France, Britain to deploy helicopters in Libya

The Guardian is reporting that a rare daytime strike by British RAF jets have destroyed the guard towers at Muammar Gaddafi’s compound in Tripoli, the Bab al-Aziziyah complex. The newspaper quoted the British chief of defence staff’s spokesman, Major General John Lorimer, as saying, “For decades Colonel Gaddafi has hidden from the Libyan people behind these walls, spreading terror and crushing opposition. The massive compound has not just been his home but is also a major military barracks and headquarters and lies at the heart of his network of secret police and intelligence agencies. Last night’s action sends a powerful message to the regime’s leadership and to those involved in delivering Colonel Gaddafi’s attacks on civilians that they are no longer hidden away from the Libyan people behind high walls.”

Russia, for some time now, has been a critic of the NATO operations in Libya, but changed its mind at the latest G8 summit held in Deauville, France. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is now stating that Gadhafi, who seized power in a 1969 coup, no longer has the right to lead Libya. Medvedev told reporters, “The world community does not see him as the leader of Libya,” and added that he would be sending an envoy to Libya to begin talks. (Montreal Gazette)

This week, the Gaddafi regime made another offer of a ceasefire; however this was quickly rejected by NATO. After all, loyalist forces are continuing to attack Misurata despite several previous ceasefires.

Britain’s M16 spy service is saying that Gaddafi is essentially on the run, hiding in hospitals by night. British diplomatic sources are quoted as explaining, “There’s clearly a link between the upping of the military pressure and what we assess is his state of mind. The more he thinks things are moving against him the better. There is a picture building up of this man who is very paranoid and a regime that’s increasingly feeling under pressure and beginning to fracture. The judgment we are making is that it is the right time to turn up the heat and try to make it tell. What he is doing is moving from a place we won’t bomb to another place we won’t bomb. The fact that he is moving the whole time shows he is worried about people knowing where he is staying. One striking thing is the fact that Gaddafi appears to be moving from hospital to hospital and spending each night in a different hospital. We are getting the sense that a lot of senior commanders have stopped using their phones. They are clearly worried they are being listened to and that is having an impact on their ability to communicate.” (Guardian)

Britain and now France are saying they will be deploying attack helicopters in Libya, a move which clearly ups the ante in NATO involvement in the conflict. In Britain, some opposition MPs are wondering aloud if this does not over-reach the original UN mandate for protecting civilians in Libya. Whatever the case, the question remains as to whether Gaddafi will give up and leave quietly. There is no doubt he will never be able to return to the previous state of affairs.

Euronews – May 28/2011

US rejects Libyan ceasefire call as air strikes rock Tripoli

NATO continues to pressure Muammer Gaddafi from the sky following a fourth night of air strikes on the capital Tripoli. Several large explosions rocked the city as NATO aircraft targeted Gaddafi’s Bab al-Aziziyah compound. As the conflict continues Libyan government officials have been in contact with a number of coalition members with the offer of a ceasefire.

References

Wikipedia: Casualties of the 2011 Libyan civil war

Estimates of deaths in the 2011 Libyan civil war vary with figures from 2,000-10,000 given between March 2 and May 3. An exact figure is hard to ascertain, partly due to a media clamp-down by the Libyan government. Some conservative estimates have been released. Some of the killing “may amount to crimes against humanity” according to the United Nations Security Council and as of March 2011 is under investigation by the International Criminal Court.

Wikipedia: Timeline of the 2011 Libyan civil war

25 May

President Jacob Zuma from South Africa has annouced plans to visit Tripoli next week to discuss an exit strategy for Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in co-operation with the Turkish government.

Khaled Kaim, deputy foreign minister told that regime negotiates Col Muammar Gaddafi’s position for first time. Col Muammar Gaddafi might eventually step down as Libya’s leader.

26 May

Gadhafi’s PM sends letters to foreign governments looking to negotiate ceasefire in Libya.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy urged Libya’s Col Muammar Gaddafi to step down as “all options are open”.

Libya’s EU ambassador Hadeiba Hadi defected the Gadhafi regime along with his staff.

27 May

NATO Allies reject the most recent Libyan cease-fire offer.

Russia joins many Western countries’ demands for Gaddafi to leave power.

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