That's what I'm seeing on tweets. Will find a news link when it appears.
They are throwing the biggest party ever in Benghazi, says @iyad_elbaghdadi.
As Japan faces potential nuclear Armageddon, we know the Prez of the US is going to Rio with his family. And where is the Secretary of State, in this time of international crisis?
She goes to Egypt and Tunisia of course.
Good for you Egyptians to snub her. Tunisians, do the same, and send her packing. (Not that she's any use here in the US...)
Mediaite.com reports (3/15/2011):
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Cairo this morning, but she won’t be meeting with a coalition of six youth groups that emerged from Egypt’s revolution last month. In a blunt snub, members of the January 25 Revolution Youth Coalition said “based on (Clinton’s) negative position from the beginning of the revolution and the position of the US administration in the Middle East, we reject this invitation.”
ABC News reports a Clinton spokesperson had no immediate reaction to the snub, but a State Department official told the network a meeting had been planned for Tuesday, and Clinton still plans to meet with “members of civil society and transitional government officials” as she urges “Egyptians to continue on the path toward democracy.”
The snub comes after comments Clinton made as recently as 2009, when she said in an interview with Al Arabiya “I really consider President and Mrs. Mubarak to be friends of my family. So I hope to see him often here in Egypt and in the United States.” Those words–and a perception in Cairo that Clinton was slow to embrace the protest movement–have not endeared her to members of the youth group coalition.
Looks like to be a "hot", civil war, waged against the majority of his defenseless citizens: an act of a coward and a despot, just like that of the master thug Gaddafi in Libya.
After 1,000 Saudi-led forces entered Bahrain, the embattled king declared the state of emergency to suppress the Shi'ite-led opposition.
From AP (3/15/2011):
MANAMA, Bahrain – Frenzied clashes swept Bahrain Tuesday, a day after a Saudi-led military force entered the country to defend its Sunni monarchy from a Shiite-led protest movement. Hundreds of demonstrators were injured by shotgun blasts and clubs, a doctor said.
As the government's crackdown intensified, the Bahraini king declared a three-month state of emergency Tuesday that gave his military chief wide authority to battle protesters demanding political reforms and equal rights for Shiites. One demonstrator was shot in the head and killed, and a Saudi official said one of his country's soldiers was shot dead by a protester.
The force of more than 1,000 Saudi-led troops from several Gulf nations saw its first day of action to help prop up the U.S.-backed regime in Bahrain. Its intervention was the first major cross-border military action to challenge one of the revolts sweeping across the Arab world.
Other Gulf states are solidly behind the Bahraini king, naturally:
Other Gulf leaders have urged Bahrain's king not to give ground, fearing that gains by Bahrain's Shiite Muslims could offer a window for Iran to expand its influence on the Arab side of the Gulf. There are also worries that political concessions could embolden more protests against their own regimes, which have already confronted pro-reform cries in Oman, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
They'd rather see bloodshed of the defenseless citizens than the Bahrain's king becoming more "democratic". It truly shows what kind of "leaders" they are (hint: they are not "leaders").
AP continues:
Tuesday's worst confrontations took place on the Bahraini island of Sitra.
A 24-year-old protester, Ahmed Farhan, was shot in the head and killed, said Dr. Ibrahim Youssef, a member of the medical team at the Sitra Health Center. Youssef said hundreds of others were injured by shotgun blasts and clubs.
"Hundreds of people are here. They are everywhere — in the halls, on the floor of the health center," he said. "People are screaming. There is lots of blood."
There was a growing conviction among the protesters, centered in the tent camp in the capital's Pearl Square, that the monarchy is unwilling to meet their demands for an elected government and a voice for Shiites in running the nation.
"They brought tanks from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states to keep the monarchy as it is, not to change it," said Ali Issa, a protester manning a checkpoint on a road leading to the square. "We are expecting they will attack us any minute now."
At the square, thousands of protesters were still in shock over the arrival of the neighboring armies when the state of emergency was declared.
"We are ready for anything, but this protest started peacefully and it will end peacefully," said Ali Hassan, a demonstrator in Pearl Square. "We have no guns, but we will resist by remaining here as long as we possibly can."
Read the full article at the link.
It makes my heart sink.
That's Qatif. Major oil pipelines that go to the world's largest oil port, Ras Tanura, go directly through Qatif, according to Stratfor.
Uh oh...
