The EU should be stronger and more united. Great Britain should belong to the Union.
Die EU sollte stärker und geeinter sein. Großbritannien sollte der Union angehören.
L'UE devrait être plus forte et plus unie. La Grande-Bretagne devrait appartenir à l'Union.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Italien hat in Libyen viel zu verlieren
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Für Italien steht in Libyen besonders viel auf dem Spiel. Italien war seit Jahrzehnten ein besonders enger Partner Libyens. Sorgen machen sich etwa die Manager des Eni-Konzerns- mit der Benzinmarke Agip. Eni fördert in Libyen täglich mehr als 520.000 Barrel an Öläquivalenten.
Die stillgelegten Förderanlagen des Öl- und Gaskonzerns Eni sind für Italien nur ein Vorgeschmack darauf, was die Lage in Libyen noch an Schwierigkeiten bringen könnte. Italien war seit Jahrzehnten, vor allem nun in der Amtszeit von Ministerpräsident Silvio Berlusconi, in der Politik ein besonders enger Partner Libyens und versuchte gleichzeitig, von diesen Verbindungen wirtschaftlich zu profitieren. Die nunmehr von der Opposition als zynische „Realpolitik“ kritisierte Haltung gegenüber dem libyschen Staatsführer Gaddafi verhinderte gerade auf europäischer Ebene Sanktionsdrohungen gegen das libysche Regime. Zugleich hält sich Italiens Regierung bedeckt und will weder offen mit Gaddafi brechen noch die Beziehungen zu einer etwaigen neuen Regierung gefährden. Denn Libyen ist für Italien wichtiger Handelspartner, der größte Lieferant von Erdöl (rund 25 Prozent) und Erdgas (etwa 12 Prozent), schließlich auch noch Aktionär bedeutender Unternehmen. >>> Von Tobias Piller, Rom | Dienstag, 22. Februar 2011
Bahrain Opposition Protests Resume
REUTERS: Shi'ite Muslim protesters filled streets in Manama on Tuesday demanding the fall of the Sunni-run government in the biggest protest since unrest began last week, while the return of a key opposition figure was delayed.
Tens of thousands of opposition supporters marched to Pearl Square -- the focal point of the week-long protests in central Manama -- to press demands for political reform in a country dominated by the Sunni Muslim minority.
Led by opposition groups such as Wefaq and Waad, it was the first organized demonstration and followed spontaneous protests by a rising youth movement relying on social media.
"We want the fall of the government" was the most common chant. "Some want the family out but most (want) only the prime minister (to quit)," said protester Abbas al-Fardan. "We want a new government, the people need to rule the country."
The protesters want a constitutional monarchy, in contrast to the current system where Bahrainis vote for a parliament that has little power and policy remains the preserve of an elite centered on the al-Khalifa family.
The al-Khalifa dynasty has ruled Bahrain for 200 years, and the family dominates a cabinet led by the king's uncle, who has been prime minister since independence in 1971. >>> Frederik Richter, Manama | Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Thousands Protest Government in Bahrain
Feb 22 - Several thousand people gathered in Bahrain's capital of Manama on Tuesday as demonstrators renewed demands for the fall of the Sunni-dominated government. Jon Decker reports
Clinton Condemns Violence in Libya
Feb 22 - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday Libya must end violence against protesters seeking to end Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's 41-year rule. Jon Decker reports
Obama Faces Pressure to Intervene in Libya
REUTERS: Pressure mounted on the White House on Tuesday to intervene to stop Muammar Gaddafi's bloody crackdown on democracy protests as a lawmaker close to President Barack Obama urged oil firms to halt work in Libya.
The United States faced calls to impose sanctions but also to take direct action such as bombing Libyan airfields and imposing no-fly zones -- military steps that most analysts consider unlikely. Some critics questioned Obama's silence on the violence in which hundreds of Libyans have died.
U.S. officials called for an end to the violence but seemed to rule out any unilateral action, stressing the United States was working with other countries on a way forward.
Senator John Kerry, the influential chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, urged the White House to consider reimposing tough sanctions on Libya.
"World leaders must together put Colonel Gaddafi on notice that his cowardly actions will have consequences," Kerry said. >>> Ross Colvin and Arshad Mohammed | Tuesday, February 22, 2011
The Libyan Interior Minister Renounced His Post Shortly After Gaddafi's Speech
Defiant Gaddafi Vows to Fight On
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: In televised speech, Libyan leader blames youths inspired by regional events for uprising and vows to die a 'martyr'.
Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, has vowed to fight on and die a "martyr", calling on his supporters to take back the streets from protesters demanding his ouster, shouting and pounding his fist in a furious speech on state TV.
Gaddafi, clad in brown robes and a turban, spoke on Tuesday evening from a podium set up in the entrance of a bombed-out building that appeared to be his Tripoli residence hit by US air raids in the 1980s and left unrepaired as a monument of defiance.
"I am a fighter, a revolutionary from tents ... I will die as a martyr at the end," he said.
"Muammar Gaddafi is the leader of the revolution, I am not a president to step down ... This is my country. Muammar is not a president to leave his post."
"I have not yet ordered the use of force, not yet ordered one bullet to be fired ... when I do, everything will burn."
He called on supporters to take to the streets to attack protesters. "You men and women who love Gaddafi ...get out of your homes and fill the streets," he said. "Leave your homes and attack them in their lairs ... Starting tomorrow [Wednesday] the cordons will be lifted, go out and fight them."
