gas embargo against Libya, but ruled out again that Germany will join in the military actions against Libya, saying Germany was still skeptical about the action and determined not to become a military partner in this operation.
However, the German government has agreed to send about 300 air force personnel to Afghanistan to relieve the manpower stress on its NATO allies in Libya, local media reported on Tuesday.
Last week Germany also abstained in a UN Security Council vote to permit "all necessary measures," including air strikes, to impose a no-fly zone and protect civilians in Libya.
Source: Xinhua
Film legend Elizabeth Taylor dies at 79 in LA
LOS ANGELES – Elizabeth Taylor, the violet-eyed film goddess whose sultry screen persona, stormy personal life and enduring fame and glamour made her one of the last of the classic movie stars and a template for the modern celebrity, died Wednesday at age 79.
She was surrounded by her four children when she died of congestive heart failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she had been hospitalized for about six weeks, said publicist Sally Morrison.
"My mother was an extraordinary woman who lived life to the fullest, with great passion, humor, and love," her son, Michael Wilding, said in a statement.
"We know, quite simply, that the world is a better place for Mom having lived in it. Her legacy will never fade, her spirit will always be with us, and her love will live forever in our hearts."
"We have just lost a Hollywood giant," said Elton John, a longtime friend of Taylor. "More importantly, we have lost an incredible human being."
Taylor was the most blessed and cursed of actresses, the toughest and the most vulnerable. She had extraordinary grace, wealth and voluptuous beauty, and won three Academy Awards, including a special one for her humanitarian work.
One of those Oscars came for a searing performance in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" She played an alcoholic shrew in an emotionally sadomasochistic marriage opposite real-life husband Richard Burton.
For all the ferocity of her screen roles and the turmoil of her life, Taylor was remembered by "Virginia Woolf" director Mike Nichols for her gentler, life-affirming side.
"The shock of Elizabeth was not only her beauty. It was her generosity. Her giant laugh. Her vitality, whether tackling a complex scene on film or where we would all have dinner until dawn," Nichols said in a statement. "She is singular and indelible on film and in our hearts."
Taylor was the most loyal of friends and a defender of gays in Hollywood when AIDS was new to the industry and beyond. But she was afflicted by ill health, failed romances (eight marriages, seven husbands) and personal tragedy.
"I think I'm becoming fatalistic," she said in 1989. "Too much has happened in my life for me not to be fatalistic."
Almost 17,000 Ghanaians Evacuated From Libya, Ghana News Says
Bloomberg
A total of 16,822 Ghanaians have been evacuated from Libya and another 900 remain in the country waiting to escape from its month-old civil war, the Ghana News Agency reported.
Among the evacuees are 90 prisoners freed from Libyan jails, including eight former death row inmates, the state-owned news service said, citing Muhammad Mumuni, Ghana’s foreign minister
A total of 16,822 Ghanaians have been evacuated from Libya and another 900 remain in the country waiting to escape from its month-old civil war, the Ghana News Agency reported.
Among the evacuees are 90 prisoners freed from Libyan jails, including eight former death row inmates, the state-owned news service said, citing Muhammad Mumuni, Ghana’s foreign minister
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Russia's leaders disagree on Libya, Putin rebuked
MOSCOW – Russia's two leaders are openly disagreeing over the U.N. resolution authorizing international military action against Libya, with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin comparing it to the medieval crusades and President Dmitry Medvedev warning him to watch his use of words.
Their statements represented a rare open clash on foreign policy.
Putin, who served two terms as president and still dominates Russia's politics, said the U.N. Security Council resolution was "flawed and inferior."
"It allows everything and is reminiscent of a medieval call for a crusade," Putin said Monday. "In fact, it allows intervention in a sovereign state."
Hours later, Medvedev rebuked the prime minister: "We have to be absolutely accurate in our assessments. Under no circumstances is it acceptable to use expressions that essentially lead to a clash of civilizations such as crusades and so on."
The Russian president defended the decision to abstain in last week's vote at the United Nations and characterized the resolution as a legitimate response to Moammar Gadhafi's "crimes against his own people."
"The resolution in general reflects our understanding of what's going on in Libya, but not entirely," Medvedev said. "That is why we did not use our veto right."
Putin and Medvedev have on occasion appeared to take different approaches to domestic and economic policy issues. For instance, Medvedev has criticized the big state corporations championed by Putin and issued veiled criticism of Putin's statements on jailed oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
The divisions reflect a split in their main constituencies. While Putin's tough rhetoric appeals to average Russians, Medvedev's more liberal statements are designed to please the West and Russia's liberal elite.
Their statements represented a rare open clash on foreign policy.
Putin, who served two terms as president and still dominates Russia's politics, said the U.N. Security Council resolution was "flawed and inferior."
"It allows everything and is reminiscent of a medieval call for a crusade," Putin said Monday. "In fact, it allows intervention in a sovereign state."
Hours later, Medvedev rebuked the prime minister: "We have to be absolutely accurate in our assessments. Under no circumstances is it acceptable to use expressions that essentially lead to a clash of civilizations such as crusades and so on."
The Russian president defended the decision to abstain in last week's vote at the United Nations and characterized the resolution as a legitimate response to Moammar Gadhafi's "crimes against his own people."
"The resolution in general reflects our understanding of what's going on in Libya, but not entirely," Medvedev said. "That is why we did not use our veto right."
Putin and Medvedev have on occasion appeared to take different approaches to domestic and economic policy issues. For instance, Medvedev has criticized the big state corporations championed by Putin and issued veiled criticism of Putin's statements on jailed oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
The divisions reflect a split in their main constituencies. While Putin's tough rhetoric appeals to average Russians, Medvedev's more liberal statements are designed to please the West and Russia's liberal elite.
US military jet crashes in Libya, 2 eject safely
LONDON – A U.S. military jet crashed in Libya after an equipment malfunction but its two crewmembers ejected and are safe, the U.S. military said Tuesday.
Vince Crawley, a spokesman for the Africa Command, says both sustained minor injuries and were separated because they used parachutes to eject from the F-15E Strike Eagle jet at high altitudes, ending up in different areas.
The crash occurred Monday night at 2130 GMT (5:30 p.m. EST). Its exact location was not given.
One crew member has been recovered and an operation is currently under way to recover the other one — "but we know he's safe," said Ken Fidler, another spokesman for Africa Command.
The aircraft, based out of Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, was flying out of Italy's Aviano Air Base in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn at the time of the incident. The cause of the crash is being investigated.
The Air Force has said only that B-2, F-15 and F-16 fighters are participating in operations over Libya. The U.S.'s involvement in Libya is being run by Africa Command, which is based in Stuttgart, Germany.
Africa Command launched in Oct. 2008 after the Pentagon abandoned efforts to base the command on the continent after it hit resistance among the African nations, and instead posted about two dozen liaison officers at African embassies.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Nigeria lashes at world's focus on Libya while I.Coast burns
ABUJA (AFP) – Nigeria which has led a campaign to force out Ivory Coast's strongman on Monday lashed out at "contradictions" by world powers focusing attention on Libya while the West African nation is burning.
Foreign Minister Odein Ajumogobia charged at the international community for watching while hundreds of thousands of people were murdered in Ivory Coast since the disputed November 28 election.
"The contradictions between principle and national interest seem to be at the core of international law and politics and have enabled the international community to impose a no-fly zone over Libya ostensibly to protect innocent civilians from being slaughtered," Ajumogobia said.
"But this same international community watches helplessly while seven innocent women were slaughtered in Cote'd'Ivoire and 400,000 others have been murdered.