I guess CNBC didn't know that; they rather dismissed the incident by saying "oil prices slipped back on word that the unrest was driven by protesters in the eastern city of Qatif, home to a Shiite minority". It's just against the Shi'ite minority there, what's the big deal?
Stratfor seems to think it could be a very big deal, big enough for them to send out a red alert:
Red Alert: Saudi Police Fire On Protesters In Oil Hub
(3/10/2011)
Saudi police have reportedly opened gunfire on and launched stun grenades at several hundred protesters March 10 rallying in the heavily Shiite-populated city of Qatif in Saudi Arabia’s oil-rich Eastern Province.
The decision to employ violence in this latest crackdown comes a day before Friday prayers, after which various Saudi opposition groups were planning to rally in the streets. Unrest has been simmering in the Saudi kingdom over the past couple weeks, with mostly Sunni youth, human rights activists and intellectuals in Riyadh and Jeddah campaigning for greater political freedoms, including the call for a constitutional monarchy. A so-called “Day of Rage” of protests across the country has been called for March 11 by Facebook groups Hanyn (Nostalgia) Revolution and the Free Youth Coalition following Friday prayers.
What is most critical to Saudi Arabia, however, is Shiite-driven unrest in the country’s Eastern Province. Shiite activists and clerics have become more vocal in recent weeks in expressing their dissent and have been attempting to dodge Saudi security forces. The Saudi regime has been cautious thus far, not wanting to inflame the protests with a violent crackdown but at the same time facing a growing need to demonstrate firm control.
Yet in watching Shiite unrest continue to simmer in the nearby island of Bahrain, the Saudi royals are growing increasingly concerned about the prospect of Shiite uprisings cascading throughout the Persian Gulf region, playing directly into the Iranian strategic interest of destabilizing its U.S.-allied Arab neighbors. By showing a willingness to use force early, the Saudi authorities are likely hoping they will be able to deter people from joining the protests, but such actions could just as easily embolden the protesters.
There is a strong potential for clashes to break out March 11 between Saudi security forces and protesters, particularly in the vital Eastern Province. Saudi authorities have taken tough security measures in the Shiite areas of the country by deploying about 15,000 national guardsmen to thwart the planned demonstrations by attempting to impose a curfew in critical areas. Energy speculators are already reacting to the heightened tensions in the Persian Gulf region, but unrest in cities like Qatif cuts directly to the source of the threat that is fueling market speculation: The major oil transit pipelines that supply the major oil port of Ras Tanura — the world’s largest, with a capacity of 5 million barrels per day — go directly through Qatif.
There you go, Ben and Timmy. Your PPT has the work cut out tomorrow. Better start right now, buying up all S&P400 Eminis...
Or, they could use this occasion to instill "fear" in the populace that would justify QE3; in that case they might want the stock market to flash crash...
Here's the map of Qatif and Ras Taruna:
Oh wait, what's near by? Zoom out, and look southeast. It's Bahrain.
is as lame as it can possibly get. From Guardian's Libya Live Updates:
And what is that "set of universal values", pray tell?
from AP:
Saudi police have opened fire at a rally in the kingdom's east in an apparent escalation of efforts to stop planned protests.
Government officials have warned they will take strong action if activists take to the streets after increasing calls for large protests around the oil-rich kingdom to press for democratic reforms.
A witness in the eastern city of Qatif says gunfire and stun grenades were fired at several hundred protesters marching in the city streets Thursday. The witness, speaking on condition of anonymity because he feared government reprisal, said police in the area opened fire. The witness saw at least one protester injured.
I bet there's going to be a DEAD SILENCE from the US.
While the world is fixated on #Libya, people have been protesting against the corrupt regime of the long-time US ally President Ali Abdullah Saleh. It turned violent again today as the Yemeni security forces opened fire on the protesters, injuring dozens in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen.
Christian Science Monitor reports (3/8/2011):
Sanaa, Yemen
As Yemen's increasingly broad protest movement sought to expand their presence in the capital tonight, the protests turned violent for the first time in weeks – underscoring the volatility of the Arab world's poorest country.
At least 10 were injured by gunfire in front of Sanaa University, according to medical workers on the scene, and dozens more were injured in clashes with security forces as the protesters sought to make space for more tents near one of the security lines. The gunfire came from both uniformed security forces and individuals in civilian clothes, witnesses said.
“I was sitting with other demonstrators when they started firing shots at the crowd," said Saleh Al Hashmy, who was bandaged and bleeding from the head outside of a nearby mosque that had been turned into a makeshift hospital. "We all got up to run and the police beat us with sticks and fired tear gas."
