Libya Govt. Thought Defected Mussa Kussa Went to Tunisia for Medical Treatment
THE TRIPOLI POST: Talking for the first time to the press about the defection of former Libyan Foreign Minister Mussa Kussa, to the UK, Libyan government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim said he understood that Mr Kussa had resigned.

Initially, the Libyan government denied that Mr Kussa had defected, claiming he was merely on a "diplomatic mission", but now, after adnitting [sic] to Mr Kussa's resignation, the Libyan spokesman said the former FM had needed some medical treatment for a few days in Tunisia. He was given permission to do so, and he was expected back.

Moussa Ibrahim: "He (Mr Mussa) asked for sick leave because he had diabetes and high blood pressure. The government gave him permission to leave the country, because he needed to look after himself and he was in bad need of medical care. We understand now he has resigned from his position," he said.

Then he added: "He is an old man. He has serious health problems - his heart, his body, could not take the pressure and we hope that he will recover mentally, psychologically and physically and rest.

Ibrahim Moussa said: "We are expecting him to come back. This is his homeland. We are his family," adding that if Mr Kussa did decide to return to Libya, he would be welcomed with "open arms".

The Libyan leader Muammar Al Qathafi, meanwhile, has issued a warning to the West about their actions, reportedly telling the Libyan news agency, JANA: "They have started something dangerous, something they cannot control. It will be out of their control no matter what methods of destruction they have at their disposal. Continue reading and comment » | Thursday, March 31, 2011

Question Marks Over Reported Libyan Defections
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's forces may have put rebel fighters on a backfoot but cracks are widening inside his government. Al Jazeera's Anita McNaught reports from Tripoli on the Libyan government's response to the reported defection of several of its diplomats

Spanish Crown Prince Stirs Gibraltar Controversy with Prince of Wales
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Spain's Crown Prince Felipe has told the Prince of Wales that a solution must be found for Gibraltar, stirring age old diplomatic tensions between the two nations.

The Spanish heir to throne waded into the centuries old row over the disputed territory at the foot of the Iberian Peninsula at a gala dinner to welcome the Prince and the Duchess of Cornwall on their first official visit together to Spain.

"I express my hope that our authorities make progress towards a solution to our historic bilateral dispute which is yet to be resolved," said the 43-year-old Prince of Asturias in a speech at the Palacio Real in Madrid.

Although he did not mention Gibraltar by name it was clear he was referring to the tiny peninsula on Spain's southwestern tip, which Madrid ceded to London under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713.

Spain still claims sovereignty over the Rock, home to 28,000 Gibraltarians, who in a 2002 referendum overwhelmingly rejected a deal to shared sovereignty between the two nations and demanded to remain a part of Britain.

The royal couple have avoided Gibraltar during their first official joint tour of the Iberian Peninsula, skirting the inevitable controversy that a visit to the disputed territory would produce in Spain. » | Fiona Govan, Madrid | Thursday, March 31, 2011

Cameron Approved Decision to Allow Moussa Koussa to Defect to UK
THE GUARDIAN: Prime minister says Gaddafi's henchmen should 'come to their senses' and follow defecting foreign minister by abandoning Lybian regime

David Cameron approved the decision to allow the Libyan foreign minister, Moussa Koussa, to defect to Britain with at least one member of his family after consulting the US, Downing Street has said.

Cameron said Muammar Gaddafi's henchmen should "come to their senses" and follow Koussa by abandoning the "brutal regime".

And he reiterated that "no deal" had been made with the minister in exchange for his defection to Britain.

Koussa's defection has led to expectations that he will be questioned about his possible involvement in, or knowledge of, atrocities including the Lockerbie bombing and the murder of PC Yvonne Fletcher.

Scottish prosecutors have told the Foreign Office they want to interview him in connection with the 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie.

His 15-year tenure as the head of Libyan foreign intelligence covered this period, but he has always denied that Libya was involved in the bombing. (+ video) » | Nicholas Watt and Hélène Mulholland | Thursday, March 31, 2011

Libyan Security Service Chiefs Key in Determining Fate of Gaddafi Regime
THE GUARDIAN: Heads of external security and military intelligence will play a significant role in shaping post-revolution Libya, experts say

In the Libyan capital, Tripoli, international journalists have taken to playing a kind of parlour game.

They try to calculate which officials and members of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's family are important in a regime that is so opaque at times as to be – in practical terms – impenetrable.

Of Gaddafi's sons, is it Saif al-Islam, the most visible and accessible to the world, who invited in the international media? Or Saadi, a businessman? Is it Khamis, the most active on the battlefield – and the most hardline?

It is speculation that has only increased with the defection to the UK of Moussa Koussa, Libya's foreign minister and former intelligence chief. Even before his flight to Britain questions were being asked. Had Koussa been sidelined in the last two years since taking over at the foreign ministry? And if he had been sidelined, by whom? And what does it mean?

What seems beyond doubt is that Koussa has long represented the old guard which for decades was close to Gaddafi, but which – if the Tripoli rumour mill is to be believed – has recently been pushed aside by Gaddafi's competing sons.

Others suggest that, ironically, Koussa may have become tainted in Gaddafi circles by virtue of his success in opening up contacts with western intelligence agencies, with whom he negotiated Libya's transformation from pariah status in the last decade. » | Peter Beaumont | Thursday, March 31, 2011

Geert Wilders Steps Up Anti-Islam Rhetoric
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Geert Wilders has stepped up his anti-Islam rhetoric by describing the Prophet Mohammed as an "insane, paedophile, rapist murderer" just two weeks before the opening of his trial on charges of inciting race hatred.

The leader of hard-Right Dutch Freedom Party will be prosecuted in an Amsterdam court on April 13 for previous comparisons of Islam to Nazism.

On Thursday he fuelled the controversy surrounding his anti-Muslim politics and trial by publishing an article citing academics who accuse Islam's founder of crimes ranging from child rape to murder.

"The historical Mohammad was the savage leader of a gang of robbers from Medina. Without scruples they looted, raped and murdered," Mr Wilders claimed in the Dutch magazine HP/De Tijd.

In the article, Mr Wilders, whose Freedom Party MPs control the balance of power in the Dutch parliament, attacked fines levied on an Austrian feminist "for insulting a religion by calling Mohammad a paedophile".

"However, that is the truth," he wrote, citing the Muslim prophet's consummation of a marriage to a wife who claimed she was a child aged nine at the time. » | Bruno Waterfield | Thursday, March 31, 2011

Forces Clash over Libyan Oil Town
Mar 31 - Libyan rebels are locked in battle with pro Gaddafi troops for control of the eastern oil town of Brega. Simon Hanna reports

Ni armes aux rebelles, ni soldats au sol en Libye, dit Longuet
REUTERS FRANCE: PARIS - La France n'a pas déployé en Libye de troupes au sol dans le cadre des opérations de la coalition internationale contre les forces du colonel Mouammar Kadhafi, a déclaré jeudi le ministre de la Défense.

