|
|
|
|
|
Gaddafi warns of ‘bloody war’ Cairo, March 2 "We will not accept [an] American intervention. This will lead to a bloody war and thousands of Libyans will die if America and NATO enter Libya," Gaddafi said at a public gathering for the first time since the two-week-old uprising began, an event aired live on state television. "We will fight to the end, to the last man, the last woman ... with God's help," he said while describing the two-week long protests as being orchestrated by only a minority who were being propped up by "foreign forces, foreign media". "Millions of Libyan people support me. They say they are ready to die for me," he said during the over one hour address which saw his supporters frequently cheer with chants of: "God, Muammar and Libya." As his forces went on an offensive to wrest key cities from the rebels, 68-year-old Gaddafi joined his loyalists at a ceremony to mark 34 years of "people's power", accusing al-Qaeda of being behind the rebellion. Gaddafi, who had assumed the country's charge 41 year ago through a coup, had proclaimed "people's power" on March 2, 1977. In his address, he repeatedly underlined that there is no question of him quitting as he is not a President. "To step down from what? I am just a symbol. Power is in the hands of the people," he said. "This is a conspiracy to grab our oil resources." Amid growing international isolation, Gaddafi called for the United Nations and NATO to a "set up fact finding committees" to find out how people were killed and what had happened in Libya. He accused the UN of passing resolutions condemning Libya based on "false reports" and he challenged the world body to investigate. "We urge the world, the United Nations, to see where the people were killed, to send a fact-finding team," he said. He blamed the foreign forces for the events in Libya, saying it was "a conspiracy" to colonise the country and seize its oil resources. "Don't trust the foreign media". The message of defiance came as the Libyan strongman unleashed his force of heavily armed mercenaries who stormed the rebel-held oil exporting terminal town of Brega, with the US warships taking up positions off the north African country's coast. Forces loyal to Gaddafi also regained control of the strategic town in the country's north west, even as opposition fighters were preparing for a march into the capital Tripoli. Deploying tanks and heavy artillery, Gaddafi sent a hundred cars packed with mercenaries to storm the rebel-held Brega as his Russian-built warplanes bombed the nearby Ajdabiya, 40 kms from the oil-town. In his over one hour address, Gaddafi repeatedly claimed that Al-Qaida was behind the popular uprising against his 41-year rule and promised to fight it to the last man and woman. — PTI * Calls protests part of conspiracy to grab oil
Chaos in Libya and panic on borders They were brought round with water and by nurses who massaged them. Many simply sat on the road, shaking their heads and weeping. By dusk, the Tunisian army had climbed the gate — literally advancing several yards into Libya — to drag barbed wire along the wall. The Tunisian authorities had by nightfall turned the nearest camp into a refugee city although they were not without some cynicism. "When Tunisians arrive in boats in southern Europe, you call it a crisis," a doctor told me sharply. "But when tens of thousands of Egyptians try to cross our border from Libya you give them biscuits and forget us." Of all the gloomy stories yesterday, however, none was as grim as that of Adel Jumaa. He was a young Libyan who had just escaped across the southern Tunisian border and spoke of Libyan special forces checkpoints, of senior police officers shot by the regime, of the people of western Libya who wanted to get rid of Colonel Gaddafi but who were unarmed and too fearful to leave their homes. Libyans who had spoken to foreign television stations by telephone had been arrested and "disappeared". He said: "There is a big bridge this side of Tripoli and Gaddafi has put dozens of missiles on the eastern end. The security people checked my car up to 15 times at road blocks. They were looking for telephone smart cards, PIN cards, anything to do with communications." This surreal awfulness was all too well illustrated for me when, driving back from the border last night, I listened to Colonel Gaddafi's state radio broadcasting the 5pm news from Tripoli. Here, for students of the absurd, were the contents. President Barack Obama has announced that Al-Qaida controls Benghazi. The "people of Libya" have denounced UN sanctions. A South African "King" has telephoned Colonel Gaddafi. Revolutionary Committees will protect the people from terrorists of a "well-known group". An independent Libyan committee has been set up to inquire into recent "disturbances". In Benghazi, "the people who did 9/11 are slaughtering and raping". Oh yes, and an imam denounced all other imams who criticised the beloved leader and all foreign news organisations which denounced the same Great Leader. And then, on a telephone line, a "reporter in Benghazi" described Al-Qaida's
cruelty towards the people of Libya. — The Independent More from the Arab world Iran warns against action Hardline Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday warned the United States against military intervention in Libya, saying such action would create a graveyard for its soldiers. Ahmadinejad said the current situation was completely different to what it was during the tenure of former US president George W Bush. US moves forces closer The United States is preparing for contingencies in Libya and has moved some of its assets closer to the country, the White House said on Wednesday. Without going into specifics, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said civilians form the part of these contingencies, but quickly pointed out that no option is off the table. NATO mulls no-fly zone NATO leaders mulled over the complexities of enforcing a 'no-fly' zone, which would effectively ground Gaddafi's airpower. The fast paced developments came as the strife-torn nation's newly emerged opposition leaders are approaching the UN to ask for foreign air strikes to pulverise Gaddafi's capabilities to hit civilian targets. Transition roadmap in Yemen Yemen's Opposition presented President Ali Abdullah Saleh with a roadmap on Wednesday for a smooth transition of power this year, offering him a graceful exit. However, illustrating the potential for rifts among his diverse opponents, young activists who have taken the lead in ever-swelling street protests demanded immediate change of power.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
