Arapske revolucije

[Джон Рейнольдс]

Ovaj s grozno žutim patikama (na fotki desno od poor man's Če Gevare s pljugom) kao da trči u neko žbunje jer ga priterala sraćka.

[sinisa123]

Хехе, прочитах јутрос уз кахву да сваки пети побуњеник ратује против Гадафија јер је јеврејског порекла.

da, pobunjenici koji ne razlikuju lakat od dupeta.

ako je ovo tacno sto onda cionisti hoce da ga ucmekaju?

[shrike]

Hteli su i Bobija Fišera da skenjaju.

[sinisa123]

zar nisu?

[Meho Krljic]

Gadhafi, in letter, asks Obama to end air strikes

MATTHEW LEE, Associated Press Matthew Lee, Associated Press – 2 hrs 48 mins ago
WASHINGTON – Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi appealed directly to President Barack Obama on Wednesday to end what Gadhafi called "an unjust war." He also wished Obama good luck in his bid for re-election next year.

"You are a man who has enough courage to annul a wrong and mistaken action," Gadhafi wrote in a rambling, three-page letter to Obama obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday. "I am sure that you are able to shoulder the responsibility for that."

The White House confirmed the letter, but top officials shrugged it off.

"I don't think there is any mystery about what is expected from Mr. Gadhafi at this time," Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said, repeating U.S. and NATO demands that Gadhafi's forces pull back and cease attacks. She also renewed a demand that Gadhafi step down from power and leave the country.

"There needs to be a ceasefire, his forces need to withdraw from the cities that they have forcibly taken at great violence and human cost," she said. "There needs to be a decision made about his departure from power and ... his departure from Libya."

Rebels and pro-government forces waged nearly stalemate battles in Libya, while a former U.S. lawmaker made an unendorsed private trip to Tripoli to try to convince Gadhafi to step down. An Obama administration envoy continued meeting with Libyan opposition figures in the rebel-held city of Benghazi, with no decision on whether to increase U.S. help for the rebels seeking Gadhafi's ouster.

The rebels, aided by U.N.-authorized airstrikes intended to protect civilians from Gadhafi's forces, have maintained control of much of the eastern half of Libya since early in the uprising, while Gadhafi has clung to much of the west. Gadhafi has been putting out feelers for a cease-fire, but he refuses to step down.

Neither government forces nor the rebels have made any serious gains in recent days and the conflict has shifted to smaller objectives on both sides such as control of the key oil port of Brega, where fighting has flared on the outskirts.

In the letter, Gadhafi implored Obama to stop the NATO-led air campaign, which he called an "unjust war against a small people of a developing country."

"To serving world peace ... Friendship between our peoples ... and for the sake of economic, and security cooperation against terror, you are in a position to keep Nato (NATO) off the Libyan affair for good," Gadhafi wrote in the letter.

"I am sure that you are able to shoulder the responsibility for that."

Neither White House press secretary Jay Carney nor State Department spokesman Mark Toner would discuss the details of the letter.

Gadhafi told Obama that a democratic society could not be built through the use of missiles and aircraft. He also repeated his claim that the rebels seeking his ouster are members of the al-Qaida terrorist network.

Addressing Obama as "our son" and "excellency," Gadhafi said that his country had been hurt more "morally" than "physically" by the NATO campaign.

The letter, composed in formal but stilted English, includes numerous spelling and grammatical errors.

"Our dear son, Excellency, Baraka Hussein Abu oumama, your intervention is the name of the U.S.A. is a must, so that Nato (NATO) would withdraw finally from the Libyan affair," Gadhafi wrote. "Libya should be left to Libyans within the African union frame."

Gadhafi said his country had already been unfairly subjected to "a direct military armed aggression" ordered by then-President Ronald Reagan, who famously called the leader the "Mad Dog of the Middle East," in 1986, as well as earlier rounds of U.S. and international sanctions.

Although he listed a litany of complaints, Gadhafi said he bears no ill will toward Obama in the letter, which was dated April 5, 2011 in Tripoli and is signed by "Mu'aumer Qaddaffi, Leader of the Revolution."

"We have been hurt more morally (than) physically because of what had happened against us in both deeds and words by you," he wrote. "Despite all this, you will always remain our son whatever happened. We still pray that you continue to be president of the U.S.A. We Endeavour and hope that you will gain victory in the new election campaigne."

Meanwhile, former congressman Curt Weldon, a Pennsylvania Republican who has visited Libya twice before, arrived in Tripoli on Wednesday at Gadhafi's invitation. Weldon said he is on a private mission to urge the Libyan leader to step down.

The State Department dismissed the significance of Weldon's visit, saying he had been warned of the dangers of traveling to Libya, was not traveling on behalf of the administration and not carrying any message to Gadhafi from Washington.

"I don't know if it is helpful or unhelpful," Toner said of the trip. "He is not representing the U.S. government."

Weldon was in Tripoli as U.S. envoy Chris Stevens was meeting rebels in their de facto capital, Benghazi, to gauge their intentions and capabilities.

Stevens held a second day of talks with opposition figures in Benghazi aimed at determining exactly how the administration could assist them.

"We will wait to hear more from him. He is obviously doing an assessment right now," Clinton told reporters after meeting with Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini on Wednesday. Italy is among a handful of countries, including France and Qatar, that have recognized the opposition's transitional council.

Clinton said no decision had been made and Frattini said Italy understood that the U.S. wanted a better picture of the council before taking a similar step.

On Wednesday, rebel forces gathered outside Brega but made no clear move to advance. Many posed for photos for the gaggle of foreign photographers. One young rebel dropped a grenade on the road as his pickup truck sped by and then sheepishly got out and picked it up as the crowd looked on in concern.

Rebel leaders have complained that NATO airstrikes are coming too slowly to give them a clear battlefield edge. But NATO and U.S. commanders acknowledge that pro-Gadhafi units have frustrated the air campaign by moving into civilian areas and new NATO tactics are needed.

"When there's a tank with dozens of people around about it, of innocent civilians, the best thing in that stage is to not to drop a bomb on the tank," said British Rear Adm. Russell Harding, deputy commander of the NATO operation, at a press conference in Naples, Italy. "So there's a limit, a physical limit, because we're not allowed boots on the ground."

Harding said NATO had flown more than 850 missions in five days — including a steady rise in daily sorties since Monday — but suggested that it was not NATO's job to satisfy rebel demands.

For the moment, it appears Gadhafi forces are concentrating on Misrata, 125 miles southeast of Tripoli and the only major rebel-held city outside their eastern enclave.

A rebel spokesman said Misrata civilians have fled to several areas along the coast that are farthest from the fighting.

Former Libyan military officers who have joined the opposition were trying to keep untrained fighters from advancing from the eastern gateway city of Ajdabiya toward Brega. But that was causing tensions within the rebel ranks.

___

Associated Press writers Sebastian Abbot in Ajbadiya, Libya; Ben Hubbard in Benghazi, Libya; Jenny Barchfield in Paris and Slobodan Lekic in Brussels contributed to this report.

[lilit]

Jbt, ne mogu da verujem šta ova HIlari sebi dopušta  :

"There needs to be a decision made about his departure from power and ... his departure from Libya."