Lors d'un point de presse à son ministère, Gérard Longuet a ajouté que la livraison d'armes au rebelles libyens, aux prises avec les forces de Kadhafi, n'était "pas à l'ordre du jour".

"Il y a une limite technique dans la résolution 1973, c'est qu'il n'y a pas d'occupation au sol", a-t-il dit, précisant qu'un envoyé spécial à Benghazi, fief des insurgés, constituait pour l'heure la seule présence française sur le sol libyen.

Gérard Longuet s'est rendu cette semaine à bord du porte-avions Charles-de-Gaulle au large des côtes libyennes, d'où partent une partie des avions engagés dans l'opération armée contre les forces de Mouammar Kadhafi, en vertu de la résolution 1973 des Nations unies adoptée le 17 mars.

Interrogé sur l'hypothèse d'une assistance militaire ou de livraisons d'armes à l'opposition libyenne, le ministre a répondu: "Une telle assistance n'est pas à l'ordre du jour parce qu'elle n'est pas compatible avec la résolution 1973." » | Elizabeth Pineau, édité par Patrick Vignal | Jeudi 31 Mars 2011

Wulff hält Bankern wegen Finanzkrise Standpauke
REUTERS DEUTSCHLAND: Berlin - Bundespräsident Christian Wulff hat den Banken die Leviten gelesen.

Die Ursachen der Finanzkrise seien nicht beseitigt, warnte das Staatsoberhaupt am Donnerstag auf dem Deutschen Bankentag in Berlin: "Ohne einen grundlegenden Kurswechsel drohen neue Finanzkrisen." Noch eine Rettungsaktion mit Steuer-milliarden könne sich der Staat nicht leisten. Auch Kanzlerin Angela Merkel warnte, die Institute könnten sich bei künftigen Finanzkrisen nicht auf neue Staatshilfen verlassen. Die Branche räumte Fehler ein, warnte aber vor einer Überlastung ihrer Ertragskraft durch die Regulierungsoffensiven der Politik.

"Haben wir aus den Fehlern wirklich gelernt?", fragte Wulff die versammelte deutsche Hochfinanz: "Mein Fazit lautet: Nein - weder haben wir die Ursachen der Krise beseitigt, noch können wir heute sagen: Gefahr erkannt - Gefahr gebannt." Er habe Zweifel, dass der mit der Pleite der US-Investmentbank Lehman Brothers im Herbst 2008 ausgelöste globale Schock dauerhaft nachwirke. "Manchmal scheint mir, dass dank der staatlichen Krisenmaßnahmen der Schreck bei vielen verflogen ist und die alten Verhaltensweisen zurückgekehrt sind." Die Krise habe die Politik an die Grenze ihrer Möglichkeiten gebracht. Eine so große, konzertierte Rettungsaktion sei nicht wiederholbar.

Bis Ende des vergangenen Jahres hatte der Staat zur Stützung wackelnder Banken Garantien von bis zu 400 Milliarden Euro und bis zu 80 Milliarden Euro an Eigen-kapitalhilfen bereitgestellt. Überall in Europa mussten sich die Regierungen schwer verschulden, um ihre Geldinstitute zu sichern. Das ist eine der Hauptursachen für die grassierende Schuldenkrise in der Euro-Zone. » © Reuters | Donnerstag, 31. März 2011

Misurata Doctor Describes Civilian Casualties
A doctor in Misurata, a city in western Libya that has been besieged by forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi, told Al Jazeera on March 28 that his hospital has treated more than 1,500 injured people and taken in more than 200 killed since the conflict began mroe than 40 days ago

The Defection of Moussa Koussa
Gaddafi's foreign minister has flown to Britain and is reportedly seeking refuge after abandoning the regime in Libya.
 A former spy chief, Koussa is not guaranteed a warm reception in the country, after he was expelled as Libyan ambassador to the UK, having said he would attempt to eliminate political opponents there.
 Al Jazeera's Tim Friend has more

Yemen Protesters Reject Saleh's Offer
Yemen's president has made a new offer to end the country's political crisis after talks with opposition parties stalled on Saturday.
The proposal suggests that Ali Abdullah Saleh stay in his position, but hand over some of his power to a caretaker government. But it's not enough for tens of thousands of protesters in Sanaa.
Our correspondent, who we are not naming for safety reasons, filed this report

Iran Celebrates Nowruz
Representatives from more than 20 countries are in Iran this week to celebrate the Nowruz festival, or "Persian New Year"

Inside Story: Steps towards Peace in Libya

Profile: Moussa Koussa
A look at Moussa Koussa, the Libyan foreign minister's career and the steps that led to his escape to the UK

A World View Interview with [the Great] Benjamin Netanyahu
Channel 2 and YouTube bring you a special interview with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, in which citizens ask questions about the peace process, unrest in the Middle East, and more

The Pinnacle of Incompetence
THE JERUSALEM POST: When the US director of national intelligence calls the Muslim Brotherhood a ‘largely secular’ organization we know we’re in trouble.

It is commonplace for the views of people in power to receive widespread exposure. Having presumably won their stripes in an arduous climb to the top, they are believed to know best what’s going on.

This presumption, however, is not only wrong, but is often the inverse of the truth. Given bureaucracy’s predilection for conformity, it is rarely the best and brightest who reach the top, but rather the yes-men sycophants – whether by rising to their level of incompetence, as the Peter Principle famously asserts, or by stumbling upward through successive failures, or by simply “being there” long enough.

Thus we have England’s national soccer team manager, Sven Goran Eriksson, putting Wayne Rooney on a par with soccer’s best-ever player, the legendary Pele. Yet rather than have his professional judgment questioned, the overpaid manager was allowed to lead his under performing team for three more trophy-less years.

Or take US Director of National Intelligence James Clapper’s astounding description of the Muslim Brotherhood as a “largely secular” organization.

Shouldn’t he know what countless newspaper readers know full well – the Brotherhood is probably the world’s foremost Islamist organization, committed to the establishment of a worldwide caliphate. How else is one to interpret its motto – “Allah is our objective. The prophet is our leader. The Koran is our law. Jihad is our way. Dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope”? Now Baroness Eliza Manningham- Buller, former director of MI5 (Britain’s FBI equivalent), has joined the march of folly. In her first television interview since leaving her job four years ago, she argued that the “war on terror” is unwinnable, and urged the British government to “reach out” to al-Qaida. “It’s always better to talk to the people who are attacking you than attacking them, if you can,” she explained.

