Thursday, March 17, 2011

Libya: fighting continues, France urges UN to act

The uncertainty still reigned in Libya, after the thirtieth day of a bloody insurgency. Rebels and loyalists clashed in the eastern city of insurgents, Benghazi, while on the diplomatic front, the international community was still divided on how to stop the violence. Qaddafi Muammar Gaddafi confident gave an interview to Le Figaro in which he says he does not talk to the rebels, which he likened to al Qaeda.

"There is a conspiracy against the Libyan people. And, whatever the plot - it is imperialist, whether from al-Qaida or the interior - the Libyan people must crush says there. If we used force, we would one day (to regain control of the country). But our goal is to progressively dismantle the armed groups, through various means, such as encircling cities or sending mediators.

" On the ground, the front lines move slightly in an interview with the Euronews television channel, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi showed a serenity foolproof. "The military operations are over. In forty-eight hours, everything will be finished. Our forces are almost in Benghazi," he explained.

Wednesday night, the International Committee of the Red Cross announced his departure from the city. In the morning, the loyalist army unleashed gunfire in the town of Misrata in the west, killing five. The city was still under rebel control in the late afternoon. Wednesday night, state television said that the city of Ajdabiya, fell on Tuesday, was "purged of bands of armed terrorists, mercenaries and terrorists linked to al-Qaeda." In two days, fighting in this city have been twenty-six people died.

Libya's population still feared a flood of lead can descend on the east on Wednesday. Cars filled with entire families, baggage piled on the roof, slowly passed the post-Egyptian border Salloum, through which, a month ago, thousands of refugees fled the fighting. Faced with differences displayed by the G8, France is now turning to the UN After the failure of negotiations foreign ministers of the G8 on the issue of military intervention in Libya, France had announced its intention to now turn to the UN.

Alongside Lebanon and Great Britain, France has tabled a draft resolution which, depending on, would allow members to take all necessary steps to implement a no-fly zone. French President Nicolas Sarkozy, in a letter, called "solemnly" members of the Security Council of the UN to "support" the call of the Arab League for a no-fly zone in- over Libya.

"It is high time for the international community, through the Security Council to come together to draw the consequences of this situation and respond promptly to the urgent appeal of the League of Arab States," Sarkozy said. The Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for a cease-fire now in Libya.

A few minutes later, the U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton said from Cairo that it was "urgent" action. This statement suggests to consider a change in the American discourse on the possibility of an intervention. Clinton said he hoped a vote in the Security Council of the United Nations on Thursday.

By morning, Foreign Minister Alain Juppéaffirmait on his blog that "several Arab countries," without specifying which ones were ready to "effective participation" in a military operation in Libya, adding that he was "not too late "to intervene. Le Monde. en with and

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