"These contradictions are impossible for us to ignore," he said while commissioning his ministry's new office block in the capital Abuja.
The west African regional powerhouse Nigeria chairs the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States which has threatened the use of force if Laurent Gbagbo does not step down in favour of the internationally recognised Alassane Ouattara.
Ajumogobia last month said the UN must endorse any use of force to remove Gbagbo, adding that a total blockade was an option if peaceful efforts fail.
The United Nations estimates at least 440 people have already died in the violence during the nearly four-month stalemate.
The crisis in Ivory Coast has deteriorated in recent weeks amid fears of a civil war as forces loyal to Ouattara advanced seizing a fifth town in the west of the country on Monday while Gbagbo swelled his army's ranks with new recruits.
Pressure is mounting on the 10,000-strong UN mission in Ivory Coast to take stronger action to enforce its mandate to protect civilians, who are bearing the brunt of the deadly tug-of-war for the presidency and fleeing the violence in their thousands.
Their work has been hindered by open hostility from Gbagbo's camp which has demanded its departure, accusing the mission of supporting Ouattara and denouncing the mission in state media as "enemies of Ivory Coast".
Foreign Minister Odein Ajumogobia charged at the international community for watching while hundreds of thousands of people were murdered in Ivory Coast since the disputed November 28 election.
"The contradictions between principle and national interest seem to be at the core of international law and politics and have enabled the international community to impose a no-fly zone over Libya ostensibly to protect innocent civilians from being slaughtered," Ajumogobia said.
"But this same international community watches helplessly while seven innocent women were slaughtered in Cote'd'Ivoire and 400,000 others have been murdered.
"These contradictions are impossible for us to ignore," he said while commissioning his ministry's new office block in the capital Abuja.
The west African regional powerhouse Nigeria chairs the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States which has threatened the use of force if Laurent Gbagbo does not step down in favour of the internationally recognised Alassane Ouattara.
Ajumogobia last month said the UN must endorse any use of force to remove Gbagbo, adding that a total blockade was an option if peaceful efforts fail.
The United Nations estimates at least 440 people have already died in the violence during the nearly four-month stalemate.
The crisis in Ivory Coast has deteriorated in recent weeks amid fears of a civil war as forces loyal to Ouattara advanced seizing a fifth town in the west of the country on Monday while Gbagbo swelled his army's ranks with new recruits.
Pressure is mounting on the 10,000-strong UN mission in Ivory Coast to take stronger action to enforce its mandate to protect civilians, who are bearing the brunt of the deadly tug-of-war for the presidency and fleeing the violence in their thousands.
Their work has been hindered by open hostility from Gbagbo's camp which has demanded its departure, accusing the mission of supporting Ouattara and denouncing the mission in state media as "enemies of Ivory Coast".
Divisions strain NATO push for Libyan airstrikes
BRUSSELS – Discord erupted Monday in Europe over whether the military operation in Libya should be controlled by NATO, after Turkey blocked the alliance's participation while Italy issued a veiled threat to withdraw the use of its bases unless the alliance was put in charge.
Germany also questioned the wisdom of the operation, and Russia's Vladimir Putin railed against the UN-backed airstrikes mounted so far against Moammar Gadhafi's force by Britain, France and the United States outside of their NATO roles.
"The Security Council resolution is flawed, it allows everything and is reminiscent of a medieval call for a crusade," Putin said. "In fact, it allows intervention in a sovereign state."
A day after Turkey declined to support a military plan for the alliance to enforce a Libya no-fly zone, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he could support the NATO effort — but only if it does not turn into an occupation.
"NATO should only enter Libya to determine that Libya belongs to Libyans and not to distribute its natural resources and richness to others," Erdogan said during a visit to Saudi Arabia.
There had been widespread expectation that the strikes against Libya would be overseen by NATO, and the hastily improvised nature of the military coalition has drawn criticism.
The United States, France and Britain initiated attacks on Libya on Saturday, raining cruise missiles and precision bombs on Libyan military targets on the ground, including Gadhafi's residential compound. Other countries have since joined in.
Diplomats said Turkey, a NATO member that sees itself as a bridge between Europe and the Muslim world, was angered by its exclusion from an emergency summit Saturday in Paris organized by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, at which the 22 participants agreed to launch armed action against Gadhafi's military.
France ended up making the first strikes, and the diplomats said Turkey's envoys had warned that NATO's participation in the airstrikes could damage the alliance's standing in the Islamic world at a time when it is heavily engaged in the war in Afghanistan.
The diplomats, who are accredited to NATO, spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions.
NATO's participation in any military action against Libya would require the approval of all 28 NATO members. But Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Selcuk Unal denied that his country was grounding NATO.
"Turkey is not blocking NATO, Turkey has been contributing to the preparations with a positive approach since the beginning," Unal told The Associated Press.
The NATO diplomats said the North Atlantic Council, NATO's top decision-making body, was unable to reach agreement Monday, and would take up the issue again on Tuesday for the fourth day in a row.
Even if such an order is adopted, it would take several days before aircraft under NATO command could start flying missions over Libya. The order also is likely to restrict NATO's air forces to making sure there are no unauthorized flights over Libya, with no mention of attacks on ground targets, one of the diplomats said.
Turkey was apparently not the only obstacle. Diplomats said France was seeking political leadership of the mission, but this was opposed by a number of other nations, which wanted NATO firmly in charge. Another sticking point was just how aggressive the enforcement of the no-fly zone should be, as several nations strongly opposed continuing the air strikes on Libyan ground targets.
Italy warned Monday that it would review the use of its bases by coalition forces if NATO does not take over. The country lies just across the Mediterranean from Libya and is allowing the use of seven of its military bases.
"Italy will begin reflecting on the use of its bases," said Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, according to Italian news reports. "If there is a multiplication of command centers, we must study a way in which Italy retakes control of its bases."
Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi insisted the mission should pass to NATO's command, and said Italian planes would not launch any missiles. Speaking in Turin, he said coordination among partners must be "different from the one that has been established so far."
British Prime Minister David Cameron, however, praised the performance of the informal coalition, saying its forces had neutralized Libyan air defenses and helped avert a bloodbath.
The prime minister told British lawmakers that Gadhafi had violated a U.N. Security Council resolution by moving troops toward rebel-held cities and also had lied to the international community.
"Gadhafi responded to the U.N. resolution by declaring a cease-fire, but straightaway it was clear he was breaking that promise," Cameron said.
Cameron stressed that through airstrikes, coalition forces helped avert what could have been "a bloody massacre in Benghazi."
The aims behind coalition airstrikes — which Cameron called "necessary, legal and right" — were to suppress Libyan air defenses to enable the enforcement of a no-fly zone and to protect civilians.
"Good progress has been made on both fronts," Cameron said.
Calling intervention in Libya a "coalition of the willing," Cameron said Britain wants "to internationalize this to the maximum degree possible" and outlined commitments from other nations.
While no Arab planes have flown in the mission, Cameron said the Qataris are providing a number of jets to help enforce the no-fly zone and the U.K. is doing everything it can to encourage other Arab nations to come forward.
Cameron declined to say whether Gadhafi was himself a potential target of the airstrikes.
Support from the Arab League was critical to obtaining U.N. approval for international action to protect Libyan civilians. But after the international operation began, the league chief Amr Moussa was quoted as telling reporters in Cairo that it should not have included attacks on Libyan targets on the ground.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said Monday that Moussa had been misquoted, but German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle offered the comments as evidence that Germany's decision not to participate in the operation was justified.
"This does not mean that we are neutral," Westerwelle said. "This does not mean that we have any sympathy with the dictator Gadhafi. It means that we see the risks, and when we listen closely to what the Arab League yesterday said."