This gives the idea of appeasement a whole new meaning. Even the most notorious incident – the Anglo- French surrender of Czechoslovakia to Hitler in the 1938 Munich agreement – took place prior to any German military aggression. Once the Nazis invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, London and Paris attempted no further talks, but declared war on Germany.

In contrast, by the time Manningham-Buller made her startling suggestion, al-Qaida had massacred tens of thousands in the name of Islam – from the 9/11 attacks, to the ongoing slaughter in Iraq, to bombings in Yemen, Bali, Sharm e- Sheikh and Madrid. Yet neither these atrocities, nor the July 2005 London bombing, which took place under her watch, seem to have shaken the former director’s belief that outreach to the Islamist group would curb its murderous zeal: “If we can get to a state where there are fewer attacks, less lethal attacks..., fewer young people being drawn into this, less causes – resolution of the Palestinian question, less impetus for this activity, I think we can get to a stage where the threat is thus reduced.” » | Efraim Karsh | Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Al Qaeda to Obama: Thanks
THE WASHINGTON TIMES – EDITORIAL: Toppling Arab governments feeds Islamist revolution

President Obama’s advisers give him credit for energizing the Arab revolts and saving the Libyan rebels. For al Qaeda’s leadership, this is all a gift from Allah.

Al Qaeda central’s views are detailed in the latest issue of their English-language propaganda magazine Inspire, which features a special section on “The Revolution.” American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki writes in an essay entitled “The Tsunami of Change” that, “Our mujahideen brothers in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and the rest of the Muslim world will get a chance to breathe again after three decades of suffocation. For the scholars and activists of Egypt to be able to speak again freely, it would represent a great leap forward for the mujahideen.”

Al Qaeda has always recognized that the greatest obstacles to jihadist progress in the Middle East were what they call the “apostate regimes,” the generally pro-Western kings and authoritarian rulers who have kept a lid on violent extremists like al Qaeda and other groups. As these regimes totter and fall, the conditions are being created for the kind of radical change the Islamists have been working towards for decades. » | Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Related articles here and here

‘Freelance Jihadists’ Join Libyan Rebels
THE WASHINGTON TIMES: Ex-al Qaeda member speaks out

A former leader of Libya’s al Qaeda affiliate says he thinks “freelance jihadists” have joined the rebel forces, as NATO’s commander told Congress on Tuesday that intelligence indicates some al Qaeda and Hezbollah terrorists are fighting Col. Moammar Gadhafi’s forces.

Former jihadist Noman Benotman, who renounced his al Qaeda affiliation in 2000, said in an interview that he estimates 1,000 jihadists are in Libya.

On Capitol Hill, Adm. James Stavridis, the NATO commander, when asked about the presence of al Qaeda terrorists among the rebels, said the leadership of the opposition is made up of “responsible men and women.”

“We have seen flickers in the intelligence of potential al Qaeda, Hezbollah,” the four-star admiral said. “We’ve seen different things. But at this point, I don’t have detail sufficient to say that there’s a significant al Qaeda presence, or any other terrorist presence, in and among these folks.”

The military is continuing to “look at that very closely,” he said, because “it’s part of doing due diligence as we move forward on any kind of relationship” with the opposition.

Outside observers generally estimate the number of trained Libyan fighters to be about 1,000. » | Eli Lake, The Washington Times | Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Libya Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa Must Face Atrocities Trial, Rebels Declare
THE GUARDIAN: Rebel leadership wants defector returned and tried for crimes against humanity once Gaddafi is toppled

Libya's rebel leadership has called for Moussa Koussa, the former Libyan foreign minister who has defected to the UK, to be returned for trial for murder and crimes against humanity after Muammar Gaddafi is toppled.

Mustafa Gheriani, a spokesman for the revolutionary council in its de facto capital, Benghazi, said that the rebels were not bent on revenge against the regime's officials but that some of Gaddafi's closest associates "have a lot of blood on their hands" and must stand trial.

The British foreign secretary, William Hague, has said that Britain is not offering Koussa immunity from prosecution, and called for other regime figures to abandon Gaddafi.

Gheriani alleged that Koussa had been partly responsible for assassinating opposition figures in exile, murderous internal repression and the Lockerbie plane bombing.

"We want to bring him to court," Gheriani said. "This guy has so much blood on his hands. There are documented killings, torturing. There's documentation of what Moussa Koussa has done. We want him tried by Libyan people. I believe once we have our government 100% in control in Libya, things are normalised, we want him tried here. I think international law gives us that right."

Gheriani said it was up to Britain to decide whether to arrest Koussa in the meantime. Koussa's arrival in London was evidence that Gaddafi's regime was "starting to crumble". He expected other senior officials to follow.

"He is a very, very major person to defect. Gaddafi trusted him more than some of his sons. Now Gaddafi doesn't even trust his own people any more," Gheriani said. » | Chris McGreal in Benghazi | Thursday, March 31, 2011

Krieg in Libyen: „Wir bleiben hier bis zum Ende“
FRANFURTER ALLGEMEINE: „Dies ist unser Land. Wir sind stark an jeder Front“, sagt der Sprecher des Gaddafi-Regimes. Der libysche Machthaber und dessen Söhne seien entschlossen, „bis zum Ende“ zu bleiben. Zuvor hatte sich Außenminister Mussa Kussa nach London abgesetzt.

Der libysche Machthaber Muammar al Gaddafi und dessen Söhne halten sich nach Angaben der Regierung weiter im Lande auf. Sie seien entschlossen, „bis zum Ende“ zu bleiben, sagte Regierungssprecher Mussa Ibrahim am Donnerstag in Tripolis: „Gehen Sie davon aus, wir sind alle hier. Wir werden hierbleiben bis zum Ende. Dies ist unser Land. Wir sind stark an jeder Front.“

Libyens Außenminister Mussa Kussa hatte sich zuvor nach Großbritannien abgesetzt. Er gehörte zum inneren Kreis um Gaddafi, dessen Truppen seit Wochen gegen Rebellen kämpfen. Wie das britische Außenministerium mitteilte, informierte Kussa die Regierung in London über seinen Rücktritt. Er wolle nicht mehr länger die Regierung Gaddafis international repräsentieren. Die Nachrichtenagentur Reuters hatte zuvor bereits von einer dem Minister nahestehenden Person erfahren, Kussa wolle in Großbritannien um politisches Asyl bitten. Er sei geflohen, weil er gegen Angriffe auf die Zivilbevölkerung gewesen sei. » | FAZ.NET mit AP/AFP/dpa/Reuters | Donnerstag, 31. März 2011

Atombehörde empfiehlt weitere Evakuierungen

Mussa Kussa setzt sich nach London ab

Gaddafi Winning Ground War, Coalition Battles On

Libya: Is the West Playing into Al-Qaeda's Hands?
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Islamists have had a marginal role in these revolutions – but that could be changing, writes Peter Bergen.

