24 February 2011 Last updated at 11:32 ET
Col Muammar Gaddafi: ”You should not listen to Bin Laden and his followers”
Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi has told state TV that Osama Bin Laden and his followers are to blame for the protests wracking his country.
In a phone call addressed to residents of the town of al-Zawiya, Col Gaddafi said young people were being duped with drugs and alcohol to take part in “destruction and sabotage”.
Col Gaddafi is battling to shore up control of Tripoli and western areas.
Protesters have been consolidating gains in cities in the east.
Opposition politicians and tribal leaders have held a key meeting in the eastern town of al-Bayda to show a united front against Col Gaddafi.
‘This is your country’
The telephone call addressed al-Zawiya, 50km (30 miles) west of the capital, where there has been renewed gunfire reported in the streets.
Col Gaddafi said the protesters had no genuine demands and were being dictated to by the al-Qaeda leader.
“Bin Laden… this is the enemy who is manipulating people. Do not be swayed by Bin Laden,” he said.
“It is obvious now that this issue is run by al-Qaeda. Those armed youngsters, our children, are incited by people who are wanted by America and the Western world.
“Those inciting are very few in numbers and we have to capture them.”
He said the young protesters were “trigger happy and they shoot especially when they are stoned with drugs”.
He said that Libya was not like Egypt and Tunisia, which have seen their leaders deposed, because the people of Libya had it in their own hands to change their lives through committees.
The fact that Col Gaddafi chose to speak on the telephone to Libyan TV has raised the most serious questions yet over his whereabouts. He gave no indication that he was in the country, whereas on Tuesday he was seen speaking from the ruins of the building in Tripoli bombed by the US in the 1980s.
This latest rant by the Libyan leader has provided the first confirmation of serious fighting to the west of the capital. That could be a clear indication that his powerbase is shrinking, as many observers have speculated. Today’s broadcast was a rallying call to the people of al-Zawiya. Col Gaddafi again played the al-Qaeda card to invoke fear of a possible Islamist insurgency led by supporters of Osama Bin Laden.
The telephone call to state TV ended suddenly as Col Gaddafi hung up. Some will say he remains defiant. Others will interpret the latest utterances as a further show of desperation and instability on the part of the Libyan leader.
“This is your country and it is up to you how to deal with it,” he said.
Calling the situation in al-Zawiya a “farce”, he urged families to rein in their sons, saying many of the protesters were underage and beyond the reach of the law.
But he also vowed that those carrying out violent protests should be put on trial.
This was Col Gaddafi’s second live TV appearance since the protests erupted on 15 February.
On Tuesday he said he would die a martyr in Libya and fight to the “last drop” of his blood. The latest broadcast was a lot shorter – about 20 minutes compared with 75 minutes on Tuesday.
Heavy gunfire has been reported in al-Zawiya and there are reports of a police station on fire.
One civilian leaving through the Tunisian border told Reuters: “It is chaotic there. There are people with guns and swords.”
An eyewitness told Associated Press that soldiers had opened fire on protesters holed up in the city’s Souq Mosque, while a doctor at a field clinic told AP he had seen 10 bodies and 150 wounded people.
Information from Libya remains difficult to verify and many reports cannot be independently confirmed.
Zuara, 120km west of Tripoli, was said to be in the hands of anti-government militias and defence committees of civilians, with no sign of police.
British oil worker Bryan Richards describes scenes of ‘mass hysteria’ at Tripoli Airport (The amateur video accompanying this interview is purportedly recent footage of the scene in Libya)
Fighting is reported between pro- and anti-government forces in Misrata, Libya’s third-biggest city, 200km east of Tripoli.
Pro-Gaddafi forces are said to have also launched attacks in Sabratha and Sabha.
But Tripoli, under government control, and cities in the east, held by the protesters, are generally said to be calm.
In Benghazi, protesters were building defences against a possible counterattack by pro-Gaddafi forces.
Oil prices climb
Opposition tribal leaders and politicians met in al-Bayda in the east to demonstrate a united front against Col Gaddafi in one of the first signs of organisation for a bigger fight against the government.
Help for UK nationals
- The Foreign Office is advising against all but essential travel to Libya
- UK nationals in Libya wishing to get on the charter flight are advised to call the following numbers:
- 020 7008 0000 from the UK or 021 3403644/45 from within Libya
Pictures broadcast by al-Jazeera showed delegates giving speeches in a conference hall, amid loud chants against Col Gaddafi.
Former justice minister, Mustafa Abdel-Jalil, who recently resigned in protest at the violence against anti-government demonstrators, said there would be no talks with the Libyan leader and called for him to step down immediately.
The total number of deaths has been impossible to determine. Human Rights Watch says it has confirmed nearly 300 deaths, but the International Federation for Human Rights says at least 700 people have been killed, while Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said estimates of 1,000 dead were “credible”.
Masses of foreigners are still struggling to leave Libya with the situation at Tripoli airport described as mayhem.
Briton Helena Sheehan, arriving back in London, said: “The airport is like nothing I’ve ever seen in my whole life. It’s absolute chaos. There’s just thousands and thousands of people trying to get out.”
Oil prices have hit their highest levels in two-and-a-half years.
Brent crude hit $119.79 (£74.08) a barrel in early Thursday trade, before falling back to $115.04. Oil firms – including Total, Repsol, OMV and Wintershall – have been suspending all or part of their production in Libya this week.
from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12570279
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Muammar Gaddafi was born on June 7th, 1942
June 7th, 1942
June 7th
6 + 7 +2+0+1+0 = 16 = his personal year (from June 7th, 2010 to June 6th, 2011) = Shocks. Suprises. Unpredictable. Expect the unexpected. Anything can happen.