Westerwelle said Germany would focus on broadening economic and financial sanctions against the Gadhafi regime.
On Monday, the EU extended its travel ban and the freeze on assets to another 11 Libyan officials and its assets freeze to a further nine Libyan companies. It did not name the people or the companies involved.
And in France, diplomats were hosting members of Libya's opposition for talks in Paris. Foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero noted France has had regular contacts with Libya's transitional national council — a top opposition group.
Analysts said Turkey does not completely oppose military action, but wants to promote its role as a broker for peace in Libya.
"Turkey with its Muslim identity is emerging as a peace-builder and prefers reducing of the presence of foreigners and its policies might differ from those of Europe or the United States," said Ilter Turan, a professor of political science at Istanbul's Bilgi University.
Turkey has vast business interests in Libya, most notably in the construction sector, and had relatively friendly ties with Gadhafi. More than 30,000 Turks were working in Libya before the uprising against Gadhafi's 42-year rule began last month.
Germany also questioned the wisdom of the operation, and Russia's Vladimir Putin railed against the UN-backed airstrikes mounted so far against Moammar Gadhafi's force by Britain, France and the United States outside of their NATO roles.
"The Security Council resolution is flawed, it allows everything and is reminiscent of a medieval call for a crusade," Putin said. "In fact, it allows intervention in a sovereign state."
A day after Turkey declined to support a military plan for the alliance to enforce a Libya no-fly zone, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he could support the NATO effort — but only if it does not turn into an occupation.
"NATO should only enter Libya to determine that Libya belongs to Libyans and not to distribute its natural resources and richness to others," Erdogan said during a visit to Saudi Arabia.
There had been widespread expectation that the strikes against Libya would be overseen by NATO, and the hastily improvised nature of the military coalition has drawn criticism.
The United States, France and Britain initiated attacks on Libya on Saturday, raining cruise missiles and precision bombs on Libyan military targets on the ground, including Gadhafi's residential compound. Other countries have since joined in.
Diplomats said Turkey, a NATO member that sees itself as a bridge between Europe and the Muslim world, was angered by its exclusion from an emergency summit Saturday in Paris organized by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, at which the 22 participants agreed to launch armed action against Gadhafi's military.
France ended up making the first strikes, and the diplomats said Turkey's envoys had warned that NATO's participation in the airstrikes could damage the alliance's standing in the Islamic world at a time when it is heavily engaged in the war in Afghanistan.
The diplomats, who are accredited to NATO, spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions.
NATO's participation in any military action against Libya would require the approval of all 28 NATO members. But Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Selcuk Unal denied that his country was grounding NATO.
"Turkey is not blocking NATO, Turkey has been contributing to the preparations with a positive approach since the beginning," Unal told The Associated Press.
The NATO diplomats said the North Atlantic Council, NATO's top decision-making body, was unable to reach agreement Monday, and would take up the issue again on Tuesday for the fourth day in a row.
Even if such an order is adopted, it would take several days before aircraft under NATO command could start flying missions over Libya. The order also is likely to restrict NATO's air forces to making sure there are no unauthorized flights over Libya, with no mention of attacks on ground targets, one of the diplomats said.
Turkey was apparently not the only obstacle. Diplomats said France was seeking political leadership of the mission, but this was opposed by a number of other nations, which wanted NATO firmly in charge. Another sticking point was just how aggressive the enforcement of the no-fly zone should be, as several nations strongly opposed continuing the air strikes on Libyan ground targets.
Italy warned Monday that it would review the use of its bases by coalition forces if NATO does not take over. The country lies just across the Mediterranean from Libya and is allowing the use of seven of its military bases.
"Italy will begin reflecting on the use of its bases," said Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, according to Italian news reports. "If there is a multiplication of command centers, we must study a way in which Italy retakes control of its bases."
Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi insisted the mission should pass to NATO's command, and said Italian planes would not launch any missiles. Speaking in Turin, he said coordination among partners must be "different from the one that has been established so far."
British Prime Minister David Cameron, however, praised the performance of the informal coalition, saying its forces had neutralized Libyan air defenses and helped avert a bloodbath.
The prime minister told British lawmakers that Gadhafi had violated a U.N. Security Council resolution by moving troops toward rebel-held cities and also had lied to the international community.
"Gadhafi responded to the U.N. resolution by declaring a cease-fire, but straightaway it was clear he was breaking that promise," Cameron said.
Cameron stressed that through airstrikes, coalition forces helped avert what could have been "a bloody massacre in Benghazi."
The aims behind coalition airstrikes — which Cameron called "necessary, legal and right" — were to suppress Libyan air defenses to enable the enforcement of a no-fly zone and to protect civilians.
"Good progress has been made on both fronts," Cameron said.
Calling intervention in Libya a "coalition of the willing," Cameron said Britain wants "to internationalize this to the maximum degree possible" and outlined commitments from other nations.
While no Arab planes have flown in the mission, Cameron said the Qataris are providing a number of jets to help enforce the no-fly zone and the U.K. is doing everything it can to encourage other Arab nations to come forward.
Cameron declined to say whether Gadhafi was himself a potential target of the airstrikes.
Support from the Arab League was critical to obtaining U.N. approval for international action to protect Libyan civilians. But after the international operation began, the league chief Amr Moussa was quoted as telling reporters in Cairo that it should not have included attacks on Libyan targets on the ground.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said Monday that Moussa had been misquoted, but German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle offered the comments as evidence that Germany's decision not to participate in the operation was justified.
"This does not mean that we are neutral," Westerwelle said. "This does not mean that we have any sympathy with the dictator Gadhafi. It means that we see the risks, and when we listen closely to what the Arab League yesterday said."
Westerwelle said Germany would focus on broadening economic and financial sanctions against the Gadhafi regime.
On Monday, the EU extended its travel ban and the freeze on assets to another 11 Libyan officials and its assets freeze to a further nine Libyan companies. It did not name the people or the companies involved.
And in France, diplomats were hosting members of Libya's opposition for talks in Paris. Foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero noted France has had regular contacts with Libya's transitional national council — a top opposition group.
Analysts said Turkey does not completely oppose military action, but wants to promote its role as a broker for peace in Libya.
"Turkey with its Muslim identity is emerging as a peace-builder and prefers reducing of the presence of foreigners and its policies might differ from those of Europe or the United States," said Ilter Turan, a professor of political science at Istanbul's Bilgi University.
Turkey has vast business interests in Libya, most notably in the construction sector, and had relatively friendly ties with Gadhafi. More than 30,000 Turks were working in Libya before the uprising against Gadhafi's 42-year rule began last month.
Fresh Western attacks target Kadhafi compound
TRIPOLI (AFP) – Western forces launched new air strikes on Libya overnight, flattening a building in Moamer Kadhafi's Tripoli compound as the Arab League Monday reaffirmed its backing for a no-fly zone over the revolt-hit country.
Coalition officials said an administrative building in Kadhafi's fortified complex, about 50 metres (yards) from the tent where he generally meets guests had been destroyed by a cruise missile.
Libyan officials expressed anger at the strike, which they said had endangered civilian lives, but Britain said Monday it had aborted an air raid because of the presence of civilians.
Operation Odyssey Dawn was launched Saturday to enforce UN Security Council Resolution 1973 aimed at stopping Kadhafi's forces harming civilians as they battle an uprising.
Kadhafi's troops retreated 100 kilometres (60 miles) from the insurgents' capital of Benghazi after fierce strafing by coalition aircraft destroyed much of their armour, but beat off a rebel advance on their new positions in the town of Ajdabiya.