As the fortunes of Colonel Gaddafi's forces and the Libyan rebels continue to see-saw, many commentators are calling for the West to arm the opposition forces. Yet the disclosure on Tuesday that US intelligence agencies have picked up "flickers" of an al-Qaeda presence among the rebels has set off a fierce debate within the Obama administration – and the wider coalition – about whether giving them weapons may inadvertently help the enemies of the West.

Part of the problem, according to a senior US intelligence official, is that the American government is largely flying blind when it comes to the exact make-up of rebel forces. So how legitimate are the worries about al-Qaeda opportunistically inserting itself into the civil war?

Much of the concern centres around the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), a jihadist organisation founded in the mid-1990s that waged a low-level guerrilla war against Gaddafi. In recent years, it had publicly rejected al-Qaeda's ideology and entered into a ceasefire with the government, as a result of which 700 militants have been released from jail over the past four years.

Some of these have since joined the rebels, meaning that Islamist militants certainly make up some unknown percentage of their forces. Yet Noman Benotman, a former LIFG leader based in London, points out that the LIFG "never carried out attacks against the West nor against civilians", suggesting that its members are more interested in regime change in their own country than a global holy war.

Weighed against this, however, is the fact that al-Qaeda's overall number three is a Libyan known as Abu Yahya al-Libi, who has recently appeared on a half-hour videotape on jihadist forums claiming that the West is propping up Arab dictators and exhorting his countrymen to take up arms against Gaddafi. Also, there is the cache of al-Qaeda documents recovered in Iraq in 2007, containing information about some 700 foreign fighters, many of whom had volunteered to be suicide bombers. Around 20 per cent were from Libya – one of the smaller Arab countries in terms of population – and of these, most were from the east, the heartland of the opposition to Gaddafi. Continue reading and comment » | Peter Bergen | Thursday, March 31, 2011

Bahrain Hardliners to Put Shia MPs On Trial
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Bahrain is facing renewed turmoil after regime hardliners began preparations to put on trial Shia legislators accused of backing protests.

The kingdom’s parliament effectively stripped 11 MPs from the Wefaq party – a quarter of the legislature’s sitting members – of their immunity from prosecution, signalling a further hardening of the ruling family’s position.

Western human rights activists also accused the regime of torturing wounded protesters being held in a hospital in the capital Manama. » | Adrian Blomfield, Middle East Correspondent | Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Al-Qaida Leaders Welcome Arab Uprisings, Says Cleric
THE GUARDIAN: Anwar al-Awlaki uses online magazine to explain why the Middle East revolts are not a setback for al-Qaida

Senior al-Qaida leaders have welcomed the uprisings in the Arab world in their first comprehensive statement on recent events, published in an internet magazine earlier this week. Anwar al-Awlaki – the radical preacher who grew up in America but is now a fugitive in Yemen – used a lengthy article in an English-language magazine called Inspire to explain why the revolts sweeping the Middle East were not a setback for al-Qaida.

"Our mujahideen brothers in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and the rest of the Muslim world will get a chance to breathe again after three decades of suffocation," Awlaki wrote in an article entitled The Tsunami of Change.

The magazine also featured translated excerpts of earlier statements by senior figures in al-Qaida, such as deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahiri which had previously only been posted in obscure extremist forums.

Zawahiri calls on the "people of freedom and honour in Tunisia, Egypt and in each of the Islamic lands" not to let their recent efforts go to waste. His statement appears to have been written before the fall of President Hosni Mubarak nearly two months ago. » | Jason Burke | Thursday, March 31, 2011

Libya: Barack Obama 'Signed Order for CIA to Help Rebels'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama signed a secret order authorising covert US government support for rebel forces seeking to oust Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, according to government officials.

Mr Obama reportedly signed the order, known as a presidential "finding", within the last two or three weeks.

Such findings are a principal form of presidential directive used to authorise secret operations by the Central Intelligence Agency. The CIA and the White House declined immediate comment.

The New York Times reported that the CIA has had clandestine operatives who have been gathering intelligence for air strikes and making contact with the rebels for several weeks.

News that Mr Obama had given the authorisation surfaced as the president and other US and allied officials spoke openly about the possibility of sending arms supplies to Col Gaddafi's opponents, who are fighting better-equipped government forces.

In interviews with American TV networks on Tuesday, Mr Obama said the objective was for Col Gaddafi to "ultimately step down" from power. » | Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Moussa Koussa Profile: High-profile Lockerbie Spymaster
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Moussa Koussa, the Libyan foreign minister who defected from Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's regime, was one of the architects of its rehabilitation in the international community but a deeply controversial figure who is likely to pose David Cameron a particularly thorny political problem.

As the highest-profile defection from the ranks of Col Gaddafi's loyalists, he is a plum prize who is likely to be of great value in helping to dismantle his dictatorship.

The former spy chief's resignation also comes at a critical time in the coalition's attempts to dislodge Col Gaddafi, as the rebels are retreating under fresh onslaughts and Whitehall sources suggested they were unlikely to win without arms or training from outside.

So his information and contacts among Col Gaddafi's generals will be all the more valuable.

However, the former head of Libya's external intelligence, was the mastermind accused of planning the Lockerbie bombing and any attempts to rehabilitate him are likely to be an exceedingly hot potato.

Mr Koussa has been a close confidant of Col Gaddafi's for 30 years and helped secure the release of the Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi. Continue reading and comment » | Andy Bloxham, and Damien McElroy | Wednesday, March 30, 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Libya: Moussa Koussa resigns – factbox: Libyan foreign minister Moussa Koussa arrived in Britain on Wednesday and has quit Muammar Gaddafi's government, according to the Government » | Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa Defects to Britain
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Libya's foreign minister will be questioned by the Foreign Office today after defecting to Britain from Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's government.

Moussa Koussa flew into Britain yesterday and told officials "no longer willing" to serve the regime, in a significant blow to the dictator.

The move was welcomed in Whitehall where fears have been growing that poorly organised Libyan rebels cannot defeat Gaddafi without being given arms or training on the ground.

"We encourage those around Gaddafi to abandon him and embrace a better future for Libya that allows political transition and real reform that meets the aspirations of the Libyan people," a Foreign Office spokesman said.

David Cameron had earlier admitted that the Government was considering arming the rebels following talks in London with Libyan opposition leaders.