Mislim, mogu da verujem, ali negde mi je ipak nečuveno. 

[Tex Murphy]

Ovo pismo izgleda kao da ga je sastavljala neka pi**ica, dakle ne vjerujem da je Gadafi, sigurno je neki američki falsifikat.

[scallop]

Jbt, ne mogu da verujem šta ova HIlari sebi dopušta  :

"There needs to be a decision made about his departure from power and ... his departure from Libya."

Mislim, mogu da verujem, ali negde mi je ipak nečuveno. 

Žene u politici su gore od muškaraca u politici. Veruju da je njima sve dozvoljeno.

[Josephine]

Jao, zašto sve mora da se svede na "žene ovo", "muškarci ovo". Ne definišu se svi kroz pol. Pogotovo ne inteligentni ljudi koji izlaze iz okvira nametnutih društvenih i polnih uloga. 

[Суба]

Хилари и није женско, руку на срце, већ мушкарац wannabe.

[Josephine]

Хилари и није женско, руку на срце, већ мушкарац wannabe.

Jao, zašto sve mora da se svede na "žene ovo", "muškarci ovo". Ne definišu se svi kroz pol. Pogotovo ne inteligentni ljudi koji izlaze iz okvira nametnutih društvenih i polnih uloga.  

Poimanje ljudi isključivo kroz pol/rod je out of date.

[Tex Murphy]

Nije!

[Josephine]

Pa dobro... ja znam da mi u Srbiji ni renesansu još nismo prošli. Ima vremena, biće.

[lilit]

Stari dobri NATO  :

Libyan rebels blame deadly strike on NATO mistake
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/08/us-libya-idUSTRE7270JP20110408

[Суба]

Ах, грешке се дешавају. Битно је борити се за праву ствар. 
Мало сам горак јер јебе се њима за неке тамо, све су то за њих sand niggers.

[Meho Krljic]

Još grešaka koje se događaju:

Nato 'Won't Apologise' For Libya Rebel Deaths

Nato has refused to apologise for a deadly air strike it admits hit tanks being used by Libyan rebels near the eastern town of Brega.

According to rebels, the attack targeted a convoy travelling from Ajdabiya and killed at least five fighters as well as destroying or damaging a number of tanks and armoured vehicles.

The Foreign Secretary William Hague has told Sky News the action was "very regrettable".

"Where something happens like that that clearly isn't intended - these weren't forces attacking the civilian population - then we should say that we very much regret that and on behalf of the United Kingdom I certainly say that" said Mr Hague.

Rear Admiral Russell Harding, the deputy commander of the military operation, has said Nato had no previous information that the rebels were using tanks.

Admiral Harding said that rapid troop movements on the ground between the coastal towns of Brega and Ajdabiya were making it difficult for pilots to identify targets.

He said: "The situation on the ground was and remains extremely fluid."

A rebel commander had earlier claimed Nato had been told about T55 and T72 heavy tanks being moved from the opposition stronghold of Benghazi to Brega.

General Abdul Fatah Younis said at a news conference in Benghazi that fighters and medics were among the dead after the bombing "carried out in error".

Saleh Faraj, a former soldier fighting with the rebels, said at least three rebel tanks were hit in the air strike.

"There was no fighting anywhere. (The warplanes) flew back and forth and then they struck our forces," said Faraj.

During the briefing in Naples, Italy, Admiral Harding also issued a categorical denial that Nato planes were responsible for an attack on the Sarir oilfield.

The Libyan government had claimed British fighter bombers carried out the attack in which three oilfield guards were killed.

Rebels claim pro-Gaddafi forces were responsible.

Admiral Harding said that in the previous 48 hours NATO jets had carried out 318 sorties and had struck a total of 23 targets across Libya.

Meanwhile, United Nations officials have announced they are to start investigating alleged human rights abuses by both sides in the Libyan conflict.

An independent three-member commission of inquiry is being headed by the American war crimes expert Cherif Bassiouni.

It is to travel to the region next week to begin a fact finding mission in co-operation with the International Criminal Court in the Hague.

The ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo has said he is looking into possible war crimes committed by the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, his sons and his inner circle.

[Meho Krljic]

Lazanski je video Anđela

Рат у Либији
,,Политика" у Либији
Бомбе и Анџелина

На путу од Триполија до туниске границе



Од нашег специјалног извештача

Триполи, Рас Ђедир – Авијација НАТО-а поново је у четвртак ујутру надлетала Триполи, чула се једна јака експлозија у јужном делу града, противавионска одбрана местимично је деловала неколико минута, тек реда ради.

Занимљиво је да НАТО још није гађао највећу војну ваздухопловну базу у Либији, аеродром Метига, која је практично у Триполију и која је некадашња америчка база. Да ли је, заправо, намерно поштеђена због будућег коришћења и за кога.

Нешто касније, авиони НАТО-а грешком су бомбардовали део Мисурате коју држе побуњеници. Те поновљене грешке пилота изазивају огорчење међу побуњеницима. Посебно су бесни што НАТО никако да очисти терен између Бреге и Аџдабије где су се и јуче водиле борбе. 

Око поднева пред хотелом ,,Риксос" окупило се нас неколико новинара који одлазимо из Либије. Новинарка ,,Вашингтон поста", дописник Би-Би-Сија, по двојица шпанских и италијанских колега и извештач ,,Политике". Са нама су тројица либијских пратилаца.

Задњи део комбија крцат је ТВ опремом, торбама, коферима, врећама за спавање. Прилази ми Халид из прес-центра и једноставно ми само трга ратну прес-акредитацију обешену око врата. Што би се уопште замарао записујући ко остаје, а ко одлази. Јер, ко нема акредитацију тај је могући шпијун.

Возач вози прилично брзо, заобилазимо камионе тако што скрећемо и ван пута. Пролазимо градове Завију, Сабрату и Зувару. Свуда велики редови за гориво. Наоружани људи праве поредак у колони која чека бензин и дизел.

Моје колеге више на те детаље и не обраћају пажњу. Сви смо некако уморни и отупелих чула. Понеко подигне камеру да сними неку рупу од гранате у понекој кући у Зувари, и то је то.

Мало је људи на улицама, као да је комплетан живот у Либији стао. На неким балконима суши се рубље. Има и отворених продавница, већином са храном. Гомиле ђубрета, картони, новине, пластика, све поред главног пута и по споредним градским улицама. Има тога сада и у Триполију.

Око 1,5 милион страних радника радило је у Либији најтеже, па и комуналне послове. Сада су скоро сви побегли и нема ко да чисти улице. Либијци не желе да раде тај посао.

Негде пред прелазом Рас Ђедир, на либијско-туниској граници, упадамо у пешчану олују, необичну за ово доба године. Песак улази кроз затворене прозоре комбија, надире у очи, уши, уста. Умотавамо се у шалове. Сви овде имају шалове при руци. Личимо на бедуине у комбију. Наши пратиоци сређују пасошке формалности код либијске полиције и царине. Комби нас довози до ,,ничије земље".

Избацујемо ствари из возила и теглимо их цео километар до туниске пограничне полиције. Пешчана олуја и даље замагљује поглед, скоро да један другог изгубимо бауљајући ка Тунису.