"This was a barbaric bombing which could have hit hundreds of civilians gathered at the residence of Moamer Kadhafi about 400 metres away from the building which was hit," Libyan spokesman Mussa Ibrahim told journalists taken to the site.
He slammed the "contradictions in Western discourses", saying: "Western countries say they want to protect civilians while they bomb the residence knowing there are civilians inside."
While the United States denied targeting Kadhafi, whose whereabouts were unknown Monday, British Foreign Secretary William Hague refused to rule it out, saying it depended on "circumstances at the time".
US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said it would be "unwise," and French defence ministry spokesman Laurent Teisseire also said, "The answer is no," when asked whether coalition forces would fire on the Libyan leader if they located him.
A coalition official told AFP the strike had destroyed the Libyan leader's "command and control capability," adding, "we continue to strike those targets which pose a direct threat to the Libyan people and to our ability to implement the no-fly zone" authorised by Resolution 1973.
Kadhafi's army announced a new ceasefire late Sunday, but the United States promptly accused Tripoli of lying or of breaching the truce immediately, while Ban said, "I sincerely hope and urge the Libyan authorities to keep their word.
"They have been continuing to attack the civilian population. This (offer) has to be verified and tested."
Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa said in Cairo on Monday he fully supported UN Resolution 1973, saying his comments the previous day that the air strikes exceeded the UN mandate had been "misinterpreted."
"We are committed to the UNSC Resolution 1973, we have no objection to this decision, particularly as it does not call for an invasion of Libyan territory," he said after a meeting in Cairo with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
"We are working in coordination with the United Nations to protect the civilians in Libya."
Mussa said his earlier comments had been motivated by concerns about civilians being caught up in the coalition strikes, as Arab governments did not want to see more deaths in Libya.
Ban, speaking at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, appealed for unity over the implementation of Resolution 1973.
"It is important that the international community speak with one voice to implement the second council resolution," Ban said.
He said that "strong and decisive measures" had only been possible because of the support given by the Arab League for a no-fly zone over Libya.
As the UN chief left after the meeting, he and his 15-strong delegation were mobbed by around 50 pro-Kadhafi demonstrators in the square outside and had to retreat back inside the Arab League's headquarters .
Kadhafi's regime had declared a ceasefire on Friday after Resolution 1973 was passed, but his troops continued attacking Benghazi and other rebel-held centres, sparking action by US, British and French forces from Saturday.
However officials said US forces would be taking more of a back seat after the initial effort to destroy Libya's defences, with other countries, including Arab states, enforcing the no-fly zone.
We will have a military role in the coalition. But we will not have the pre-eminent role," Gates told reporters.
"It is pretty clear that we agreed to use our unique capabilities and with the breadth of those capabilities at the front end of this process, then we expected in a matter of days to be able to turn over the primary responsibility to others."
Washington is keen not to be seen as leading the West's biggest intervention in the Arab world since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, though Arab protests about the action against Kadhafi, who is widely detested, have been muted.
Pentagon spokesman Vice Admiral Bill Gortney said the first strikes, involving B2 stealth bombers flown from the United States and more than 100 cruise missiles launched from ships offshore, had succeeded in "significantly degrading" Libyan air defences, and a no-fly zone was now effectively in place over the country.
Britain's defence ministry said British forces had joined in the second round of attacks, launching cruise missiles from a Trafalgar Class submarine in the Mediterranean.
But military spokesman Major General John Lorimer said Monday that British Tornado jets pulled back from attacking Libyan air defence systems overnight because of a fear of hitting civilians.
"As the RAF GR4 Tornados approached the target, further information came to light that identified a number of civilians within the intended target area. As a result the decision was taken not to launch weapons," he said in a statement.
"This decision underlines the UK?s commitment to the protection of civilians."
Tripoli reported 48 dead and 150 wounded in the first strikes but Pentagon spokesman Gortney said: "There is no indication of any civilian casualties."
Reporters taken to a Tripoli cemetery Sunday by Libyan officials saw many open graves prepared for bodies which failed to appear.
A furious Kadhafi said Sunday all Libyans were armed and ready to fight until victory against what he branded "barbaric aggression".
"We promise you a long, drawn-out war with no limits," he said, speaking on state television but without appearing on camera.
"America, France, or Britain, the Christians that are in a pact against us today, they will not enjoy our oil," he said. "We do not have to retreat from the battlefield because we are defending our land and our dignity."
The weekend blitz caused oil prices to soar again as markets opened on Monday.
New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in April, gained $1.85 to $102.92 per barrel in Asia before falling back 10 cents in London trading.
Likewise Brent North Sea crude for May rose $1.73 to $115.66 in Asia, but was $115.36 in London.
Analysts said traders feared more damage to oil installations in Libya and the spreading of unrest to other parts of the oil-rich Middle East.
Coalition officials said an administrative building in Kadhafi's fortified complex, about 50 metres (yards) from the tent where he generally meets guests had been destroyed by a cruise missile.
Libyan officials expressed anger at the strike, which they said had endangered civilian lives, but Britain said Monday it had aborted an air raid because of the presence of civilians.
Operation Odyssey Dawn was launched Saturday to enforce UN Security Council Resolution 1973 aimed at stopping Kadhafi's forces harming civilians as they battle an uprising.
Kadhafi's troops retreated 100 kilometres (60 miles) from the insurgents' capital of Benghazi after fierce strafing by coalition aircraft destroyed much of their armour, but beat off a rebel advance on their new positions in the town of Ajdabiya.
"This was a barbaric bombing which could have hit hundreds of civilians gathered at the residence of Moamer Kadhafi about 400 metres away from the building which was hit," Libyan spokesman Mussa Ibrahim told journalists taken to the site.
He slammed the "contradictions in Western discourses", saying: "Western countries say they want to protect civilians while they bomb the residence knowing there are civilians inside."
While the United States denied targeting Kadhafi, whose whereabouts were unknown Monday, British Foreign Secretary William Hague refused to rule it out, saying it depended on "circumstances at the time".
US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said it would be "unwise," and French defence ministry spokesman Laurent Teisseire also said, "The answer is no," when asked whether coalition forces would fire on the Libyan leader if they located him.
A coalition official told AFP the strike had destroyed the Libyan leader's "command and control capability," adding, "we continue to strike those targets which pose a direct threat to the Libyan people and to our ability to implement the no-fly zone" authorised by Resolution 1973.
Kadhafi's army announced a new ceasefire late Sunday, but the United States promptly accused Tripoli of lying or of breaching the truce immediately, while Ban said, "I sincerely hope and urge the Libyan authorities to keep their word.
"They have been continuing to attack the civilian population. This (offer) has to be verified and tested."
Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa said in Cairo on Monday he fully supported UN Resolution 1973, saying his comments the previous day that the air strikes exceeded the UN mandate had been "misinterpreted."
"We are committed to the UNSC Resolution 1973, we have no objection to this decision, particularly as it does not call for an invasion of Libyan territory," he said after a meeting in Cairo with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
"We are working in coordination with the United Nations to protect the civilians in Libya."
Mussa said his earlier comments had been motivated by concerns about civilians being caught up in the coalition strikes, as Arab governments did not want to see more deaths in Libya.
Ban, speaking at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, appealed for unity over the implementation of Resolution 1973.
"It is important that the international community speak with one voice to implement the second council resolution," Ban said.
He said that "strong and decisive measures" had only been possible because of the support given by the Arab League for a no-fly zone over Libya.
As the UN chief left after the meeting, he and his 15-strong delegation were mobbed by around 50 pro-Kadhafi demonstrators in the square outside and had to retreat back inside the Arab League's headquarters .