Rebel forces were forced to retreat again and surrendered several towns in the face of heavy resistance from troops loyal to the regime. » | Thomas Harding, and Robert Winnett | Thursday, March 31, 2011

THE GUARDIAN: Libya: Moussa Koussa, Gaddafi's foreign minister, defects to UK – Moussa Koussa says he is no longer willing to represent the regime in a morale boost for the rebels » | Patrick Wintour , Richard Norton-Taylor , Nick Hopkins , and Chris McGreal in Ajdabiya | Thursday, March 31, 2011

Libya: Rebels Retreat from Ajdabiya in See-saw Battle
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The latest swing of the pendulum saw panicked rebel fighters fleeing their fleetingly-held gains in the west of Libya.

"Back to Benghazi!, defend Benghazi!" yelled one young man from the back of his pickup as it tried to force its way through a traffic jam at a squalid checkpoint strewn with rubbish.

Only five days earlier rebels had burst out of their eastern base of Benghazi following a storm of Nato air strikes that had left Col Muammar Gaddafi's tanks and armour as smoking wrecks.

That five-day Libyan rebel offensive ended yesterday in desperate flight as the rebels hour-by-hour deserted all their gains to fall back once again to their stronghold. The total reverse was the latest tilt of the see-saw: eastern rebels have twice approached Col Muammar Gaddafi's home town of Sirte and twice fled back. They are starved of weapons and unprotected by more attacks from British, French and American warplanes. » | Ben Farmer, Ajdabiya | Wednesday, March 30, 2011

THE GUARDIAN: Libya rebels flee as Gaddafi retakes Brega: Government tank and artillery fire forces opposition fighters to abandon ground won since Nato air strikes began » | Chris McGreal in Ajdabiya and James Meikle | Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Is the Qur'an a Miracle?

UK Takes Steps to Expel Five Libyan Diplomats - Hague
BBC: The UK has taken steps to expel five Libyan diplomats, Foreign Secretary William Hague has said.

Updating MPs, Mr Hague said the five - which include the military attache - "could pose a threat" to UK security.

Meanwhile, David Cameron said the UK was not ruling out providing arms to rebels in "certain circumstances" but no decision had yet been taken.

Shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander questioned the legality and "advisability" of such a move.

The rebels are continuing to lose ground to forces loyal to Colonel Gaddafi and are retreating from their former strongholds along the eastern coast of Libya.

Earlier, the prime minister's official spokesman rejected suggestions the UK's stance on the possibility of supplying weapons to them had shifted in recent weeks.

'Grave concern'

The coalition military action is aimed at enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya and protecting civilians from attacks by forces loyal to its leader Col Gaddafi. It has denied air strikes are meant to provide cover for a rebel advance.

The foreign secretary's statement came after the allies held a summit in London on Tuesday to discuss Libya's future.

Mr Hague said: "To underline our grave concern at the [Gaddafi] regime's behaviour, I can announce to the House that we have today taken steps to expel five diplomats at the Libyan embassy in London, including the military attache.

"The government also judged that, were these individuals to remain in Britain, they could pose a threat to our security." (+ video) » | Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Western Non-democratic Software for Middle East

Moscow "Alarmed" by Reports of Al-Qaeda Presence in Libyan Opposition
RUSSIA TODAY: As Washington considers arming the Libyan opposition against the government of Muammar Gaddafi, Russia fears it might be putting weapons into the hands of the world’s most notorious terrorist group.

Moscow officials on Wednesday expressed alarm that al-Qaeda may be working inside the ranks of the Libyan opposition. “Quite alarming reports are coming, which say that al-Qaeda elements could very likely be present among the opposition forces,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters at a news conference. “This certainly alarms us.” Lavrov added that the “plague” in the form of al-Qaeda terrorism could “spread all over the region and not only there."

The Russian foreign minister was certainly referring to the possibility that any arms delivered to the Libyan opposition could all-too-easily slip into the hands of fundamentalists and extremists. » | Robert Bridge, RT | Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Bahrain 'Targets' Wounded Protesters
THE INDEPENDENT: Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday that Bahrain authorities were harassing and isolating hospital patients wounded in anti-government protests when security forces began a crackdown in the kingdom two weeks ago.

Bahrain's Sunni rulers this month imposed martial law and brought in troops from Sunni-led Gulf neighbours, including Saudi Arabia, to quell weeks of unrest during pro-democracy demonstrations led mostly by the state's Shi'ite majority.

Twenty-four people were killed in the ensuing clashes, the government said on Tuesday. The opposition Wefaq party says 250 people have been detained and another 44 have gone missing since the crackdown.

The security measures were condemned by Iran, the main Shi'ite power in a region dominated by Sunni Muslim rulers, which said they could lead to a wider conflict.

Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled al-Khalifa said Iran should stop its "offensive" against Bahrain, telling pan-Arab daily al-Hayat that political dialogue could only start once security had been restored in the island kingdom. Opposition parties reiterated denials of any foreign backing on Wednesday.

US-based Human Rights Watch said it was concerned Bahrain forces were targeting hospital patients who were protesters or bystanders in scattered demonstrations that broke out last Friday in a planned "Day of Rage" that police quickly quashed.

"Human Rights Watch (HRW) has documented several cases in which patients with protest-related injuries were transferred to or sought treatment at Salmaniya and were then severely harassed or beaten," it said in a statement. » | Erika Solomon, Reuters | Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Another Step Closer to Sharia Law: TV Alcohol Advertising Ban Proposed
THE INDEPENDENT: A bid to impose a total ban on alcohol advertising on television has been launched in Parliament.

The legislation, proposed by GP and Tory MP Sarah Wollaston, would also prevent alcohol brands being used to sponsor sporting and cultural events.

Under her plan to limit children's exposure to alcohol marketing, tightly controlled advertising would only be permitted in certain circumstances with a blanket ban on all other promotion.

Dr Wollaston (Totnes) has cross-party backing for her move, but critics labelled it an extension of the "nanny state". » | David Hughes, PA | Wednesday, March 30, 2011

In Search of the Spirit of Al-Andalus
With the Moorish architecture of Granada's Alhambra and Córdoba cathedral as a backdrop, Marcel Theroux meets a group of Spanish Muslims who are drawing on the area's Islamic legacy to a promote a new religious tolerance

Syrian President Fails to Lift Emergency Laws
President Bashar al-Assad has defied expectations on Wednesday that he would lift Syria's decades-old emergency law after nearly two weeks of protests that have presented the gravest challenge to his 11-year rule.
Addressing the nation for the first time since the start of the unprecedented wave of protests, inspired by uprisings across the Arab world, Assad said he supported reform but offered no new commitment to change Syria's one-party political system.
Al Jazeera's correspondents have more on this developing story

FOCUS ONLINE: Assad – Verschwörer versuchen Syrien zu zerstören: Syriens Staatspräsident Baschar al Assad hat in seiner Rede an die Nation Verschwörer für die Proteste in Syrien verantwortlich gemacht. Die Verschwörer – Satellitensender und andere Medien – versuchten, Syrien zu zerstören, erklärte Assad in seiner Rede vor dem syrischen Parlament. Wider Erwarten hob Assad den seit fast 50 Jahren geltenden Ausnahmezustand in Syrien nicht auf. » | gxs/dapd | Mittwoch, 30. März 2011

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Altbekanntes aus Syrien: Der Gehalt der Rede Assads, auf welche Syrer wie der Rest der Welt seit Tagen mit großer Spannung gewartet hatten, war ein Dokument der Selbsttäuschung. Assad repräsentiert die Welt von gestern. Einfach kapitulieren wird er nicht. » | Von Wolfgang Günter Lerch | Mittwoch, 30. März 2011

Saudi Arabia Faces New Canadian Blood Donation Restrictions
MONTREAL GAZETTE: Saudi Arabia has been added to the list of countries whose one-time residents are not allowed to donate blood in Canada.