The skirmishes marked the first violence since Feb. 24, when President Ali Abdullah Saleh ordered police to protect protesters. But tensions have been mounting in recent days, as Mr. Saleh rejected an offer from the opposition to come up with an exit strategy – but not actually step down – by year's end.
Since Yemen is not a major oil exporter like Libya, the West do not pay attention. Sad truth.
Yemen has a very fascinating architecture. I would love to visit and see for myself when the protesters prevail and peace finally comes to the country.
Unreal.
Al Jazeera and various tweets:
4:46amLibyan leader Muammar Gaddafi appears on state television, saying that "misguided and mad groups" are responsible for the continued violence in the country.
Is he admitting that he and his group is responsible, then?
He also repeats it's Al-Qaeda. Hey just like the US government officials ever since 2001!
Meanwhile, things look grim on the ground in Libya:
@feb17voicesLive Phone Call: "In Ras #Lanuf, I'm sure there will be a large battle and an extraordinary number of people will die."
On the other hand, I heard it on BBC News how a newsman in Benghazi is so proud and full of hope after 42 years of Gaddafi that he can now go on air for the first time without censorship, without script, free to say what he wants to say. He said his people will never go back, even if they [the Gaddafis] kill them all.
I heard Tunisians say that; then Egyptians said the same thing.
I am profoundly inspired by these people. They have stopped being afraid. First it was Tunisians, then Egyptians. Now Libyans. They are not afraid any more. What a wonderful feeling it must be.
7 British Special Forces soldiers and one junior diplomat were released and quickly sent off out of Libya by the opposition in Benghazi. They are now bound for Malta, on board HMS Cumberland.
From Al Jazeera TV, BBC Radio, and UK newspapers, here's what I've heard:
These 8 Brits claimed they crossed the border from Egypt, but their passports didn't show any stamp or any confirmation that it was the case.
They all claimed they were diplomats, but only one of them had a diplomatic passport on him. Then they claimed 7 were the security details.
The 7 "security details" had multiple passports from different countries (apparently fake), ammunition, explosives, and maps.
They were seen being dropped off a helicopter on a firm owned by a Brit.
Almost sounds like a comedy, like an episode in "Yes, Prime Minister". What would Sir Humphrey Appleby do, to cover up this PR disaster? As I said in my post on this subject yesterday, he would cover it up by a bigger fiasco, by sending in more troops. That's how an accomplished career bureaucrat would work. And if the troops succeed in anything, great. If they fail, fantastic. Because by then, people won't remember this minor episode of "One Diplomat and Seven Dwarfs, oops Seven SAS who got arrested in Libya and summarily sent packing".
Sure enough, Telegraph reports:
However, William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, said the Government intended to send further diplomatic personnel soon to "strengthen dialogue" with rebel leaders.
(UPDATE) Well, that seems to be a lie from Gaddafi. Or I should say propaganda. Or "narrative" (oooh I hate that word). Al Arabiya, Al Jazeera, AFP all deny that Tobruk, Misurata, Az Zawiyah, Ras Lanuf have fallen; they are still in the hands of anti-Gaddafi forces.
---------------------------------
Tweets from Sultan Al Qassemi:
BBC Arabic: Libyan State TV announces that govt forces are now heading to Benghazi. #Libya
BBC Arabic: Libyan State TV announces that govt forces have taken full control of the towns of Zawiya & Misutara. #Libya
I hope they're wrong, for the sake of Libyans and for those of us who are against military intervention by the West. If the West go in, there will be "Boots on the ground".
Just heard it on BBC Radio.
Libya's opposition forces seem to be moving in much quicker than the morally bankrupt West has anticipated (and hoped).
The same BBC Radio news says Libyans are furious that British soldiers are ON THE GROUND inside Libya, seen escorting British officials in the eastern part of the country.
So, the rumor that Britain (along with France and the US) sent several hundred special forces to Libya on February 23-24 may have been true.
Libyans, don't ever trust the Western governments.
Way to go, Libyans!
Tweets from Tripolitanian (from oldest tweet at the top, about 1 hour ago):
Unconfirmed: Fighter jet en route to #Benghazi shot down by freedom fighters. #Libya
According to Reuters, the downed warplane was piloted by a Sudanese. No surprise there, I doubt any #Libyan would bomb their own country.
BTW, that warplane was shot down by a man in his 50s, using the AA gun for 1st time w/ only 1 barrel working. #Libya
That should send a message to Gaddafi's pilots. Tripolitanian also tweets that Algerian military planes continue to fly into Libya.
