Revolutie in Libië #53 : Met Saif, meer geweld en Mickey Mouse

Hopelijk klopt het van Ras Lanuf.

7:30pm

The Libyan government has taken foreign press on an escorted tour of Az Zawiyah, a western city previously controlled by rebel forces. About 100 foreign journalists witnessed a pro-Gaddafi rally in the main square, where demonstrators shouted "I love Gaddafi, I love Gaddafi" in English.

Ian Lee
Just returned from Zawiyah. Utter destruction. Graves of rebel fighters in city square bulldozed over. Of a city of roughly 50 thousand, only a few hundred were celebrating the rebels defeat in the city square.



Here's what the gov wanted journos to visit in Zawia. A rally.

[ Bericht 11% gewijzigd door yavanna op 11-03-2011 18:57:02 ]

Ban Ki-moon, UN secretary-general, has just appointed Abdel Ilah al-Khatib as his special enboy to Libya.

Al-Khatib has served twice as foreign minister of Jordan and now serving as a senator in Jordan. Ban Ki-moon says:

All this violence has very severe humanitarian implications. But my envoy will deal with a broad range of issues ...

The violence must stop, and the humanitarian workers must be able to help those people in need ...

I have not contacted [the transitional national council]. Recognition of the council is a matter for the General Assembly member states.

On sending weapons to anti-Gaddafi rebels:

The UN Security Council is discussing a broad range of options, but it is up to the member states of the Security Council to determine a future course of action.

Ban Ki-moon's full statement on appointing former Jordanian foreign minister Abdel Ilah al-Khatib as special envoy to Libya:

We have just concluded very detailed discussions concerning the full dimension of the crisis in Libya and the role he will play.

As the former Foreign Minister of Jordan, he brings to the job a seasoned understanding of the dynamics of the region and a wealth of experience.
This is a critical and demanding assignment. I am grateful to him for taking it on.

Our most immediate challenge is humanitarian. With each day, the death toll mounts and the situation of the Libyan people grows more desperate. We have all seen how the fighting has escalated. Civilians have borne the brunt of the violence. Increasingly, they are being targeted.

My message has been strong and consistent. The violence must stop.
Humanitarian aid must get to those in need. Those responsible for violence against civilians will be held accountable. A peaceful resolution must be found.

That is why I have decided to dispatch Mr. Al-Khatib to Libya soon. He will depart from New York over the weekend, joined by a team that includes senior humanitarian officials, as well as staff from the Department of Political Affairs and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

They are expected to arrive in Tripoli very soon early next week.

Their objective will be to assess the situation on the ground and undertake broad consultations with Libyan authorities on the immediate humanitarian, political and security situation.

I have instructed Mr. Al-Khatib to convey, in no uncertain terms, the concerns of the United Nations and the international community as expressed in Security Council resolutions.

Mr Al-Khatib will report back to me. As he continues his work, he will need to consult broadly with Libyan authorities and other parties, as well as with neighboring states and regional organizations, on how best to resolve the crisis.
Yesterday, I met with members of the Security Council, who informed me that they are continuing to engage fully on the issues, both to ensure the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1970 as well as to consider next steps.

For my part, I have been consulting very widely with world leaders, focusing chiefly on Libya, but also the wider challenges in the region.

In every conversation, at every opportunity, I have urged leaders to listen to the voices of their people, to heed their aspirations for change, and to advance toward a better future, through dialogue and fully inclusive democracy.

I will be in the region myself later next week, when I intend to visit Egypt and Tunisia. Just before that, I will also confer with Central American leaders in Guatemala.

At a meeting in Brussels earlier today, all 27 leaders of the European Union agreed that the current Libyan government must go, though they stopped short of announcing any military intervention in the crisis in the country.

Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher is in Brussels, and filed this report.

Q&A: Libyas stalled revolution
Libyan rebels in Ras Lanuf, 11 March


Some rebel forces have been compelled to retreat

For a short while following the Day of Rage announced by opponents of the Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi in mid-February, it seemed that the regime's time was coming to an end and that Libyans would soon follow the examples of Tunisia and Egypt in toppling their long-serving leader.

But now there appears to be no rapid end to the conflict in sight.

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Ras Lanuf