Canadian Blood Services said this week it is imposing the ban after learning of a "probable case" of a rare and fatal degenerative brain disease — variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease — in a Canadian resident who lived in Saudi Arabia between 1980 and 1996.

The Canadian blood agency said it's believed the person picked up the disease several years ago, likely from imported British beef. The person was not a blood donor or recipient.

There have also been two other suspected cases of the disease outside Canada linked to current or former residents of Saudi Arabia, the release said. » | © Postmedia News | Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Bahrain Opposition Leader Warns Against Foreign Interference
RADIO FREE EUROPE / RADIO LIBERTY: Bahrain's Shi'ite opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salem today urged Iran to keep out of his country's internal affairs.

Salem also demanded the withdrawal of foreign troops deployed in Bahrain, warning against the kingdom being turned into a "conflict zone" between Saudi Arabia and Iran. » | Compiled from agency reports | Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Qaddafi Troops Launch Fresh Offensive
Mar 29, 2011 – Rebels retreat after fierce fighting

Libya - Muammar Gaddafi Interview - TV Eye
Extracts from an exclusive 'TV Eye' interview of Libyan Leader, Colonel Muammar Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi. In this 1981 interview the Gaddafi speaks about the USA, terrorism and also his feelings on the assassination of the Egyptian President Anwar Sadat
Watch the interview here

Brilliance and Insight from Melanie Phillips: Humpty in Toytown and the Arab Boomerang
THE SPECTATOR: One can only gape in stunned amazement at the extent of the idiocy being displayed by the leaders of America, Britain and Europe over the ‘Arab Spring’ – which should surely be renamed ‘the Arab Boomerang’.

First of all, their declared policy is utterly incoherent. They claim that their aim in Libya is not regime change. Yet bombing Gaddafy’s compound hardly signals their desire that he should stay alive, let alone in power. Yesterday Obama said Gaddafy should leave power. Today he said overthrowing Gaddafy by force would be a mistake. In similar vein, Britain’s Foreign Secretary William Hague says the UK wants Gaddafy to leave power -- but that’s not regime change, because apparently it’s up to him to decide to do so. Presumably, for both Hague and Obama, if Gaddafy did decide to give up power this would have nothing whatever to do with the fact that they are bombing Libyan forces fighting for him to retain power. And they would also have us believe that the fact that the western air strikes are enabling the Libyan rebels to advance does not mean that the west intends its air strikes to enable the rebels to advance.

One is reminded of Humpty Dumpty, who told Alice in Through the Looking Glass: ‘When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less’. Especially where the restrictive wording of a UN resolution is involved.

And what might the results of this incoherent support for freedom against tyranny be? Well, in Egypt the Muslim Brotherhood appears to be in pole position to come to power in the elections planned for later this year. And in Libya, either Gaddafy will survive, in which case the begetter of the atrocity against the west over Lockerbie will doubtless be sufficiently enraged against the west to return to anti-western terror; or, should he fall, there seems to be a more than sporting chance that the Islamists he has until now fought off will eventually come out on top. Continue reading and comment » | Melanie Phillips | Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Krieg in Libyen: Streit über Waffenlieferung an die Aufständischen
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: In Amerika wird darüber gestritten, ob Libyens Auf-ständische bewaffnet werden sollen. Befürchtet wird, ungewollt Terrororganisationen zu fördern. Auch London erwägt Waffenlieferungen. Truppen Gaddafis eroberten derweil den Ölhafen Ras Lanuf.

In der amerikanischen Regierung gibt es offenbar große Zweifel am Sinn von Waffenlieferungen an die libyschen Rebellen. Es sei eine heftige Debatte darüber entbrannt, ob die Aufständischen bewaffnet werden sollten, berichtete die „New York Times“ am Mittwoch. Im Weißen Haus, Außenministerium und Pentagon gehe die Angst um, ungewollt Terrororganisationen mit Waffen zu versorgen.

„Al Qaida in dem Teil des Landes ist offensichtlich ein Thema“, zitiert die Zeitung einen hohen Regierungsbeamten. Die amerikanischen Geheimdienste versuchten zurzeit fieberhaft, Informationen über die Oppositionellen zu beschaffen. Amerikas Präsident Barack Obama hatte sich in Interviews am Dienstagabend (Ortszeit) nicht festgelegt, ob er für eine Bewaffnung der Aufständischen ist, einen solchen Schritt aber auch nicht ausgeschlossen.

Der Nato-Oberkommandeur, der amerikanische Admiral James Stavridis, hatte vor einem Senatsausschuss in Washington ausgesagt, dass es zumindest Hinweise darauf gebe, dass sich Mitglieder von Al Qaida und der schiitischen Hizbullah-Bewegung unter den befinden könnten. » | FAZ.NET | Mittwoch, 30. März 2011

Bachar el-Assad n'annonce aucune réforme en Syrie
LE POINT: Le président syrien fait face depuis plusieurs jours à des contestations.

Le président syrien Bachar al-Assad est intervenu publiquement mercredi pour la première fois depuis le début de la contestation dans son pays, sans annoncer la levée de l'état d'urgence, une mesure hautement symbolique que lui seul a le pouvoir de prendre. Bachar el-Assad a prononcé un discours télévisé devant le Parlement, au cours duquel étaient attendues l'annonce de la fin de l'état d'urgence en vigueur depuis près d'un demi-siècle et de nouvelles lois sur les médias et le pluralisme politique. Mais le président syrien, qui est apparu détendu face à un auditoire acquis, ne s'est finalement pas engagé sur la mise en oeuvre de réformes pour calmer la contestation sans précédent depuis son arrivée au pouvoir en 2000.