Чујем неко урлање. ,,Бангладеш, Бангладеш!"

Не могу да верујем. На туниској страни границе, усред пустиње, стоји Анџелина Џоли, амбасадор добре воље УН, међу избеглицама из Либије, држављанима Бангладеша.

Као фатаморгана. Стоји Анџелина усправна и поносна и дели флашице са водом свакоме ко долази из Либије. Око ње избеглице у трансу. Онако прљави од пута, уморни и пуни песка, игнорисали смо је. Нисам приметио да се потресла.

Растанак од колега. Све њих са туниске стране границе чекају комбији њихових екипа. Извештач ,,Политике" узда се у добру вољу и поштење туниског таксисте. Једанаеста је годишњица смрти некадашњег туниског председника Хабиба Бургибе.

,,Тито и Бургиба били су пријатељи", кажем таксисти.

,,Да, да", потврђује он.

,,А ваш бивши председник Бен Али, какав је он био?"

,,Лош, лош: Сви смо ми радили за ел и за луи."

,, Извините, ко је ту ел?"

,,Ел је Лејла, жена Бен Алија. Ми је зовемо и Лејла џин, због пића."

,,И како сада гледате на њихов одлазак са сцене?"

Мој таксиста је само отворио длан руке и отпухнуо са њега. Иза мене остала је Либија. Мрак је већ пао.

Мирослав Лазански

објављено: 08.04.2011.

[Meho Krljic]

S druge strane, rimski list La Repubblica tvrdi da su naši kriminalci najjači u Europi i da oni naoružavaju Gadafija. Ne znam da li da mi se grudi naduju od patriotskog ponosa ili da zaplačem od stida...

(Mada, pošto verovatno izmišljaju i preteruju  - ni jedno ni drugo)

Рат у Либији
Други пишу: La Repubblica, Рим
Српска мафија наоружава Гадафија

Рута која се користи углавном иста она коју су Срби користили за шверц цигарета и за дрогу


Бари – Друго одељење царине алармирало је тајне службе и упозорило их на криминал. На позив су одмах реаговале антитерористичке службе. Дато је црвено светло за узбуну.

Ради се о Апулији: са наших обала, дуж наших уобичајених канала продаје, можда и кроз руке неких наших криминалаца, тренутно пролази оружје намењено пуковнику Гадафију. Оружје које је неопходно за ратовање. ,,Калашњикови", руске пушке за напад Ак-47 и кинеске Тип 56, полуаутоматски пиштољи ,,макаров", калибра 9 милиметара, ноћни визири, лаки топови и муниција.

Углавном је то оружје које стиже из бивших земаља СССР-а, посебно из Белорусије, међутим тиме себаве и они који су донедавно ратовали на подручју бивше Југославије.

У питању је српска мафија којаје тренутно најмоћнија у Европи управо захваљујући свом арсеналу и економској моћи.

Рута која се користи углавном је иста она коју су Срби користили за шверц цигарета, и пре свега за дрогу. Шверцерски троугао креће од бивше Југославије, преко Апулије, Грчке, Турске и завршава на северу Африке. Последњих година дошло је до знатног пораста шверца, на шта је својевремено упозорио и Антонио Лаудати, тужилац у Барију. То су потврдила и бројна испитивања које је тужилаштво Барија спровело последњих година, нарочито током истрага спроведених у последње две године.

Инострана мафија је та која води игру, при чему им црногорска лука Бар служи као главна лука за продају. Одатле крећу запечаћени контејнери препуни оружја, као да се ради о обичном старом гвожђу. Тамо стижу и повећи свежњеви да би се избегла контрола.

Одредиште ових контејнера честоје Бари, где локални криминалци у замену за оружје нуде опојна средства по конкурентној цени натржишту и логистичку платформу: одатле дрога одлази на север Европе, а оружје се разврстава и шаље угрчке и турске луке. Апулијци су се специјализовали за ову врсту послова. То раде одувек, научили суто још док су радили са цигаретама.

О томе је говорио и Горан Стањевић, некадашњи припадник Агенције за инострана улагања у Црној Гори, и то пред судијама у Барију, који већ дуже време воде истрагу о везама мафије Пуље са оном са подручја бивше Југославије. Током истраге због међународног шверца цигарета покренут је процес против осам лица, док је бившег председника Црне Горе Мила Ђукановића спасио дипломатски имунитет.,,Од када знам", рекао је према записнику Стањевић заменику тужиоца Ђузепу Шелси, ,,у Бару постоје препуна складишта оружја. Оружје се продаје Либији, Сирији и арапским земљама. Знам да у тим складиштима ради између 500 и 600 Италијана."

Бар није једина полазна станица. Атлантске обавештајне службе тврде да су албанске луке Драч и Валона, које се налазе насупрот обала Апулије, истог рангапо продаји: лист ,,Република" писао је недавно о томе како је по контејнерима нагомилано и до 100.000 тона оружја кинеске производње, да је лоше одржавано јер припада старом арсеналу Енвера Хоџе, али представља још један добар извор за снабдевање. На пример, пре годину дана из Драчаје кренула пошиљка, а на броду је било 150.000 пројектила од 82 милиметра намењених либијској луци Рас Лануф.

Чињеница је и да су се последњих година готово сви ратови који су потресали земље централне Африке снабдевали оружјем кинеске производње из Албаније, одакле је чувеним троуглом стизало до Гадафија.

Обавештајне службе НАТО-а званично су потврдиле да ,,постоје докази како се илегално оружје непрестано слива ка Либији, и да је управо сад дошло до наглог интензивирања".

Гадафију треба оружје јер су традиционални путеви који су прелазили преко југа (Чада и Судана) и запада (Алжира) у овом тренутку неупотребљиви. Тако да је једино преостаоморски пут. Једини који могу да му продају оружје јесу Срби или Руси.

,,Гадафију сигурно не недостају финансијска средства", објашњавају обавештајци. У овом тренутку вредност оружја на медитеранској берзи практично је десет пута већа. ,,Балкански брокери отворили су своје капије."

Нагли скок цена знатно је блокирао паралелну руту која је недавно покренута и углавном снабдевала побуњенике у Бенгазију, пуковникове непријатеље. Оружје се сад продаје оном копонуди више.

објављено: 08.04.2011

[Stipan]

Hah. A kad to Srbi nisu bili umešani u sumnjive poslove?

[Meho Krljic]

Pošto se pominje luka Bar, treba utvrditi da li su to Srbi Srbi ili neka druga mutacija etniciteta koja se razvila u okruženju Milove eksperimentalne države.

[Stipan]

 

[Джон Рейнольдс]

Око 1,5 милион страних радника радило је у Либији најтеже, па и комуналне послове. Сада су скоро сви побегли и нема ко да чисти улице. Либијци не желе да раде тај посао.

Dakle, Libijci su se zaista napatili pod diktatorom Gadafijem, pa se sad digla sirotinja.

Raduje činjenica da će, kad dođe Zapad, te "najteže, pa i komunalne poslove" raditi lokalno stanovništvo.

[scallop]

Taman posla. Radiće Zapadnjaci.