Kadhafi's regime had declared a ceasefire on Friday after Resolution 1973 was passed, but his troops continued attacking Benghazi and other rebel-held centres, sparking action by US, British and French forces from Saturday.
However officials said US forces would be taking more of a back seat after the initial effort to destroy Libya's defences, with other countries, including Arab states, enforcing the no-fly zone.
We will have a military role in the coalition. But we will not have the pre-eminent role," Gates told reporters.
"It is pretty clear that we agreed to use our unique capabilities and with the breadth of those capabilities at the front end of this process, then we expected in a matter of days to be able to turn over the primary responsibility to others."
Washington is keen not to be seen as leading the West's biggest intervention in the Arab world since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, though Arab protests about the action against Kadhafi, who is widely detested, have been muted.
Pentagon spokesman Vice Admiral Bill Gortney said the first strikes, involving B2 stealth bombers flown from the United States and more than 100 cruise missiles launched from ships offshore, had succeeded in "significantly degrading" Libyan air defences, and a no-fly zone was now effectively in place over the country.
Britain's defence ministry said British forces had joined in the second round of attacks, launching cruise missiles from a Trafalgar Class submarine in the Mediterranean.
But military spokesman Major General John Lorimer said Monday that British Tornado jets pulled back from attacking Libyan air defence systems overnight because of a fear of hitting civilians.
"As the RAF GR4 Tornados approached the target, further information came to light that identified a number of civilians within the intended target area. As a result the decision was taken not to launch weapons," he said in a statement.
"This decision underlines the UK?s commitment to the protection of civilians."
Tripoli reported 48 dead and 150 wounded in the first strikes but Pentagon spokesman Gortney said: "There is no indication of any civilian casualties."
Reporters taken to a Tripoli cemetery Sunday by Libyan officials saw many open graves prepared for bodies which failed to appear.
A furious Kadhafi said Sunday all Libyans were armed and ready to fight until victory against what he branded "barbaric aggression".
"We promise you a long, drawn-out war with no limits," he said, speaking on state television but without appearing on camera.
"America, France, or Britain, the Christians that are in a pact against us today, they will not enjoy our oil," he said. "We do not have to retreat from the battlefield because we are defending our land and our dignity."
The weekend blitz caused oil prices to soar again as markets opened on Monday.
New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in April, gained $1.85 to $102.92 per barrel in Asia before falling back 10 cents in London trading.
Likewise Brent North Sea crude for May rose $1.73 to $115.66 in Asia, but was $115.36 in London.
Analysts said traders feared more damage to oil installations in Libya and the spreading of unrest to other parts of the oil-rich Middle East.
Cruise missile blasts Gadhafi's compound near tent
TRIPOLI, Libya – A cruise missile blasted Moammar Gadhafi's residential compound in an attack that carried as much symbolism as military effect, and fighter jets destroyed a line of tanks moving on the rebel capital. The U.S. said the international assault would hit any government forces attacking the opposition.
Oil prices jumped to nearly $103 a barrel Monday in Asia after the Libyan leader vowed a "long war" amid a second night of allied strikes in the OPEC nation. Jubilant rebels said they expected to bring him down in a matter of days.
It was not known where Gadhafi was when the missile hit near his iconic tent late Sunday, but it seemed to show that while the allies trade nuances over whether the Libyan leader's fall is a goal of their campaign — he is not safe.
Half of the round, three-story administration building was knocked down and pieces of the missile were scattered around, according to Associated Press photographer escorted to the scene by the Libyan government. About 300 Gadhafi supporters were in the compound at the time. It was not known if any were hurt.
Britain said Monday one of its bombing missions was aborted last night to avoid civilian casualties.
"We believe that a number of civilians had been moved within the intended target area," the Ministry of Defense said Monday. State television had said Gadhafi's supporters were converging on airports as human shields.
The U.S. military said the bombardment so far — a rain of Tomahawk cruise missiles and precision bombs from American and European aircraft, including long-range stealth B-2 bombers — had hobbled Gadhafi's air defenses. More missile strikes overnight did new damage to anti-aircraft sites, the Italian military said.
U.S., British and French planes also went after tanks headed toward Benghazi, in the opposition-held eastern half of the country. On Sunday, at least seven demolished tanks smoldered in a field 12 miles (20 kilometers) south of Benghazi, many of them with their turrets and treads blown off, alongside charred armored personnel carriers, jeeps and SUVs of the kind used by Gadhafi fighters.
"I feel like in two days max we will destroy Gadhafi," said Ezzeldin Helwani, 35, a rebel standing next to the smoldering wreckage of an armored personnel carrier, the air thick with smoke and the pungent smell of burning rubber. In a grisly sort of battle trophy, celebrating fighters hung a severed goat's head with a cigarette in its mouth from the turret of one of the gutted tanks.
The strikes that began early Sunday gave respite to Benghazi, which the day before had been under a heavy attack that killed at least 120 people. The calm highlighted the dramatic turnaround that the allied strikes bring to Libya's month-old upheaval: For the past 10 days, Gadhafi's forces had been on a triumphant offensive against the rebel-held east, driving opposition fighters back with the overwhelming firepower of tanks, artillery, warplanes and warships.
Now Gadhafi's forces are potential targets for U.S. and European strikes. The U.N. resolution authorizing international military action in Libya not only sets up a no-fly zone but allows "all necessary measures" to prevent attacks on civilians.
But the U.S. military, for now at the lead of the international campaign, is trying to walk a fine line over the end game of the assault. It is avoiding for now any appearance that it aims to take out Gadhafi or help the rebels oust him, instead limiting its stated goals to protecting civilians.
Britain also is treading carefully. Foreign Secretary William Hague refused Monday to say if Gadhafi would or could be assassinated, insisting he would not "get drawn into details about what or whom may be targeted."
"I'm not going to speculate on the targets," Hague said in a heated interview with BBC radio. "That depends on the circumstances at the time."
A military official said Air Force B-2 stealth bombers flew 25 hours in a round trip from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri and dropped 45 2,000-pound bombs.
What happens if rebel forces eventually go on the offensive against Gadhafi's troops remains unclear.
Rebels defended their support of the international intervention into Libya — apparently feeling the sting of criticism from other Libyans and Arabs who warned the country could be divided or collapse into a civil war.
"Libya will not turn into Somalia or Iraq. It will not be divided. We are battling — the Libyan people — are battling a gang of mercenaries," Mohammed al-Misrati, a rebel spokesman in the stronghold of Misrata, told Al-Jazeera on Monday.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said late Sunday that the U.S. expects turn over control of the operation to a coalition headed by France, Britain or NATO "in a matter of days," reflecting concern that the U.S. military was stretched thin by its current missions. Turkey was blocking NATO action, which requires agreement by all 28 members of the alliance.
Sunday night, heavy anti-aircraft fire erupted repeatedly in the capital, Tripoli, with arcs of red tracer bullets and exploding shells in the dark sky — marking the start of a second night of international strikes. Gadhafi supporters in the streets shot automatic weapons in the air in a show of defiance. It was not immediately known what was being targeted in the new strikes.
Libyan army spokesman Col. Milad al-Fokhi said Libyan army units had been ordered to cease fire at 9 p.m. local time, but the hour passed with no letup in military activity.
Gadhafi vowed to fight on. In a phone call to Libyan state television Sunday, he said he would not let up on Benghazi and said the government had opened up weapons depots to all Libyans, who were now armed with "automatic weapons, mortars and bombs."