"Nous sommes totalement favorables à des réformes. C'est le devoir de l'État. Mais nous ne sommes pas favorables à des dissensions", a-t-il poursuivi, avant d'indiquer que la lutte contre la corruption et le chômage était une "priorité" du prochain gouvernement. Le cabinet dirigé depuis 2003 par Mohammad Naji Otri a démissionné mardi, et la presse syrienne a affiché mercredi sa préférence pour un gouvernement de technocrates afin de mener à bien les réformes. Mais le dirigeant syrien n'a annoncé mercredi aucune des mesures de libéralisation du régime, dont l'imminence avait été annoncée par ses proches. » | Source Reuters | Mercredi 30 Mars 2011

Geert Wilders 'Hate' Trial to Go ahead in Amsterdam
BBC: The trial of Dutch political leader Geert Wilders on charges of inciting hatred against Muslims is to go ahead, an Amsterdam court has ruled.

Mr Wilders, whose Freedom Party props up the government, had argued the court could not try the case as the alleged offences took place in The Hague.

He insists his remarks on Islam were part of a legitimate political debate.

An original trial was halted last October after claims of bias by Mr Wilders against the judges were upheld.

Mr Wilders has described Islam as "fascist", comparing the Koran to Hitler's Mein Kampf.

In his ruling on Wednesday, Judge Marcel van Oosten said the court would pursue the charges against him for the comparisons he had made with Nazism, according to Dutch media. » | Wednesday, March 30, 2011

DEUTSCHE WELLE: Dutch court orders resumption of Wilders race hate trial: After months of adjournments and objections, a Dutch court has given the go-ahead for the race hate trial of Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders, who faces charges including inciting hatred. » | Darren Mara (AFP, AP, dpa) | Wednesday, March 30, 2011

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Court orders trial of Dutch anti-Islam MP » | AFP | Wednesday, March 30, 2011

London Summit Doesn’t Rule Out Exile for Gadhafi
THE GLOBE AND MAIL: Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi may be offered a way out, even as the more than 40 nations gathered in London vowed to keep bombing his battered forces into submission.

The tough talk of relentless pressure aimed to oust the unpredictable and brutal despot who has ruled Libya for 41 years didn’t entirely drown out hints of possible exile and the possibility of avoiding a war crimes trial, with UN envoy Abdel-Elah Al-Khatib was headed to Tripoli.

Col. Gadhafi and his sons have so far vowed to fight to the death and unleashed a new salvo of furious accusations at what he calls Western “Crusaders.”

Still the possibility of exile remained.

“It depends on the country which may offer to welcome Gadhafi,” Italy’s Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said.

American, British and Canadian warplanes are flying bombing runs from Italian airbases, but the government in Rome remains fearful that a prolonged civil war or Col. Gadhafi regaining the military advantage would threaten Italy with a flood of hundreds of thousands of Libyan refugees.

Mr. Frattini, said “no country” has yet offered the Libyan leader exile, “even the African countries which may be ready” to consider it. Africa’s other pariah despot, Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe, may be Col. Gadhafi’s best hope for a comfortable exile on the continent. Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez, another Col. Gadhafi admirer, might also offer the Libyan leader safe haven. » | Paul Koring | Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Inside Story: Libya's End Game
Inside Story presenter Kamahl Santamaria, discusses with Oliver Miles, a former British ambassdor to Libya; Mustafa Alani, director of the Security Progamme at the Gulf Research Centre and Aly Abuzaakouk, president of the Libyan Human and Political Development Forum

Church Blames Liberalism for Deepening Social Gap in Russia
RUSSIA TODAY: The Russian Orthodox Church has come up with its view of the current situation in the country. According to its report, many of the problems Russia is facing are rooted in alien liberal values.

­The document called “Tranfiguration and Modernization: Spiritual Basics, Aims, Risks and Chances” was presented during a meeting of the Economy and Ethics council curated by Patriarch Kirill, Nezavisimaya Gazeta newspaper reports. The authors are concerned about the fact that “in the background of official optimistic rhetoric, protest mood is growing in the country”. They quote statistics which suggest that the number of “discontented Russians ready to take part in protest rallies is nearing half of the population”.



Going deeper into the reasons for the current state of the country, the authors conclude that the problem is in liberal ideas which became popular in the 1990s. They put most blame on individualism, consumerism, and the cult of money. In their opinion, this “implies the liberation of a sinful personality” who is given the right to discharge everything that limits him or her in self-accomplishment, including moral values. In this perspective, liberal values are completely opposite to Christianity. » | Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Russia’s Most-wanted Terrorist Reportedly Killed in Air Strike

Verbunden »

Eleven More Opposition Members Quit Bahrain Parliament
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES: The parliament of Bahrain has accepted the resignations of eleven Shia opposition politicians, thereby widening the gulf between the Sunni ruling elite and the largely Shia protest movement in the tiny kingdom.

The state-controlled Bahrain News Agency reported that eleven members of the opposition Al Wefaq party quit to protest the government’s violent crackdown on protesters. Seven other Wefaq officials had previously quit over the same grievance.

Al Wefac, which has refused to enter into any dialogue with the ruling family, is the largest and most prominent of Bahrain’s seven opposition parties. » | Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Qatar Becomes First Arab Country to Recognize Libyan Rebels
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES: The tiny Persian Gulf state of Qatar has become the first Arab nation to recognize the rebels of Libya as representing that country’s legitimate ruling body.

The announcement comes following an oil marketing contract between the Benghazi-based rebels and Qatar.

Reportedly, the Qatar Petroleum company agreed to market crude oil produced from oil fields in eastern Libya, which are now firmly under rebel control.

"We contacted the oil company of Qatar and thankfully they agreed to take all the oil that we wish to export and market this oil for us," said Ali Tarhouni, a rebel official in charge of economic, financial and oil matters, according to media reports.

"Our next shipment will be in less than a week," he said, speaking from the rebel-held city of Benghazi. » | Monday, March 28, 2011

Egypt’s Fundamentalist Salafists Rise in Wake of Mubarak’s Fall
THE WASHINGTON POST: DUBANAH AL-KABIRAH, Egypt — The Egyptian revolution has brightened the future for many of the 3,000 people in this dusty farming village. Bribery has diminished at city hall, police have stopped harassing peasants and city-slicker businessmen can no longer buy their way into juicy land deals.

But perhaps the most obvious winners are the scowling men in long, black beards. They are the Salafists, Islamic fundamentalists who would like to see the strictest form of Islam applied to the way people live in Dubanah al-Kabirah, all of Egypt and across the Middle East.

Under President Hosni Mubarak, thousands were jailed indefinitely without trial or charges, part of Mubarak’s campaign to prevent Egypt from heeding the call to jihad from Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda underground. That left most of the traditionally easygoing Muslims of Dubanah al-Kabirah free to practice the conservative but tolerant strain of Islam for which Egypt has long been known.