[Lord Kufer]

Gbagbo se ne da zajebati

[SIMERIJANAC]

Pobunjenici: Piloti Srbi su oslonac Gadafijevih trupa

http://www.blic.rs/Vesti/Hronika/246768/Pobunjenici-Piloti-Srbi-su-oslonac-Gadafijevih-trupa

[Tex Murphy]

NATO je nezadovoljan Gadafijevom taktikom da skriva oružje u područjima u kojima žive civili, zbog čega su umanjeni efekti napada iz vazduha.

Znao sam ja da je taj Gadafi jedno najobičnije đubre, umjesto da lijepo postavi svu vojsku i naoružanje u brisani prostor, on im ometa bombardovanje. Ovo me inače podsjeća na onaj legendarni moment iz rata u Bosni, kad je NATO stoka nas bombardovala, a Karadžić fino lisicama privezao unproforce za mostove. Tada se svijet zgražavao nad takvim primitivizmom.

[Albedo 0]

Liči na Foresta Gumpa

[Meho Krljic]

African Union says Libya accepts cease-fire plan

By HADEEL AL-SHALCHI and SEBASTIAN ABBOT, Associated Press Hadeel Al-shalchi And Sebastian Abbot, Associated Press – Sun Apr 10, 9:32 pm ET
TRIPOLI, Libya – A delegation of African leaders said Sunday that their Libyan counterpart, Moammar Gadhafi, accepted their "road map" for a cease-fire with rebels, whom they will meet Monday. They met hours after NATO airstrikes battered Gadhafi's tanks, helping Libyan rebels push back government troops who had been advancing quickly toward the opposition's eastern stronghold.

The African Union's road map calls for an immediate cease-fire, cooperation in opening channels for humanitarian aid and starting a dialogue between the rebels and the government. AU officials, however, made no mention of any requirement for Gadhafi to pull his troops out of cities as rebels have demanded.

"We have completed our mission with the brother leader, and the brother leader's delegation has accepted the road map as presented by us," said South African President Jacob Zuma. He traveled to Tripoli with the heads of Mali and Mauritania to meet with Gadhafi, whose more than 40-year rule has been threatened by the uprising that began nearly two months ago.

"We will be proceeding tomorrow to meet the other party to talk to everybody and present a political solution," Zuma said, speaking at Gadhafi's private Tripoli compound, Bab al-Aziziya. He called on NATO to end airstrikes to "give the cease-fire a chance."

Gadhafi has ignored the cease-fire he announced after international airstrikes were authorized last month, and he rejects demands from the rebels, the U.S. and its European allies that he relinquish power immediately.

Ramtane Lamamra of Algeria, the head of the AU's Peace and Security Council, said the demand to give up power was brought up in Sunday's talks with the Libyan leader.

"There was some discussion on this but I cannot report on this. It has to remain confidential. It's up to the Libyan people to chose their leaders democratically," he told reporters in Tripoli.

Gadhafi enjoys substantial support from countries of the AU, an organization that he chaired two years ago and helped transform using Libya's oil wealth. So it is not clear whether rebels would accept the AU as a fair broker.

Though the AU has condemned attacks on civilians, last week its current leader, Equatorial Guinea President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, decried foreign intervention in Libya's nearly two-month-old uprising, which he declared to be an internal problem.

Lamamra was confident the rebel leadership would accept the AU's proposal when the delegation presents it to them Monday.

"We are convinced that what we have proposed is broad enough to be a base for the launch of peace talks. We are people of goodwill and determined to help Libya overcome this crisis," he said.

Though the rebels have improved discipline and organization, they remain a far less powerful force than Gadhafi's troops. Members of the international community have grown doubtful that the opposition can overthrow Gadhafi even with air support, and some are weighing options such as arming the fighters even while attempting diplomatic solutions.

A rebel battlefield commander said four airstrikes Sunday largely stopped heavy shelling by government forces of the eastern city of Ajdabiya — a critical gateway to the opposition's de facto capital of Benghazi. NATO's leader of the operation said the airstrikes destroyed 11 tanks near Ajdabiya and another 14 near Misrata, the only city rebels still hold in the western half of Libya.

An Associated Press photographer saw two burning tanks and dozens of charred vehicles near the western gate of Ajdabiya that looked like they were hit by airstrikes. Another four tanks were destroyed about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southwest of Ajdabiya.

NATO is operating under a U.N. resolution authorizing a no-fly zone and airstrikes to protect Libyan civilians.

The fighting in Ajdabiya on Sunday killed 23 people, 20 of them pro-Gadhafi forces, said Mohammed Idris, the supervisor of a hospital in the city. A total of 38 people were killed in fighting over the weekend, including 11 rebels and seven civilians, Idris said.

The main front line in Libya's uprising runs along a 600-mile (1,000-kilometer) coastal highway from Benghazi, Libya's second-largest city, to Tripoli, the capital, where Gadhafi's power is concentrated. Rebels have been pushed back on two previous advances toward Tripoli, both times as they approached the heavily fortified Gadhafi stronghold of Sirte.

Over the past few days, Gadhafi's forces have been knocking the rebels back eastward in their most sustained offensive since international airstrikes drove them back last month. If they had taken Ajdabiya, they would have had a clear path to opposition territory including Benghazi, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) away along the coast.

"If he controls Ajdabiya, he makes us feel like we are unsafe because he can move anywhere in the east," said Col. Hamid Hassy, the rebel battlefield commander.

Western airstrikes, initially conducted under U.S. leadership, began on March 19 to repel Gadhafi's forces just as they were at the doorstep of Benghazi.

Hassy said Gadhafi's forces fled the western gate of Ajdabiya and by mid-afternoon had been pushed back about 40 miles (60 kilometers) west of the city.

An AP photographer about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southwest of Ajdabiya saw Gadhafi's forces beating a hasty retreat in the afternoon using scores of camouflaged vehicles in which they had streamed toward the city on Saturday. The convoy included at least two heavy vehicles carrying large rocket launchers.

However, sporadic shelling could still be heard around western Ajdabiya late in the afternoon.

A body brought to the morgue, said to be a rebel fighter shot near Ajdabiya's west gate, had his hands and feet bound. Another body was an Algerian who had been fighting for Gadhafi, Dr. Suleiman Rafathi said at the hospital. He said the man's ID confirmed his origin, but that rebels took the ID before an Associated Press reporter arrived. Rebels have said many Gadhafi fighters are foreign mercenaries.

Another Gadhafi fighter, about 20 years old, was on a ventilator — brain-dead but with a beating heart, Rafathi said.

Rebel fighter Sami Kabdi said the young man had been firing out a window of a school. When rebels told him to surrender, he put the muzzle of his AK-47 under his chin and fired, Kabdi and Rafathi said.

Rebels had been growing critical of NATO, which accidentally hit opposition fighters in deadly airstrikes twice this month. They have complained that the alliance was too slow and imprecise, but Hassy, the rebel commander, said it is getting better.

"To tell you the truth, at first NATO was paralyzed but now they have better movement and are improving," he said.

The commander of the NATO operation, Canadian Lt. Gen. Charles Bouchard, stressed in a NATO statement that the point of the airstrikes was to protect civilians, not to work hand-in-hand with the rebels.