Algeria has been awfully quiet, though the discontent there would be just as great as in Egypt and Libya, if not greater.
In talking to Al Jazeera, he says "some greater, but indirect involvement of the United States would sent the right message" and move things in Libya in the right direction.
Specifically, he wants US ships right off the shores of Tripoli, which alone sends a strong message, according to him, and even better, to unilaterally evacuate the Westerners. It would be the message to the divided Libyan army that it is not in their interest to support Gaddafi.
Ah, Mr. Brzezinski, there may be two problems to your proposal, which I tend to agree more than imposing a no-fly zone:
(As I said in my last post,) As long as Gaddafi can buy arms and hire mercenaries with hundreds of millions of dollars worth of oil money each week, I don't think he cares whether he still has the Libyan military or not.
You are expecting the occupant of the White House to actually sit down and think about what to do for more than 10 minutes.
I don't think Prez Obama will or cares. He will simply say yes to whatever proposal that he's given, be it from neocons like McCain and Lieberman or from some trigger-happy generals, as long as it looks like it will increase his chance of getting re-elected next year.
Brzezinski didn't mention a no-fly zone. Interesting.
Here's the segment on Al Jazeera TV:
as #Gaddafi's forces surround Az Zawiyah. In the meantime, there was a crash in Sirte, Gaddafi's hometown, between pro-Gaddafi and anti-Gaddafi forces for the first time. Al Jazeera Libya Blog (3/5/2011) reports:
For those of us geographically challenged even within our own town, here's a handy map that shows the key cities in Libya (thank you Al Jazeera):1:40pmThe inter-tribal fighting in Sirte was sparked by one tribe refusing to support Gaddafi's fighters in Ras Lanuf yesterday, Al Jazeera Arabic reports. This has reportedly opened a political divide overnight in the city, which is home to 135,000 people - and which houses several government ministries.
Az Zawiyah is only about 30 Kilometers away from Tripoli.
Alain Juppe, Foreign Minister of France after the previous one had to resign for having been too cozy with the Gaddafis, is pushing for a UN resolution to impose a no-fly zone over Libya. I'm sure it's well-intended, along with John McCain and Joe Lieberman who are itching to commit the US into Libya.
As long as the oil money (hundreds of millions of dollars) continues to flow to Gaddafi, and as long as there are people, businesses, who are more than happy to help him out in procuring arms and mercenaries, it will continue - no-fly zone or not.
Go Libyans!!!! (I hope this is true...)
Speaking of mercenaries, pro-Gaddafi forces are attacking the town of Az Zawiyah which lies 40km west of Tripoli; this is coming after the town sustained an overnight attack by pro-Gaddafi forces. Things are getting uglier by the hour, if not by minute.
And that jerk of the son of Gaddafi, Saif, taunted the reporters of the Western media and Al Jazeera, "Show me the photo of dead Libyans!"
Oh wait... is this what the same jerk was talking about? "Please, wait for the surprises..."?
From Al Jazeera Libya Blog 3/5/2011 (time is local Libyan time, GMT+2):
Ahmed, a resident of Az Zawiyah speaks to Al Jazeera ont he phone from the middle of the ongoing battle. Shouting to be heard over the sound of artillery and small arms fire, he tells us:
There is heavy bombing of the city by tanks and heavy weapons and mortars - the rebels are struggling to resist with very primitive means. They [invading forces] have no mercy and are very brutal. There is a large number of injured and a lot of people killed on the streets.
There is no mercy to civilians. The tanks belonging to to the regime are attacking everything indiscriminately and we have no means of defending ourselves.
There is a very tragic situation happening right now. It's a very serious situation. We were expecting the world to intervene, but they have let us down. Shelling is now coming in from all sides.
They are shooting at the Libyan citizens and we have made up our mid that we will die here. I am really sorry, we are in the middle of a battle and the shelling is very heavy - the [phone line] could break at any moment.
We have taken prisoners out of two vehicles, and we are treating them with respect. But they are shelling us, they are kiling us.
Where is the United Nations or the Arab League or the international community who have spoken about our rights or protecting us? I don't think they meant what they have said.
I am in the middle of Martyrs' Square, and we are conducting a battle. The tanks have surrounded us and they are shelling all the buildings - whether they are residential or business properties. The shelling and destruction is indiscriminate and the civilians are taking shelter in the buildings surrouding the square - but they have not given up yet.