"We promise you a long war," he said.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
El Salvador: Obama visit dispels fears over ties
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador – President Mauricio Funes said Saturday he is gratified that Barack Obama is including his small country in a tour of Latin America, saying the visit dispels fears relations would suffer under El Salvador's first leftist government.
Funes was elected in 2009 with the support of a party of former Marxist guerrillas that fought to overthrow U.S.-backed governments in the 1980s. His rise to power unseated two decades of conservative governments that made El Salvador among the staunchest U.S. allies in Latin America.
Opponents had warned those ties would decline, but Funes said Obama's planned visit Tuesday proves them wrong.
"We have won the battle against disinformation," Funes said at a news conference with foreign reporters. "We have dispelled the fear that relations would deteriorate."
Funes has charted a moderate course in El Salvador, restoring diplomatic relations with Cuba but also making ties with Washington a priority. His policies have at times caused friction with hard-liners in his party, known as the FMLN.
Funes expressed pride that his small Central American country is one of three stops on Obama's tour. The other two are Brazil, a rising economic power, and Chile, long a beacon of stability and relative prosperity in the region.
"He chose El Salvador and put us on the same level (of importance)," Funes said.
El Salvador's economy is highly dependent on the United States, which is home to 2.8 million Salvadoran immigrants who sent home $3.5 billion last year.
Funes said he would discuss immigration with Obama, but security was likely to be the main topic.
U.S.-supported crackdowns in Mexico and Colombia have pushed drug traffickers into Central America, fueling violence in a region that already had some of the world's highest murder rates. Central American governments have repeatedly asked for more U.S. help.
With other Central American countries expressing disappointment that Obama is only visiting El Salvador, Funes promised he would raise the security issue in regional terms.
"Security cannot be seen as exclusively an issue in El Salvador, or Guatemala or Nicaragua," he said. "Central American countries all suffer from the same problems."
Funes was elected in 2009 with the support of a party of former Marxist guerrillas that fought to overthrow U.S.-backed governments in the 1980s. His rise to power unseated two decades of conservative governments that made El Salvador among the staunchest U.S. allies in Latin America.
Opponents had warned those ties would decline, but Funes said Obama's planned visit Tuesday proves them wrong.
"We have won the battle against disinformation," Funes said at a news conference with foreign reporters. "We have dispelled the fear that relations would deteriorate."
Funes has charted a moderate course in El Salvador, restoring diplomatic relations with Cuba but also making ties with Washington a priority. His policies have at times caused friction with hard-liners in his party, known as the FMLN.
Funes expressed pride that his small Central American country is one of three stops on Obama's tour. The other two are Brazil, a rising economic power, and Chile, long a beacon of stability and relative prosperity in the region.
"He chose El Salvador and put us on the same level (of importance)," Funes said.
El Salvador's economy is highly dependent on the United States, which is home to 2.8 million Salvadoran immigrants who sent home $3.5 billion last year.
Funes said he would discuss immigration with Obama, but security was likely to be the main topic.
U.S.-supported crackdowns in Mexico and Colombia have pushed drug traffickers into Central America, fueling violence in a region that already had some of the world's highest murder rates. Central American governments have repeatedly asked for more U.S. help.
With other Central American countries expressing disappointment that Obama is only visiting El Salvador, Funes promised he would raise the security issue in regional terms.
"Security cannot be seen as exclusively an issue in El Salvador, or Guatemala or Nicaragua," he said. "Central American countries all suffer from the same problems."
Egyptians say 'yes' to military's post-Mubarak plans
CAIRO (AFP) – Egyptians voted 77% in favour of the military's plans for a swift return to civilian rule after mass protests ousted president Hosni Mubarak last month, official results showed on Sunday.
More than 14 million Egyptians, or 77.2% of those who voted, approved the constitutional amendments intended to guide the Arab world's most populous nation through new presidential and parliamentary elections within six months, organising commission chairman Mohammed Attiya said.
Four million, or 22.8%, said "no," Attiya told a news conference.
A total of 41% or 18.5 million of the estimated 45 million eligible voters turned out on Saturday to seize their first taste of democracy, after 18 days of demonstrations ended Mubarak's 30 years of authoritarian rule, he added.
The turnout for Mubarak-era elections was always minuscule as none was genuinely competitive and in any case nobody had any faith their vote would count amid widespread rigging and fraud.
The referendum on the limited changes to the constitution inherited from the Mubarak regime had been bitterly fought.
The changes approved are by themselves uncontroversial, although critics argued they did not go far enough in overhauling the Mubarak-era charter, which they said needed to be completely rewritten.
The president will serve a maximum of two four-year terms and will no longer have the power to refer civilians to the military courts.
The state of emergency which has governed Egyptian life for decades will be able to be imposed for just six months without endorsement in a popular referendum.
The youth groups which spearheaded the protest movement joined a host of secular political parties and opposition figures in calling for a "no" vote, saying the timetable being set by the military was too tight for new movements to organise at grass-roots level.
The military council, which took over when Mubarak quit on February 11, gave an appointed panel of experts just 10 days to draw up the amendments put to Saturday's referendum, which was held only five weeks after Mubarak's ouster.
The activists' umbrella group, the Coalition of the Youth of the Revolution, had organised a rally for a "no" vote on the eve of the referendum, which brought thousands of people back to Cairo's Tahrir Square, focal point of the protests against Mubarak.
But the activists were gracious in defeat, calling on their Facebook page for supporters to accept the verdict.
"We are now entering a new phase in which Egyptians are going to decide on the shape of their new state for decades to come," the posting said.
"That's why, as a matter of urgency, we need to stop trading accusations in order to resume work so that we can realise the goals of the revolution in the manner chosen by the people.
"We call on members of this Facebook page to respect the will and choice of the people after this democratic exercise which we regard as an historic departure in Egyptian political life."
The Muslim Brotherhood, which had thrown its huge influence and grassroots organisation behind a "yes" vote, hailed the outcome but rejected accusations that it was the victor of the vote as it would enter elections as Egypt's most effective political force.
"No, it's a victory for the Egyptian people," said Essam al-Aryan, spokesman of the Islamist group, which was outlawed although generally tolerated under Mubarak's ousted regime.
"We are going to turn a page and enter a new phase."
Touring Tahrir Square on Sunday, senior US Senator John Kerry described the fact that Egyptians had finally taken part in a vote in which the outcome was not known in advance as "a very good sign for the steps ahead."
The Brotherhood spokesman denied that the referendum campaign had exacerbated sectarian divisions in Egypt, which has a Coptic Christian minority that makes up as much as 10 percent of the population.
Coptic leaders had called for a "no" vote after not a single representative of the community was named to the panel of experts appointed by the military. Confessional violence also killed 13 people in south Cairo earlier this month.
"There is no divide. There were some Muslims who voted 'yes' and others who voted 'no,' just as there were some Christians who voted 'yes' and others who voted 'no.' The differences are political, not religious," said Aryan.
More than 14 million Egyptians, or 77.2% of those who voted, approved the constitutional amendments intended to guide the Arab world's most populous nation through new presidential and parliamentary elections within six months, organising commission chairman Mohammed Attiya said.
Four million, or 22.8%, said "no," Attiya told a news conference.
A total of 41% or 18.5 million of the estimated 45 million eligible voters turned out on Saturday to seize their first taste of democracy, after 18 days of demonstrations ended Mubarak's 30 years of authoritarian rule, he added.
The turnout for Mubarak-era elections was always minuscule as none was genuinely competitive and in any case nobody had any faith their vote would count amid widespread rigging and fraud.
The referendum on the limited changes to the constitution inherited from the Mubarak regime had been bitterly fought.