"The situation in Ajdabiya, and Misrata in particular, is desperate for those Libyans who are being brutally shelled by the regime. To help protect these civilians we continued to strike these forces hard," Bouchard said.

NATO noted that it is enforcing the no-fly zone on both sides, having intercepted a rebel MiG-23 fighter jet that it forced back to the airport Saturday.

In the embattled city of Misrata, the lone rebel outpost in the west of the country, residents said shelling continued Sunday, killing one and wounding two others seriously.

"We woke up at 7 a.m. from the tank fire," said a doctor working at the local hospital who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.

Libya's third-largest city has been pounded without cease for more than a month by Gadhafi's heavy weapons, but the rebels have managed to hold out.

In Tripoli, Libya's deputy foreign minister accused NATO of a double standard on the no-fly zone, claiming that government forces shot down two U.S.-built Chinook helicopters being used by rebel forces in the east of the country.

"We have a question for the allied forces — is this resolution made for the Libyan government only or everyone in Libya?" he asked.

The report could not be confirmed with the rebels, but journalists in the area did describe seeing at least one helicopter apparently fighting for the rebels in the area Saturday, though it lacked the distinctive double rotor design of the Chinook and appeared to be a Russian-built model.

____

Abbot reported from Benghazi, Libya. Altaf Qadri contributed to this report from Ajdabiya, Libya.

[Джон Рейнольдс]

Valjda je Gadafi na srpskom primeru naučio čemu vode ti "prekidi vatre".

[Anomander Rejk]

NATO je nezadovoljan Gadafijevom taktikom da skriva oružje u područjima u kojima žive civili, zbog čega su umanjeni efekti napada iz vazduha.

Znao sam ja da je taj Gadafi jedno najobičnije đubre, umjesto da lijepo postavi svu vojsku i naoružanje u brisani prostor, on im ometa bombardovanje. Ovo me inače podsjeća na onaj legendarni moment iz rata u Bosni, kad je NATO stoka nas bombardovala, a Karadžić fino lisicama privezao unproforce za mostove. Tada se svijet zgražavao nad takvim primitivizmom.

A stvarno, majko mila... zaista čovek dobije želju da ih pridavi kada čuje ovako nešto. Ajd što te ubijaju, nego ti još očitaju bukvicu što se ti lepo i precizno ne namestiš, da te zaboga lakše mogu ubiti...

[Meho Krljic]

Hague: Countries Must Be Harsher On Libya

Foreign Secretary William Hague has urged other countries to play a "stronger role" in military action against Libya, as key international talks on the crisis take place.

Mr Hague called for harsher sanctions on the Libyan government, humanitarian aid for rebel-held areas and a clear statement from world leaders that Colonel Muammar Gaddafi should go.

The Gulf state of Qatar is hosting the meeting of the new international contact group on Libya, amid growing calls for Nato to do more to destroy Col Gaddafi's weapons.

"We are encouraging other nations to play a stronger role in that," Mr Hague told Sky News ahead of the meeting.

"The Defence Secretary (Liam Fox) and I have been encouraging them for some days to do that, so that may be part of the discussion in the margins here as well as the Nato meeting in Berlin which many of us will be going to (on Thursday)."

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told delegates at the conference up to 3.6 million people in Libya may end up needing humanitarian assistance.

As Prime Minister David Cameron prepares to head to Paris for talks with President Nicolas Sarkozy on the conflict, the UK is pushing to set up an internationally-backed fund to provide aid, such as medical supplies, to rebel-held areas.

It is being described as an International Trust Fund, but it is not yet clear exactly how the system would work.

A Sky source in Doha said: "It's not a blank cheque. We need strong assurances that it is being used for what it is intended for."

Rebel leaders - who are using the conference to make their first diplomatic appearance on the world stage - have asked Western governments to give $1.5bn in aid to meet the needs of civilians.

They have dismissed a draft ceasefire agreement drawn up by the African Union because it did not require Col Gaddafi's immediate removal from power.

Tensions within Nato were clear as ministers discussed how to break the deadlock - divisions surfaced over arming rebels and increasing airstrikes, as well as efforts to provide funds to rebel forces.

Mr Hague earlier joined French foreign minister Alain Juppe in calling for Nato states to "intensify" their military action against regime forces attacking opposition-held cities such as Misratah, where the humanitarian crisis is said to be worsening.

Mr Juppe said Nato - which took over command of the operation from the US - was not doing enough and needed to "play its role in full".

A rebel spokesman has said oil fields controlled by forces opposed to Col Gaddafi are now producing 100,000 barrels per day of crude oil, but only a "minimal amount" is being exported.

The Libyan National Council said it had not received any cash for the one million barrels it has exported this month with the aid of Qatar. It said the priority is to protect its oil fields and do business deals later.

The spokesman said rebel leaders would go to Washington DC this week to meet US officials.

British ministers have found themselves under fire after it emerged Libyan defector Musa Kusa had been allowed to leave the UK to travel to Qatar ahead of today's talks.

The Foreign Office said Mr Kusa - an ex-intelligence chief who has been linked to the 1988 Lockerbie bombing - was "free to come and go" from the UK as he wished.

A spokesman said he would be offering his "insights" on the current situation in Libya to representatives of the Qatari government and others attending the talks in Doha.

But Conservative MP Robert Halfon, whose family fled Libya when Gaddafi took power, said the Government appeared to be treating Britain as "a transit lounge for alleged war criminals".

Officers from Dumfries and Galloway Police were allowed to question Mr Kusa last week as a "potential witness" in the Lockerbie bombing, in which 270 people died.

Mr Kusa - who was Libya's foreign minister until he fled the country - arrived in Britain at the end of March, having apparently told the regime he was going to Tunisia on a private visit.

The next meeting of the international contact group is due to be held in Italy in the first week of May.

[Tex Murphy]

Čekaj, pa zar nije Gadafi prihvatio neki mirovni plan koji su nenaoružani pobunjenici odbili?

[Джон Рейнольдс]

Ali nije Zapadu i njihovim pulenima predao naftna polja.

[Tex Murphy]

Ali nije Zapadu i njihovim pulenima predao naftna polja.

Kakva sad naftna polja? Zar zapadu nije bitno jedino da se zaustavi ubijanje civila???

[scallop]

Pa, jeste, ali ko će znati ko je tamo civil. Pucaju, teferiče i ne znaš ko će od njih sutra da se raznese da nekom mestu gde će naneti veću štetu. A nafta je realna stvar. Dok je šibanje natučeš cenu, pokupiš kajmak, pa onda kao sve je u redu, cena nafte padne, pa opet pokupiš kajmak. Cela svetska politika se svodi na kajmak, pa vi sad vidite.

[Джон Рейнольдс]

Ali nije Zapadu i njihovim pulenima predao naftna polja.

Kakva sad naftna polja? Zar zapadu nije bitno jedino da se zaustavi ubijanje civila???

Sprečava planirano ubijanje civila.

[Tex Murphy]

Ali nije Zapadu i njihovim pulenima predao naftna polja.

Kakva sad naftna polja? Zar zapadu nije bitno jedino da se zaustavi ubijanje civila???

Sprečava planirano ubijanje civila.

To!