All parts of society - all parts - whether they are professionals and farmers - are all together, supporting each other, hoping that they will be able to survive.
But it is violent, it is indiscriminate - and the number of dead and injured? I cannot count it yet. We need the world here, we need them to intervene - words are not enough. It's not a matter of oil and gas that you need you of our country - it is human lives and blood being shed - right now.
Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley, speaking from Benghazi, tells us Az Zawiyah is in the hands of Gaddafi's forces - but fighting continues, we understand.
Six tanks - each carrying four Gaddafi-loyalist soldiers - have been set on fire in central Az Zawiyah, eyewitnesses tell us.
Several have been arrested, we are told.
"Most of those attacking us are mercenaries," Lufti Az-Zawi tells Al Jazeera.
Fierce fighting reported in central Az Zawiyah - with two tanks reported blown up in Shuhada [Martyr's] Square.
Some security personnel from al-Gaddafi brigades have been arrested, Al Jazeera reports.
If #Saudi Arabia is the "end game" in uprising in north Africa and Middle East, the "end game" in Asia will be #China.
Aside from the phony "Jasmine" revolution, which does look to be one of those Soros/US government-funded "color revolutions", the Communist regime in China seems to be feeling the heat. Not from their own citizens (not yet, anyway) but from Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, Yemen, now Saudi Arabia, where the ruled have finally said "enough is enough". In Asia, pockets of protests have started to appear in Communist Vietnam and North Korea, and South Koreans are busy withdrawing their money from their banks.
So, what do they do? Preemptive strike: Placate the populace quickly before they start to get funny ideas in spite of the government banning #Egypt from Twitter.
From Al Jazeera (3/5/2011):
China's government has vowed to clamp down on inflation and urgently raise incomes, as Wen Jiabao, the country's premier, devoted most of his country's equivalent of the US 'State of the Union' speech to addressing citizens' economic concerns.
Addressing the opening of the National People's Congress on Saturday, Jiabao said that the country's working class and rural residents would receive more assistance from the government, in a move aimed at sharing the benefits of rapid economic growth across more sectors of society.
Living standards are rising in China, but there have been complaints about accompanying rises in prices, as well as a lack of equitability in the benefits of national economic growth.
"We must make improving the people's lives a pivot linking reform, development and stability ... and make sure people are content with their lives and jobs, society is tranquil and orderly and the country enjoys long-term peace and stability," Wen told the legislature's nearly 3,000 members.
It is very true that the Chinese are more "economic"-minded than other races; as long as they have money and are well-fed, they couldn't care less about political issues.
Now, however, thanks to Ben "Bernank" of the US Federal Reserve and also to the long-standing Chinese policy of pegging (officially or not, tightly or loosely, it is "pegged") the currency to US dollar to keep their exported (junky) goods competitive, the money people have is worth less and less each day. The food prices have gone so much in a short time that the Chinese government has decided to reduce weight of foods in their CPI.
So what tool that's still left? State propaganda:
Chinese media, meanwhile, warned citizens against attempting to emulate popular protest movements in the Middle East and North Africa, warning that any threats to Communist Party-led stability could bring "disaster".
"Everyone knows that stability is a blessing and chaos is a calamity," said the Beijing Daily newspaper, which is the mouthpiece of the Communist Party administration for China's capital.
Yeah. Try to tell that to Tunisians and Egyptians and Libyans. The mouthpiece sounds like Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, actually.
And against that "fixed" fight people in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and other Middle East countries have risen. Can the Chinese government succeed in keep fixing the fight?
In #Saudi Arabia, the end game may be happening right about now. Uprisings against regimes in northern Africa and Middle East seem to be finally catching the House of Saud.
Robert Fisk writes (3/5/2011):
Saudi Arabia was yesterday drafting up to 10,000 security personnel into its north-eastern Shia Muslim provinces, clogging the highways into Dammam and other cities with busloads of troops in fear of next week's "day of rage" by what is now called the "Hunayn Revolution".
Saudi Arabia's worst nightmare – the arrival of the new Arab awakening of rebellion and insurrection in the kingdom – is now casting its long shadow over the House of Saud. Provoked by the Shia majority uprising in the neighbouring Sunni-dominated island of Bahrain, where protesters are calling for the overthrow of the ruling al-Khalifa family,
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia is widely reported to have told the Bahraini authorities that if they do not crush their Shia revolt, his own forces will.
Oh wait.. Then the eyewitness account of tanks crossing the bridge to Bahrain, which has been denied by the Saudi government, may have been accurate..