The changes approved are by themselves uncontroversial, although critics argued they did not go far enough in overhauling the Mubarak-era charter, which they said needed to be completely rewritten.
The president will serve a maximum of two four-year terms and will no longer have the power to refer civilians to the military courts.
The state of emergency which has governed Egyptian life for decades will be able to be imposed for just six months without endorsement in a popular referendum.
The youth groups which spearheaded the protest movement joined a host of secular political parties and opposition figures in calling for a "no" vote, saying the timetable being set by the military was too tight for new movements to organise at grass-roots level.
The military council, which took over when Mubarak quit on February 11, gave an appointed panel of experts just 10 days to draw up the amendments put to Saturday's referendum, which was held only five weeks after Mubarak's ouster.
The activists' umbrella group, the Coalition of the Youth of the Revolution, had organised a rally for a "no" vote on the eve of the referendum, which brought thousands of people back to Cairo's Tahrir Square, focal point of the protests against Mubarak.
But the activists were gracious in defeat, calling on their Facebook page for supporters to accept the verdict.
"We are now entering a new phase in which Egyptians are going to decide on the shape of their new state for decades to come," the posting said.
"That's why, as a matter of urgency, we need to stop trading accusations in order to resume work so that we can realise the goals of the revolution in the manner chosen by the people.
"We call on members of this Facebook page to respect the will and choice of the people after this democratic exercise which we regard as an historic departure in Egyptian political life."
The Muslim Brotherhood, which had thrown its huge influence and grassroots organisation behind a "yes" vote, hailed the outcome but rejected accusations that it was the victor of the vote as it would enter elections as Egypt's most effective political force.
"No, it's a victory for the Egyptian people," said Essam al-Aryan, spokesman of the Islamist group, which was outlawed although generally tolerated under Mubarak's ousted regime.
"We are going to turn a page and enter a new phase."
Touring Tahrir Square on Sunday, senior US Senator John Kerry described the fact that Egyptians had finally taken part in a vote in which the outcome was not known in advance as "a very good sign for the steps ahead."
The Brotherhood spokesman denied that the referendum campaign had exacerbated sectarian divisions in Egypt, which has a Coptic Christian minority that makes up as much as 10 percent of the population.
Coptic leaders had called for a "no" vote after not a single representative of the community was named to the panel of experts appointed by the military. Confessional violence also killed 13 people in south Cairo earlier this month.
"There is no divide. There were some Muslims who voted 'yes' and others who voted 'no,' just as there were some Christians who voted 'yes' and others who voted 'no.' The differences are political, not religious," said Aryan.
Joy in rebel stronghold after Western attack
BENGHAZI, Libya – Residents of the rebel stronghold of Benghazi on Sunday fired AK-47s in jubilation and danced on burnt-out tanks that appeared to have been destroyed by allied airstrikes.
The celebrations marked a dramatic swing from the fear that gripped the city of nearly 700,000 a day earlier, when Libyan dicator Moammar Gadhafi's forces pounded the city with artillery and tank shells and punched through the outskirts of Benghazi in fierce street fighting.
After weeks of ceding territory to government troops, the rebels' successful defense, coupled with French and U.S. airstrikes on Gadhafi's forces overnight, gave the city — and its defenders — a newfound swagger.
"I feel like in two days max we will destroy Gadhafi," said Ezzeldin Helwani, 35, standing next to the smoldering wreckage of an armored personel carrier, the air thick with smoke and the pungent smell of burning rubber.
Mohammed Faraj, a 44-year-old rebel fighter manning a checkpoint, said the rebels were now ready for anything from Gadhafi.
"Our spirits are very high," said Faraj, a grenade in each hand. "Me and all of Benghazi, we will die before Gadhafi sets foot here again.
Some 12 miles (20 kilometers) south down the road, the charred remains of seven government tanks, many with their turrets blown off, lay in a dusty field along with two armored personel carriers, apparently hit by an allied airstrike overnight.
Hundreds of men roamed the site, climbing atop the tanks and snapping photographs with their cell phones. Shredded blankets, torn foam mattresses and empty cans of tomato paste littered the field. A goat head with a cigarette stuck in its mouth hung from the barrel of one of the tanks.
"Thank you France, thank you America," said Abdul Gader Dejuli as he surveyed the wreckage. "Obama good, Sarkozy good."
Along the tree-lined road into Benghazi, buildings riddled with pockmarks and burnt-out cars, buses and tanks gave testimony to the ferocity of the fighting that hit the city a day earlier.
"Yesterday was a catastrophe," said Salwa el-Daghili, a member of the opposition national council that governs rebel-held territory. "Today, there is hope — you can see it on the streets."
Some of the roadblocks that had been hastily thrown across Benghazi's roads on Saturday had been pushed aside Sunday to make way for the traffic that moved smoothly through the streets. While anti-aircraft guns remained on almost every corner, the young men who had taken up positions on the streets with homemade firebombs on Saturday were gone.
Most stores remained shuttered, although several butcher shops and vegetable vendors were open for business, and men crowded into corner stores to stock up on cigarettes. Long lines of cars curling around the corner could be seen at gas stations still stocked with fuel.
While Benghazi residents breathed a collective sigh of relief after the onslaught, worries remain about how the conflict with Gadhafi will play out, as do lingering fears that the Libyan leader's loyalists within the city will strike.
"Some people are still being assassinated," said Saad Radwan, the manager of a gas station in central Benghazi. "The women are afraid, the kids are afraid."
Even that, however, couldn't temper the joy over the allied airstrikes that many here said came just in time.
"We are grateful to the U.S. and France for what they have done," he said.
The celebrations marked a dramatic swing from the fear that gripped the city of nearly 700,000 a day earlier, when Libyan dicator Moammar Gadhafi's forces pounded the city with artillery and tank shells and punched through the outskirts of Benghazi in fierce street fighting.
After weeks of ceding territory to government troops, the rebels' successful defense, coupled with French and U.S. airstrikes on Gadhafi's forces overnight, gave the city — and its defenders — a newfound swagger.
"I feel like in two days max we will destroy Gadhafi," said Ezzeldin Helwani, 35, standing next to the smoldering wreckage of an armored personel carrier, the air thick with smoke and the pungent smell of burning rubber.
Mohammed Faraj, a 44-year-old rebel fighter manning a checkpoint, said the rebels were now ready for anything from Gadhafi.
"Our spirits are very high," said Faraj, a grenade in each hand. "Me and all of Benghazi, we will die before Gadhafi sets foot here again.
Some 12 miles (20 kilometers) south down the road, the charred remains of seven government tanks, many with their turrets blown off, lay in a dusty field along with two armored personel carriers, apparently hit by an allied airstrike overnight.
Hundreds of men roamed the site, climbing atop the tanks and snapping photographs with their cell phones. Shredded blankets, torn foam mattresses and empty cans of tomato paste littered the field. A goat head with a cigarette stuck in its mouth hung from the barrel of one of the tanks.
"Thank you France, thank you America," said Abdul Gader Dejuli as he surveyed the wreckage. "Obama good, Sarkozy good."
Along the tree-lined road into Benghazi, buildings riddled with pockmarks and burnt-out cars, buses and tanks gave testimony to the ferocity of the fighting that hit the city a day earlier.
"Yesterday was a catastrophe," said Salwa el-Daghili, a member of the opposition national council that governs rebel-held territory. "Today, there is hope — you can see it on the streets."
Some of the roadblocks that had been hastily thrown across Benghazi's roads on Saturday had been pushed aside Sunday to make way for the traffic that moved smoothly through the streets. While anti-aircraft guns remained on almost every corner, the young men who had taken up positions on the streets with homemade firebombs on Saturday were gone.