[Meho Krljic]

Nemaju samo Amerikanci tapiju na kasetne bombe. Tvrde tabloidni Britanci sa Skaj Njuza:

Libya 'Uses Cluster Bombs' In Rebel City

Libya's military has fired cluster munitions into residential areas as it battles rebels for control of the western city of Misratah, a human rights group says.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said it saw at least three of the controversial devices - which scatter a number of smaller bomblets over the target - explode over the al Shawahda neighborhood on April 14.

Researchers also inspected the remnants of a cluster submunition discovered by a New York Times reporter, which the group said was from a Spanish-produced mortar projectile.

The area where HRW witnessed the use of cluster munitions is near the front line in the fighting which has raged for six weeks.

However, Libyan government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim rejected the allegations.

"I challenge them to prove it," he said. "To use these bombs, the evidence would remain for days and weeks, and we know the international community is coming en masse to our country soon, so we can't do this."

Libya has invited the UN children's fund to visit Misratah and on Saturday a Red Crescent and Red Cross team will go there, he said.

HRW said it had not been able to confirm if civilians had been killed or wounded by cluster munitions in Misratah, but said their use was "appalling".

"They pose a huge risk to civilians, both during attacks because of their indiscriminate nature and afterward because of the still-dangerous unexploded duds scattered about," said Steve Goose, HRW's arms division director.

The majority of countries in the world have banned the use of cluster munitions through the Convention on Cluster Munitions, but Libya is not among the signatories.

The accusations came as Colonel Gaddafi's forces bombarded Misratah with hundreds of rockets and reportedly battled their way into the city centre.

"Today was very tough... Gaddafi's forces entered Tripoli Street and Nakl al Theqeel road," a rebel spokesman said.

"Witnesses said they saw pro-Gaddafi soldiers on foot in the city centre today. Except for snipers, they usually stay in their tanks and armoured vehicles."

Anti-Gaddafi forces in Misratah have complained that Nato is not doing enough to help them, and it was reported that a Libyan military reconnaissance helicopter was able to fly over the city on Friday.

Britain and France are seeking to convince Nato allies to provide greater fire power, but US President Barack Obama has said the US will not increase its military role.

Takođe, Obama bi i da se jebe i da mu ne uđe:

Obama: 'Noose Tightening On Col Gaddafi'

Barack Obama has said the "noose is tightening" on Colonel Gaddafi but the US will not increase its military role in Libya.


In an interview with the Associated Press, he conceded there was a "stalemate" on the ground but insisted the White House never expected the Libyan leader to step down immediately.

"Gaddaffi is getting squeezed in all different kinds of ways," he argued, suggesting he was running out of money and supplies due to targeted economic sanctions and an arms embargo.

He also said he was "very impressed" with Nato's performance so far.

Eleven days ago control of the military mission "transitioned" from the US to Nato to enforce the implementation of UN Security Council resolution 1973.

The President said the US would continue to support the international effort with logistical help such as aircraft refuelling, but would not commit further US assets to the civilian protection strike missions, now being undertaken by other Nato countries.

The Pentagon has rebuffed suggestions from the UK, France and Nato commanders that the US could do more to help.

Rebels in Misratah have again demanded more from Nato as attacks by Gaddafi forces continue.

Colonel Dave Lapan said the Defence Department has already "chopped" or handed over to Nato, 11 aircraft which are being used to protect Libyan people from their own Government.

Speaking in Berlin, where she had been meeting other Nato foreign ministers, the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the alliance was looking for ways to provide funds to Libya's opposition.

"The opposition needs a lot of assistance, on the organisational side, on the humanitarian side, and on the military side," she said.

She underlined the President's message, that the US was a full partner in the coalition effort, but not the leading partner.

Both public appearances amplified a statement by President Obama, David Cameron and Nicolas Sarkozy, which was printed in three newspapers around the world.

In it, the three men attempted to heal any suggestion of a spat between the Nato allies and convince waverers on the UN Security Council that the resolve to enforce the mandate remains strong.

President Obama is also keen to convince US voters his administration has no intention of putting "boots in the ground" as it struggles to extract itself from Iraq and Afghanistan.  

[varvarin]

Skidam kapu, nisam znao za minobacačke projektile te vrste.
Nama su sledovale samo avionske klaster bombe...

[Meho Krljic]

Azerbejdžan nije baš arapska zemlja, ali:

Azerbaijan: Young Girl Held In Demo Crackdown

A young girl who shouted "freedom" was among dozens of people arrested as police in Azerbaijan snuffed out protests against the rule of president Ilham Aliyev.

Officials said 25 of those detained were later released following demonstrations in the capital Baku.

It was the latest abortive attempt by the opposition in the ex-Soviet republic to emulate recent uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa.

Reporters saw at least a dozen people bundled into police vans at a square in the city, including two Swedish journalists and a woman walking with her young child.

An opposition spokesman said several hundred had been arrested in various parts of Baku.

Flyers were scattered on the ground calling on hardline leader Aliyev to resign and for an "End to Dictatorship".

Small protests over the past several weeks have been given short shrift by authorities in the mainly Muslim country of nine million people, with more than 100 detained in April and March.

Azerbaijan is a major energy supplier to Europe and a transit route for US troops in Afghanistan.

Human rights groups say this has cushioned the country against Western critics of its record on democracy.

[Melkor]

Libya: Stalemate looms, warns Admiral Mike Mullen

The most senior US soldier, Adm Mike Mullen, has said the war in Libya is "moving towards stalemate", even though US and Nato air strikes have destroyed 30-40% of Libya's ground forces.

The US has authorised the use of armed, unmanned Predator drones over Libya to give "precision capabilities".

Libyan rebels have been battling Col Gaddafi's troops since February but have recently made little headway.

Adm Mullen also said there was no sign of al-Qaeda in the Libyan opposition.

Speaking to US troops in Iraq, he said radical groups might try to take advantage of the Libyan uprising, but added: "We're watchful of it, mindful of it and I just haven't seen much of it at all. In fact, I've seen no al-Qaeda representation there at all."

Last month, a Nato commander said US intelligence had picked up "flickers" of al-Qaeda activity among the rebels.

Meanwhile Senator John McCain has visited the rebel stronghold of Benghazi, the most senior US official to do so since the conflict began in February.

He called on all countries to recognise the rebels' Transitional National Council as "the legitimate voice of the Libyan people", and to offer weapons and training.
Urban targets

A fourth evacuation ship chartered by the International Organisation for Migration is on its way to rescue stranded migrant workers and wounded civilians from the besieged city of Misrata.

Here in Tripoli, Nato jets have been circling high in the sky. Explosions thudded around the city in the early hours of the morning. They sounded distant but were still powerful enough to rattle the windows.

The chairman of the US military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, estimates that Nato has destroyed 30-40% of Libya's main ground forces. Even so, he says the war is moving towards a stalemate.

That's because neither the Libyan army nor the rebels can land knockout blows. The American decision to deploy armed, unmanned predator drones will not win the war for the rebels. But the drones give Nato another option, and at a time when the air campaign seems to be in trouble, they represent American political support as well as more American firepower.

Col Gaddafi's forces have been pounding the city - the main rebel-held area in western Libya - for weeks.

Medics say more than 1,000 people have died since the fighting began, many falling victim to snipers.