But since Mubarak fell Feb. 11, many Salafists held for years without a legal basis have been released, here and across the country. In Dubanah al-Kabirah, they have returned home, and the most aggressive of them are seeking to impose their radical views with a boldness they would never have dared exhibit in Mubarak’s days.

Dubanah al-Kabirah, near the Nile about 70 miles south of Cairo, is just one tiny village in a nation of 80 million people and an Arab region of 340 million. But what is happening here is a cautionary tale about the unforeseeable consequences of nearly all the political uprisings that have exploded across the Middle East since December.

The youthful protesters who occupied Cairo’s Tahrir Square demanded genuine Western-style democracy, a goal applauded in Washington and around the world. The generals who took over from Mubarak have promised that goal will be reached eventually. But Mubarak’s departure set in motion a process that could change Egypt in many other ways as well, ways that Washington would find harder to applaud. » | Edward Cody | Friday, March 25, 2011

The US Honours Lebanese Writer Ameen Rihani
The first Arab-American writer to have an English language book published in the US is remembered

Nancy Soderberg Speaks to Al Jazeera
Nancy Soderberg, a former US ambassador to the United Nations, says the United States may consider providing "defensive weapons" to anti-Gaddafi fighters in Libya - but doing so "quietly". She tells Al Jazeera that officials will always seek to further their strategic interests, but that the US did not create the armed rebel groups, and doesn't entirely know who they are.

Bahrain Security Accused of Excessive Force

Tensions Rise over Bahrain 'Land Grab'

Gaddafi Issues Defiant Challenge to Libya Conference in London
THE GUARDIAN: Libyan leader condemns 'crusader strategy' amid speculation that his foreign minister has defected

Muammar Gaddafi told the London conference discussing Libya's future without him that there was no room for compromise with the Benghazi-based rebels, whom he described bluntly as al-Qaida terrorists supported by Nato and representing no one.

Far from showing any sign of bending to demands from Barack Obama, David Cameron and other world leaders that he step down, Gaddafi issued a characteristically defiant challenge to what he called a "new crusader strategy or imperialist plan".

But three powerful explosions that shook Tripoli in mid-afternoon – apparently the first daylight attack in 10 days of UN-mandated air strikes – seemed to presage a possible escalation of the conflict. Libyan officials made no comment.

In another dramatic development, there was speculation that Gaddafi's foreign minister, Mousa Kousa, might have defected during a visit to Tunisia.

The Libyan leader warned that the UN-imposed no-fly zone would turn north Africa into "a second Afghanistan" in an extraordinary letter sent to the European Parliament, the US Congress and "the Europeans" meeting in London.

"Stop your barbaric and unjust offensive against Libya," he wrote. "Leave Libya for the Libyans. You are carrying out an operation to exterminate a peaceful people and destroy a developing country. We are united behind the leadership of the revolution, facing the terrorism of al-Qaida on the one hand and on the other hand terrorism by Nato, which now directly supports al-Qaida."

The full text shows the Libyan leader to be baffled by the ingratitude of the world towards him after years of rapprochement and utterly dismissive of concerns about the use of violence against his own people. » | Ian Black in Tripoli | Tuesday, March 29, 2011

West's Fears over Spectre of al-Qaeda among Rebels
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: It should come as no surprise to the West that intelligence officials have identified "flickers" of al-Qaeda among the Libyan rebels seeking to overthrow the regime of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

Since widespread anti-government protests erupted in Libya last month Col Gaddafi has repeatedly claimed that al-Qaeda was actively involved in stirring up the unrest. At the start of the uprising he even made the bizarre claim that al-Qaeda had supplied Libyans with pills that induced them to revolt. "Our children have been manipulated by al-Qaeda," he declared.

Saif al-Islam, his second eldest son and heir apparent, has also made much of al-Qaeda's role in the revolt, warning the West that it has made a "terrible mistake" in backing the rebels. "Believe me, one day when you wake up, you will find that you support the wrong people," he said after French warplanes had bombed Libya's air defences. "You've made a terrible mistake."

While the Gaddafi regime has undoubtedly exaggerated the extent of al-Qaeda's influence in their country, there is nevertheless disturbing evidence that the Islamist terror group is seeking to turn the current political unrest to its advantage.

The Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, a militant Islamist group committed to the establishment of a fundamentalist Islamic state in Libya, was set up in 1995 by groups of Libyan jihadi fighters who had returned home after fighting with the Mujahideen in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union.

The LIFG later established ties with like-minded organisations, particularly al-Qaeda's North African wing, which is predominantly based in Algeria and has claimed responsibility for a number of terrorist attacks against European targets. » | Con Coughlin | Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Libya: Al-Qaeda among Libya Rebels, Nato Chief Fears
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Libyan rebel forces may have been infiltrated by al-Qaeda fighters, a senior American military commander has warned.

Admiral James Stavridis, Nato's Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, said that American intelligence had picked up "flickers" of terrorist activity among the rebel groups. Senior British government figures described the comment as "very alarming".

The admission came as the American, Qatari and British Governments indicated that they were considering arming rebel groups, who yesterday suffered a series of setbacks in their advance along the Libyan coast towards Tripoli.

The plan is likely to spark further splits in the international coalition, with Nato and Italian sources indicating the move would require another United Nations resolution.

On Tuesday more than 40 ministers from around the world met at a conference in London to discuss the situation in Libya.

They agreed to establish formal links with opposition groups in the rebel-stronghold of Benghazi with several countries sending official envoys to the area. Libyan opposition leaders yesterday also travelled to Britain for talks with David Cameron and Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State. (+ video) » | Robert Winnett, and Duncan Gardham | Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Gaddafi Must Go: Cameron
David Cameron, the British prime minister, says that Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, has lost legitimacy to lead his country and that he "must go". Cameron was speaking to Al Jazeera during an exclusive interview on the sidelines of a London summit on the crisis in Libya

World Leaders Say Gaddafi Must Go
The United Kingdom has hosted a summit on the developing situation in Libya, with leaders from forty countries saying that Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, must leave the country. The British hosts of the summit said that they did not discuss arming the rebels, even though the French foreign minister said it was a subject that his government was prepared to bring up. What the UN, NATO, Arab League and government representatives did agree to, however, was to establish a "contact group" to coordinate all international action on Libya. Al Jazeera's Paul Brennan reports from London

How refreshing it would be if these people were to be less hypocritical and more even-handed! Why is it more acceptable for the Bahraini élite to brutalise their own people, whereas it is totally unacceptable for the Libyan régime to do so? – © Mark

THE TIMES: Obama’s words won’t move Gaddafi » | Analysis | Giles Whittell, Washington | Tuesday, March 29, 2011 [£]

THE TIMES: Gaddafi son ‘killed by suicide bomber’ appears ‘live’ on Libyan TV » | Philippe Naughton | Tuesday, March 29, 2011 [£]