Most stores remained shuttered, although several butcher shops and vegetable vendors were open for business, and men crowded into corner stores to stock up on cigarettes. Long lines of cars curling around the corner could be seen at gas stations still stocked with fuel.
While Benghazi residents breathed a collective sigh of relief after the onslaught, worries remain about how the conflict with Gadhafi will play out, as do lingering fears that the Libyan leader's loyalists within the city will strike.
"Some people are still being assassinated," said Saad Radwan, the manager of a gas station in central Benghazi. "The women are afraid, the kids are afraid."
Even that, however, couldn't temper the joy over the allied airstrikes that many here said came just in time.
"We are grateful to the U.S. and France for what they have done," he said.
Wave of unrest shakes Syria, crowds torch party HQ
DAMASCUS (Reuters) – Crowds set fire to the headquarters of the ruling Baath Party in the Syrian city of Deraa Sunday, residents said, as the wave of unrest in the Arab world shook even one of its most authoritarian states.
The demonstrators also set ablaze the main courts complex and two phone company branches. One of the firms, Syriatel, is owned by President Bashar al-Assad's cousin Rami Makhlouf.
"They burned the symbols of oppression and corruption," an activist said. "The banks nearby were not touched."
Thousands rallied to demand an end to 48 years of emergency law in the southern city, on the third consecutive day of protests emerging as the biggest ever challenge to Syria's ruling party since it seized power nearly half a century ago.
"No, no to emergency law. We are a people infatuated with freedom," marchers chanted, despite the arrival in Deraa of a government delegation to pay condolences to relatives of victims killed by security forces in demonstrations there this week.
Security forces fired tear gas at the protesters. Around 40 people were taken to be treated for gas inhalation at the main Omari mosque in the old city, residents said.
"The mosque is now a field hospital. The security forces know they cannot enter the old city without spilling more blood," one resident said.
Syria has been under emergency law since the Baath Party, which is headed by president Bashar al-Assad, took power in a 1963 coup and banned all opposition.
Makhlouf is under specific U.S. sanctions for what Washington regards as public corruption and has been a target of protesters chanting "thief." He owns several large businesses.
CHILDREN DETAINED
Security forces opened fire Friday on civilians taking part in a peaceful protest in Deraa demanding the release of 15 schoolchildren detained for writing protest graffiti, political freedoms and an end to corruption. Four people were killed.
An official statement said "infiltrators" claiming to be high ranking officers had been visiting security stations and asking security forces to fire at any suspicious gathering.
Citizens should report anyone suspected of trying to fool the security apparatus "into using violence and live ammunition against any suspicious gathering," the statement said.
The government sought to calm discontent by promising to release immediately the 15 children, who had written slogans on walls inspired by uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.
The statement was a rare instance of Syria's ruling hierarchy responding to popular pressure.
Tens of people arrested Friday have been released, but scores more were still in jail, activists said.
Saturday, thousands of mourners called for "revolution" at the funeral of two of the protesters. Officials later met Deraa notables who presented then with a list of demands.
It included the release of political prisoners, dismantling of secret police headquarters in Deraa, dismissal of the governor, public trial for those responsible for the killings and scrapping of regulations requiring permission from the secret police to sell and buy property.
POLITICAL PRISONERS Non-violent protests have challenged the Baath Party's authority this month, with the largest protests in Deraa drawing thousands of people.
A silent protest in Damascus by 150 people this week demanded the release of thousands of political prisoners. At least one activist from Deraa, Diana al-Jawabra, took part in the protest. She was arrested on charges of weakening national morale, along with 32 other protesters, a lawyer said.
Jawabra, who is from a prominent family, was campaigning for the release of the 15 schoolchildren from her home city. Another woman from Deraa, physician Aisha Aba Zeid, was arrested three weeks ago for airing a political opinion on the internet.
Residents say the two arrests helped fuel the protests in Deraa, a conservative tribal region on the border with Jordan.
Graffiti have appeared on school walls and grain silos in Deraa with phrases such as "the people want the overthrow of the regime" -- the slogan that became the rallying cry of the Egyptian and Tunisian revolutions.
Authorities responded by increasing secret police patrols and asking staff at schools and public departments to man their premises around the clock and by requiring IDs and registration for buyers of paint and spray cans.
"These measures only increased popular resentment," one Darea resident said
The demonstrators also set ablaze the main courts complex and two phone company branches. One of the firms, Syriatel, is owned by President Bashar al-Assad's cousin Rami Makhlouf.
"They burned the symbols of oppression and corruption," an activist said. "The banks nearby were not touched."
Thousands rallied to demand an end to 48 years of emergency law in the southern city, on the third consecutive day of protests emerging as the biggest ever challenge to Syria's ruling party since it seized power nearly half a century ago.
"No, no to emergency law. We are a people infatuated with freedom," marchers chanted, despite the arrival in Deraa of a government delegation to pay condolences to relatives of victims killed by security forces in demonstrations there this week.
Security forces fired tear gas at the protesters. Around 40 people were taken to be treated for gas inhalation at the main Omari mosque in the old city, residents said.
"The mosque is now a field hospital. The security forces know they cannot enter the old city without spilling more blood," one resident said.
Syria has been under emergency law since the Baath Party, which is headed by president Bashar al-Assad, took power in a 1963 coup and banned all opposition.
Makhlouf is under specific U.S. sanctions for what Washington regards as public corruption and has been a target of protesters chanting "thief." He owns several large businesses.
CHILDREN DETAINED
Security forces opened fire Friday on civilians taking part in a peaceful protest in Deraa demanding the release of 15 schoolchildren detained for writing protest graffiti, political freedoms and an end to corruption. Four people were killed.
An official statement said "infiltrators" claiming to be high ranking officers had been visiting security stations and asking security forces to fire at any suspicious gathering.
Citizens should report anyone suspected of trying to fool the security apparatus "into using violence and live ammunition against any suspicious gathering," the statement said.
The government sought to calm discontent by promising to release immediately the 15 children, who had written slogans on walls inspired by uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.
The statement was a rare instance of Syria's ruling hierarchy responding to popular pressure.
Tens of people arrested Friday have been released, but scores more were still in jail, activists said.
Saturday, thousands of mourners called for "revolution" at the funeral of two of the protesters. Officials later met Deraa notables who presented then with a list of demands.
It included the release of political prisoners, dismantling of secret police headquarters in Deraa, dismissal of the governor, public trial for those responsible for the killings and scrapping of regulations requiring permission from the secret police to sell and buy property.
POLITICAL PRISONERS Non-violent protests have challenged the Baath Party's authority this month, with the largest protests in Deraa drawing thousands of people.
A silent protest in Damascus by 150 people this week demanded the release of thousands of political prisoners. At least one activist from Deraa, Diana al-Jawabra, took part in the protest. She was arrested on charges of weakening national morale, along with 32 other protesters, a lawyer said.
Jawabra, who is from a prominent family, was campaigning for the release of the 15 schoolchildren from her home city. Another woman from Deraa, physician Aisha Aba Zeid, was arrested three weeks ago for airing a political opinion on the internet.
Residents say the two arrests helped fuel the protests in Deraa, a conservative tribal region on the border with Jordan.
Graffiti have appeared on school walls and grain silos in Deraa with phrases such as "the people want the overthrow of the regime" -- the slogan that became the rallying cry of the Egyptian and Tunisian revolutions.
Authorities responded by increasing secret police patrols and asking staff at schools and public departments to man their premises around the clock and by requiring IDs and registration for buyers of paint and spray cans.
"These measures only increased popular resentment," one Darea resident said
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