The BBC has seen evidence that cluster bombs are being used by pro-Gaddafi forces in Misrata, a charge they have so far denied.

Government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim has warned the international community to stay out of Misrata, saying the government will "unleash hell" if foreign troops enter the city.

The US hopes the low-flying pilotless drones will be able to accurately target pro-Gaddafi units on the ground in built-up areas like Misrata, where there is a high risk of civilian casualties.

The Pentagon said the first drone mission took place on Thursday but turned back because of bad weather.

The BBC's Paul Adams in Washington said the use of drones - operated remotely from bases in the US - is both convenient and symbolic, allowing the White House to stick to its mantra of not putting boots on the ground in Libya.

But our correspondent adds that drones are not infallible, and that appalling mistakes have been made where they have been used in Pakistan, Yemen and Afghanistan.

The drone deployment has been welcomed by the rebels, but Libya's deputy foreign minister warned their use would increase civilian casualties and would not change the outcome of the conflict.

"They [drones] will kill more civilians and this is very sad," Khaled Khaim told the BBC. "It's for the Libyans to choose their destiny - not by sending more weapons or more air strikes, or more money and weapons to the rebels."

"I think what they are doing is undemocratic, illegitimate. I do hope that they will reverse their decision."
'Morale boost'

At a news conference in Benghazi, Mr McCain said the rebels should be offered "every appropriate means of assistance", including "command and control support, battlefield intelligence, training and weapons", AP reports.
US Sen John McCain (C) tours Benghazi, Libya (22 April 2011) Senator John McCain is the highest-ranking US official to visit rebel-held eastern Libya since the uprising began in February

Mr McCain said visiting the wounded in hospital had led him to question whether the world was doing enough to help.

"I would encourage every nation, especially the United States, to recognise the Transitional National Council as the legitimate voice of the Libyan people," he said.

On Thursday, Libyan rebels were reported to have seized control of a border post on the Tunisian border in a rare advance in the west.

Reports say about 100 government soldiers handed themselves in in Tunisia after intense fighting in the Western Mountains region.

Restrictions on journalists in remote areas of Libya mean it is hard to independently verify such reports.

The UN's refugee agency says more than 14,000 people have fled the Western Mountains into Tunisia in the past two weeks.

[Melkor]

Syria crisis: Obama condemns 'outrageous' use of force

US President Barack Obama has accused Syria of using "outrageous" force against anti-government protesters.

He condemned "in the strongest possible terms" Friday's violence, in which scores of protesters were killed, according to activists and witnesses.

Large crowds are expected to attend funerals for many of those killed, raising fears of further bloody confrontations.

Friday's death toll was the highest in a single day in five weeks of unrest.

Syria's state news agency said there had been a limited number of protests in some provinces and the violence was the work of armed criminal gangs.

It said security forces had used only tear gas and water cannon to prevent clashes.

Friday's bloodshed - which came a day after President Bashar al-Assad scrapped decades of emergency rule - brought strong international condemnation.

Human rights groups and activists gave death tolls ranging from just over 70 to more than 90, and one group said the death toll could reach 100.
'Brutal tactics'

Many of the deaths were reported to have occurred in the central city of Homs, the southern village of Izraa, and in a suburb of the capital, Damascus.

The issue of the video footage has definitely rattled and upset the regime, and they are hitting back with allegations that the whole thing is a put-up job.

I think the protesters are getting quite organised and maybe distributing better cameras as well. Certainly it's very impressive that within half an hour of a protest beginning the pictures start flowing.

I think quite a few of them are using international SIM cards in their mobile phones so that they can get around any attempts locally to block communications.

The state is responding to that with statements coming on the official news agency saying that these are fake videos that the army found people carrying bottles of blood in order to make up fake incidents which they would then film and distribute pictures of.

Video footage showed protesters scattering as they apparently came under fire.

Amnesty International said two boys aged seven and 10 were among those killed in Izraa.

"This outrageous use of violence to quell protests must come to an end now," Mr Obama said in a statement.

"Instead of listening to their own people, President Assad is blaming outsiders while seeking Iranian assistance in repressing Syria's citizens through the same brutal tactics that have been used by his Iranian allies."

Syria is widely believed to be a key part of an alliance that includes Iran, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in the Gaza Strip and other more radical Palestinian groups opposed to peace with Israel.

The US designates Syria a state sponsor of terrorism and already has sanctions in place.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for an independent investigation into the killings, while France said it was "extremely concerned" and condemned the violence.

"Light should be shed on these crimes and those responsible must be identified, arrested and brought to justice," foreign ministry deputy spokeswoman Christine Fages said.

Syrian authorities should "renounce the use of violence against their citizens", she added.
Growing confidence

The BBC's Kim Ghattas says the crowds across Syria on Friday are proof, if any was needed, that Mr Assad's concessions were belated and too symbolic.

The persistence of the demonstrations shows the growing strength and confidence of the protest movement, she says.

With foreign journalists unable to get into Syria, much of the reporting of the country has depended on footage distributed by opposition activists.

The official Syrian news agency said the army had found digital cameras containing short, fabricated videos depicting fake repression of protests on Friday.

It said armed gangs were carrying bottles of blood to be used in making fake films.

In their first joint statement since anti-government protests broke out, activists co-ordinating the mass demonstrations demanded the establishment of a democratic political system.

[Melkor]

A ovo je tek ludilo:

Libya crisis: Misrata tribes 'may fight rebels'


Tribes loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi have said that if the army cannot drive rebels from the besieged port city of Misrata, they will, a senior official says.

Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim said the army had tried to keep civilian casualties low but the tribes would not show the same restraint.

Colonel Gaddafi's forces have been pounding Misrata for weeks.

Meanwhile, Nato forces carried out more air strikes on the capital, Tripoli.

The Libyan government says three people were killed by the strikes.

Journalists were shown a concrete bunker near Col Gaddafi's Bab al-Azizia compound that received two hits early on Saturday.
Ultimatum

Aid organisations say Misrata - the main rebel-held area in western Libya - faces a humanitarian crisis after weeks of fighting. Human rights groups say more than 1,000 people there have died.

The BBC's Jeremy Bowen reports from Tripoli that the regime says the reason Col Gaddafi has remained relatively secure in the west of Libya is that the principal tribes - which wield a lot of power and influence in the country - are on his side.

However, the government has previously used the prospect of tribal civil war as a warning against rebel leaders and Nato intervention, and it may well be that the minister was making more of a threat than expressing the reality of what is going to occur, our correspondent says.

The regime is feeling increasingly isolated and is hoping for some kind of a diplomatic solution, he adds.
Continue reading the main story
At the scene
image of Jeremy Bowen Jeremy Bowen BBC Middle East editor, in Tripoli

A big concrete bunker was hit twice. It wasn't right in the centre of Col Gaddafi's leadership compound, it was what appears to be in a subsidiary part.

The weapons cut through the sandy earth on top of the bunker, then penetrated the concrete and reinforced steel.

Officials said it was used for storing water but I didn't think that was credible. However, there is no evidence of a secondary explosion which suggests the bunker did not contain ammunition.

There are lots of pro-Gaddafi protesters in the area. There are lines of cars driving up and down the road beeping their horns and waving green flags.