Fisk continues:
The opposition is expecting at least 20,000 Saudis to gather in Riyadh and in the Shia Muslim provinces of the north-east of the country in six days, to demand an end to corruption and, if necessary, the overthrow of the House of Saud. Saudi security forces have deployed troops and armed police across the Qatif area – where most of Saudi Arabia's Shia Muslims live – and yesterday would-be protesters circulated photographs of armoured vehicles and buses of the state-security police on a highway near the port city of Dammam.
Although desperate to avoid any outside news of the extent of the protests spreading, Saudi security officials have known for more than a month that the revolt of Shia Muslims in the tiny island of Bahrain was expected to spread to Saudi Arabia. Within the Saudi kingdom, thousands of emails and Facebook messages have encouraged Saudi Sunni Muslims to join the planned demonstrations across the "conservative" and highly corrupt kingdom. They suggest – and this idea is clearly co-ordinated – that during confrontations with armed police or the army next Friday, Saudi women should be placed among the front ranks of the protesters to dissuade the Saudi security forces from opening fire.
If the Saudi royal family decides to use maximum violence against demonstrators, US President Barack Obama will be confronted by one of the most sensitive Middle East decisions of his administration. In Egypt, he only supported the demonstrators after the police used unrestrained firepower against protesters. But in Saudi Arabia – supposedly a "key ally" of the US and one of the world's principal oil producers – he will be loath to protect the innocent.
It will simply be above Obama's pay grade, Mr. Fisk, and he couldn't care less or is too lazy. As you pointed out earlier, all he cares about is getting re-elected, and in the US it is not by popular vote.
Read the full article at the link.
Got oil?
Got gold? Got silver?
Got food?
Al Jazeera may soon need "Saudi Arabia Live Blog"...
Just reading tweets by Sultan Al Qassemi:
More chants in Qatif: "We vow that we won't forget our prisoners" "Sunni & Shia we won't sell our nation" Arabic Video http://bit.ly/f9JmHn
46 minutes ago via web
Other chants include "Mansiyoon - Mansiyoon" "We are forgotten". Qatif is the centre of the Saudi Shia minority population.
48 minutes ago via web
I'm watching internet uploaded videos of the protests in Qateef in #Saudi, chants of "Silmiya - Silmya" "Peaceful - Peaceful"
49 minutes ago via web
Robert Fisk thinks the "end game" in all these uprisings in NAME (Northern Africa, Middle East) is Saudi Arabia.
As I posted in my TA blog, someone bought a large amount of call options on oil ETF (USO) that will expire in July. I bought along with that person, just in case.
("Rebels" word by Guardian, not mine.)
From UK's Guardian (3/3/2011):
Leaders of anti-Gaddafi fighters say talk of peace is too late and they will not negotiate via Venezuelan president.
Libya's rebel leaders have ruled out any attempt by Hugo Chávez to broker a truce between them and Muammar Gaddafi, whom they insist must leave the country.
"No one has told us a thing about it and we are not interested anyway," said the spokesman of the national committee in Benghazi, Abdul Hafif Goga. "We will never negotiate with him."
The rebel leadership said the international community had yet to inform them of any initiative from the Venezuelan president, who reportedly contacted the embattled Libyan leader earlier this week in a bid to enter the fortnight-long violent standoff.
"Talk of peace is far too late," said a second member of the organising committee, Salwa Bogheiga. "A lot of people have died and there is no one to negotiate with. They lost that right when they started killing people on 17 February."
Gaddafi's side accepted the generous offer by the strongman of Venezuela. Guardian calls Gaddafi's side "the Libyan government", but I'm not sure it can still be called a "government", when it doesn't have the full support of the military, the diplomats, half the government officials have defected, it doesn't provide essential services to the populace, it doesn't protect instead it attacks and kills.
If I were a Libyan, I wouldn't want Gaddafi and his family out of the country until Libya gets the money back. They have appropriated the wealth of the country (with the help of crooks like Tony Blair), which is duly managed by the international banksters like J.P.Morgan Chase. If you simply kick Gaddafi and his family out of the country, bankers and wealthy friends like Rothchild and fellow crooks like Tony Blair would make sure the Gaddafis have a luxurious after-life on the money they've taken from Libya.
The US stock market gapped up higher following the overnight ramp-up in the futures, partly due to the seemingly better unemployment number and partly due to this Venezuelan mediation prospect. Oil and precious metals have been slammed.
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