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19 March 2011 Last updated at 21:14 ET
The UK, US and France have attacked Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi’s forces in the first action to enforce a UN-mandated no-fly zone.
Pentagon officials say the US and the UK have fired more than 110 missiles, while French planes struck pro-Gaddafi forces attacking rebel-held Benghazi.
Col Gaddafi has vowed retaliation and said he will open arms depots to the people to defend Libya.
Missiles struck air defence sites in the capital, Tripoli, and Misrata.
A French plane fired the first shots against Libyan government targets at 1645 GMT, destroying a number of military vehicles, according to a military spokesman.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron confirmed that British planes are in action over Libya.
Analysis
Paul Adams BBC News, Washington
Despite the fact that it was French war planes which launched the first attacks, it’s clear that this early phase of the operations is an overwhelmingly American affair – all but a very small number of cruise missiles have been fired from American ships and submarines.
Only they have the capability to inflict the sort of damage to Libya’s air defences that’s needed before a no-fly zone can be safely patrolled, a point alluded to by President Obama even as he repeated the limits of American involvement.
President Obama has launched these attacks with great reluctance and seems anxious that this not be interpreted as yet another American-led foray into the Arab world.
But for all his desire to be seen to take a back seat, he and everyone else knows that this sort of thing doesn’t happen unless Washington is deeply involved.
US President Barack Obama, speaking during a visit to Brazil, said the US was taking “limited military action” as part of a “broad coalition”.
“We cannot stand idly by when a tyrant tells his people there will be no mercy,” he said.
He repeated that no US ground troops would take part.
After the missile bombardment and the air strikes, Col Gaddafi made a brief speech calling on people to resist.
“Civilian and military targets in the air and sea will be liable to serious danger in the Mediterranean,” he said.
“Arms depots are now open and the masses are being equipped with all sorts of weapons in defence of Libya’s independence, unity and honour,” the Libyan leader warned.
Later, state TV said 48 people were killed and 150 wounded in the attacks. There was no independent confirmation of the statement.
‘Necessary’
Britain’s Ministry of Defence said a British submarine and a number of Tornado jets fired missiles at Libyan military targets.
Mr Cameron said that launching military action against Libya was “necessary, legal and right”.
Libyan state TV reported that what it called the “crusader enemy” had bombed civilian areas of Tripoli, as well as fuel storage tanks supplying the western city of Misrata.
Sources in Tripoli told BBC Arabic that the attacks on the city had so far targeted the eastern areas of Sawani, Airport Road, and Ghasheer. These are all areas believed to host military bases.
After midnight on Sunday, heavy bursts of anti-aircraft fire arced into the sky above Tripoli and several explosions were heard.
The strikes on Misrata targeted a military airbase, the Reuters news agency reported, quoting two residents who denied the state TV reports that fuel stores were hit.
Allied forces
- UK: Providing Typhoon and Tornado jet fighters; surveillance planes; HMS Westminster and HMS Cumberland; submarines
- France: Carried out mission with at least 12 warplanes including Mirage fighters and Rafale jets; deploying aircraft carrier, warships
- US: Firing guided missiles from USS Barry and USS Stout; providing amphibious warships, and command-and-control ship USS Mount Whitney
- Italy: Nato base at Naples understood to be central hub; other Mediterranean bases made available
- Canada: Providing six F-18 fighter jets and 140 personnel
The cruise missiles were fired from one British submarine and a number of American destroyers and subs, said a Pentagon official.
The missiles hit more than 20 air defence sites along the Mediterranean coast, said Navy Vice Adm William E Gortney.
The action came hours after Western and Arab leaders met in Paris to agree how to enforce the UN resolution, which allows “all necessary measures” to protect civilians from forces loyal to Col Gaddafi.
Benghazi battle
Earlier on Saturday, pro-Gaddafi forces attacked Benghazi despite declaring a ceasefire a day earlier.
Reports from the city said that government tanks and artillery had bombarded the city and there was fighting around the university.
Rebels in the city said thousands of people were fleeing the attack, heading east, and the UN refugee agency said it was preparing to receive 200,000 refugees from Libya.
Journalists later said the bombardment ended in the later afternoon and that rebel forces were in control of Benghazi.
The Libyan government blamed the rebels for breaking the ceasefire and said its forces had fought back in self defence.
French planes are reported to have hit government tanks and armoured vehicles around Benghazi.
French planes also flew reconnaissance missions over “all Libyan territory”, military sources in Paris said earlier.
In addition, Canada is sending warplanes to the region, while Italy has offered the use of its military bases. A naval blockade against Libya is also being put in place.
The international community was intervening to stop the “murderous madness” of Col Gaddafi, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said.
“In Libya, the civilian population, which is demanding nothing more than the right to choose their own destiny, is in mortal danger,” he warned. “It is our duty to respond to their anguished appeal.”
Shortly after the airstrikes began, Libyan state TV said a French plane had been shot down near Tripoli. However, French military officials said all their planes had returned safely.
Col Gaddafi has ruled Libya for more than 40 years. An uprising against him began last month after long-time leaders of neighbouring Tunisia and Egypt were toppled.
from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12796972
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Libya was born on December 24, 1951 according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libya#Independence_and_the_Kingdom_of_Libya_1951.E2.80.931969
December 24th, 1951
December 24th
12 + 24 +2+0+1+0 = 39 = Libya’s personal year (from December 24th, 2010 to December 23rd, 2011) = The story is only half told when one side tells it.
39 year + 2 (February) = 41 = Libya’s personal month (from February 24th, 2011 to March 23rd, 2011) = Viability. Opening up.
41 month + 19 (19th of the month on Saturday March 19th, 2011) = 60 = Libya’s personal day = Outsiders. Foreigners. Foreign involvement.
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numerology behind the news 