Anti-aircraft guns are mounted on a few pick-up trucks in the area and on a roundabout nearby is an encampment of volunteer human shields. Jets continue to fly over the city.

The comments came in a meeting between tribal leaders and the military in the area of Misrata still controlled by the government, Mr Kaim said.

He said the tribes were angry that people's lives had been disrupted by weeks of fighting that had cut the main coastal road and stopped trade in the city.

Tribal leaders say the seaport is for all Libyans and not just the rebels, Mr Kaim said.
'Surgical' tactics

In normal times Misrata is a major commercial centre and its port is second only to Tripoli.

"Now there is an ultimatum before the Libyan army. If they can't resolve the problem in Misrata then the people from the region... will move in," he told reporters.

He said the tribes would first try to persuade the rebels to lay down their arms, but if that failed they would move in. The army would stay where it was, he added.

"The tactic of the army is to have a surgical solution but with the (Nato) air strikes it doesn't work," Mr Kaim said.

The comments came amid reports of setbacks for pro-Gaddafi forces.

A wounded government soldier captured by rebels told Reuters news agency that Col Gaddafi's forces had been told to withdraw from Misrata on Friday, and rebels captured an eight-story insurance building from which dozens of government snipers had been operating.

Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khalid Kaim says tribes have given the Libyan army an ultimatum

Meanwhile, a fourth evacuation ship chartered by the International Organisation for Migration is planning to rescue more stranded migrant workers and wounded civilians from the besieged city.

Earlier, the most senior US soldier, Adm Mike Mullen, said the war in Libya was "moving towards stalemate", even though US and Nato air strikes have destroyed 30-40% of Libya's ground forces.

[Джон Рейнольдс]

Mislio sam da je Sirija sledeća na spisku za agresiju i pljačku, ali - eto - zaboravio sam pukovnika. Mogao bi dobitnik Nobelove nagrade za mir uskoro da uđe u neki rat, nije se baš pokazao s "podrškom" u Libiji.

[Lord Kufer]

Slobodni svet je - bankrot.

[Truba]

ode sve u 3 lepe materine skupa s nama svima ...

[Melkor]

Syrian army 'attacks protest city of Deraa

Syria's army has advanced into the southern city of Deraa, using tanks to support troops amid an intensified effort to curb popular protests.

One activist was quoted as saying that security forces were "firing in all directions", and at least five people were reportedly killed.

Witnesses also said security forces had opened fire in a suburb of Damascus.

A prominent human rights campaigner said President Bashar al-Assad had launched a "savage war" on protesters.

In the US, the Obama administration is considering imposing sanctions on senior Syrian officials to pressure the regime to stop its violent crackdown, Reuters news agency quoted a government official as saying.

itd.

[Lord Kufer]

Baš koga boli saKita za Sirijance. Nek idu nazad na Sirius odakle su i došli.

[pokojni Steva]

A, B... C?

[Meho Krljic]

Nisu baš Arapi i nije baš revolucija, ali:

Afghan military pilot kills 9 Americans

By RAHIM FAIEZ and LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press Rahim Faiez And Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press – 13 mins ago
KABUL, Afghanistan – An Afghan military pilot killed eight American soldiers and a U.S. contractor at the Kabul airport Wednesday after they argued at a meeting, officials said.

It was the deadliest episode of an Afghan turning against his coalition partners. The veteran military pilot was killed during the attack and five Afghan soldiers were injured.

Pentagon spokesman Col. Dave Lapan said all nine of those killed by the pilot were Americans. The Afghan Defense Ministry said the pilot fired on the Americans after an argument in an operations room of the Afghan Air Corps at Kabul airport.

"Suddenly, in the middle of the meeting, shooting started," said Afghan Air Corps spokesman Col. Bahader, who uses only one name. "After the shooting started, we saw a number of Afghan army officers and soldiers running out of the building. Some were even throwing themselves out of the windows to get away."

An Afghan pilot who spoke on condition of anonymity, identified the gunman as Ahmad Gul from Tarakhail district of Kabul province.

Dr. Mohammad Hassan Sahibi, the brother of the shooter, said his brother had been battling financial troubles. But Sahibi said his brother had no ties to insurgents.

"He was 48 years old," Sahibi told Tolo, a private television station in Kabul, "He served his country for years. He loved his people and his country. He had no link with Taliban or al-Qaida.

"He was under economic pressures and recently he sold his house. He was going through a very difficult period of time in his life."

Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the shooting and offered his condolences to the relatives of the victims. He said those killed were trainers and advisers for the Afghan air force. The president ordered his defense and security officials to investigate the recent incidents to determine why they occurred.

It was the seventh time so far this year that members of the Afghan security forces, or insurgents impersonating them, have killed coalition soldiers or members of the Afghan security forces.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the gunman was impersonating an army officer and that others at the facility helped him gain access.

However, Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi said the gunman was an Afghan military pilot of 20 years.

"An argument happened between him and the foreigners and we have to investigate that," Azimi said.

Taliban insurgents have stepped up their attacks on government and military installations across Afghanistan.

_On April 18, an insurgent managed to sneak past security at the heavily fortified Afghan Defense Ministry compound in the capital and killed two Afghan soldiers and an officer.

_Two days before that, an Afghan soldier walked into a meeting of NATO trainers and Afghan troops at Forward Operating Base Gamberi in Laghman province in eastern Afghanistan and detonated a vest of explosives hidden underneath his uniform. The blast, the worst before Wednesday's shooting, killed six American troops, four Afghan soldiers and an interpreter.

_On April, 15, a suicide bomber dressed as a policeman blew himself up inside the Kandahar police headquarters complex, killing the top law enforcement officer in the restive southern province.

_In northwest Afghanistan, a man wearing an Afghan border police uniform shot and killed two American military personnel on April 4 in Faryab. The gunman was upset over the recent burning of the Quran at a Florida church, according to NATO intelligence officials.

_In February, an Afghan soldier, who felt he had been personally offended by his German partners, shot and killed three German soldiers and wounded six others in the northern province of Baghlan.

_In January, an Afghan solider killed an Italian soldier and wounded another in Badghis province. The two soldiers were cleaning their weapons at a combat outpost when an Afghan soldier approached them with an M16 rifle and asked to use their equipment to clean his gun. The Italians saw that the Afghan soldier's rifle was loaded and asked him to unload it, at which point the Afghan soldier shot the two Italians and escaped from the base.

Before the airport shooting, the coalition had recorded 20 incidents since March 2009 where a member of the Afghan security forces or someone wearing a uniform used by them attacked coalition forces, killing a total of 36. It is not known how many of the 282,000 members of the Afghan security forces have been killed in these type of incidents.

According to information compiled by NATO, half of the 20 incidents involved the impersonation of an Afghan policeman or soldier. The cause of the other 10 incidents were attributed to combat stress or unknown reasons. NATO said that so far, there is no solid evidence — despite Taliban assertions — that any insurgent has joined the Afghan security forces for the sole purpose of conducting attacks on coalition or Afghan forces.

___

Baldor reported from Washington.

. At least one Afghan soldier was shot — in the wrist — but most of the soldiers suffered broken bones and cuts, Bahader said.