Gaddafi said "peaceful protests is one thing, but armed rebellion is another".
He urged all young men to immediately "form local committees for popular security", telling them to wear a green armband to identify themselves. "The Libyan people and the popular revolution will control Libya."
The speech, which appeared to have been taped earlier, was aired on a screen to hundreds of supporters massed in Tripoli's central Green Square.
At times the camera panned out to show a towering gold-coloured monument in front of the building, showing a fist crushing a fighter jet with an American flag on it - a view that also gave the strange image of Gaddafi speaking alone from behind a podium in the building's dilapidated lobby, with no audience in front of him. >>> Source: Al Jazeera and agencies | Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Gaddafi Urges Violent Showdown and Tells Libya 'I'll Die a Martyr'
THE GUARDIAN: • Muammar Gaddafi tells loyalists to take to streets of Libya • Witnesses speak of mercenaries in death squads • International condemnation of bloodshed grows
Muammar Gaddafi set the stage for a violent, final showdown to crush Libya's popular uprising by urging loyalists to take to the streets to fight "greasy rats" in the pay of enemies ranging from the US to al-Qaida.
In an angry, ranting and often incoherent speech, the beleaguered Libyan leader ignored evidence of repression and bloodshed, including new reports of death squads, to insist that he would die in his homeland rather than flee abroad.
"I am not going to leave this land," Gaddafi vowed in a live broadcast on state TV. "I will die as a martyr at the end … I shall remain, defiant. Muammar is leader of the revolution until the end of time." >>> Ian Black, Middle East editor | Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Bouazizi Family's Message to Libya
The family of Mohamed Bouazizi, the young Tunisian from Sidi Bouzid whose act of self-immolation triggered the Tunisian Uprising, has a message for the families in Libya who have lost their loved ones to the violent repression of the protests. Bouazizi, a 26-year-old street vendor, set himself on fire on December 17 after police abused and humiliated him. He died of his burns on January 4. The protest movement that began in Sidi Bouzid swelled to become a nationwide phenomenon, and spread to other countries in North Africa and the Middle East. Most recently, it reached Libya. Hundreds of Libyans have been killed as Muammar Gaddafi attempts to petrify the protests against his regime. Menobia Bouazizi, Mohamed's mother, recorded this message for their families. Her family sent the video to Al Jazeera
Sh**h****! As Protests Crackdowns Continue, West Lines Up to Sell Arms
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: British, European and US weapons manufacturers are participating in the region's largest arms bazaar, hoping for a share in the world's fastest-growing arms market.
More than 80 British firms are represented at the ongoing International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) in Abu Dhabi, including BAE, Thales UK and Motorola UK. The firms are offering everything from weapons and communications equipment to parachutes and uniforms.
Lockheed Martin and L-3 communications from the US, France's Renault and Germany's Rhinemetall AG are among other major defence multinationals represented at IDEX.
Now in its 10th year, IDEA has attracted over 1,000 exhibitors this year, most of them from the United States, Britain, France and Germany. European governments have blocked sales of law enforcement equipment, like tear gas grenades, to some countries, but there are few restrictions on the sale of military equipment. >>> Praveen Swami, Diplomatic Editor | Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Shabby Politics and the Appeasing of a Monster
MAIL ONLINE: With Col Muammar Gaddafi’s troops turning their guns on their own people, reportedly causing hundreds of fatalities, it is clear that the Libyan dictator is nastier and more ruthless than any other Arab despot in the region. That is saying something.
Gaddafi has long been in a class of his own, once rivalled only by the now deceased Saddam Hussein of Iraq, whom it took a war to remove. Among many atrocities for which the Libyan leader has been responsible was the alleged massacre of more than 1,200 prisoners at Abu Salim prison in Tripoli in a single month in 1996.
The man is a monster, and mad and corrupt as well. Yet, starting in 2004, Labour set out to appease him and make deals with him. There was socialising with Gaddafi’s bizarre son, Saif al-Islam. Most serious of all, the last government worked to secure the early release of the ‘Lockerbie bomber’, Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, who had been convicted of murdering 270 people in 1988.
How on earth did this happen? How was it that a government which preached an ‘ethical foreign policy’ in 1997 – and which went to war against Saddam under the banner of democracy – ended up not just doing business with this tyrant but cutting sordid deals with him, and selling him water cannons and armoured cars which he is using against his own people? Read on and comment >>> Stephen Glover | Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Libyan Massacre That Should Shame Blair
MAIL ONLINE: Seven years ago Tony Blair shocked Britain and the U.S. by travelling to Libya and publicly shaking hands with the blood-soaked dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
Even at the time, few could believe the then prime minister was cosying up to this ruthless tyrant who had been directly responsible for the deaths of so many innocent British and American people.
Today, as the scale of the massacres in eastern Libya is laid bare, that symbolic handshake and the sinister diplomatic machinations that followed it look even more contemptible.
Gaddafi had long proved his hatred of the West. He armed and funded the IRA, providing them with the Semtex used in bomb outrages from Brighton to Omagh. His envoy shot dead WPC Yvonne Fletcher at the Libyan embassy in London, and he directed the 1988 Lockerbie bombing.
Yet Mr Blair and his cabinet colleagues were prepared to overlook all of this, even helping secure the release of the Lockerbie bomber from a Scottish jail, for the sake of a few lucrative contracts to British oil and arms companies.
Doing business with tinpot dictators is a dirty and uncertain business and the more brutal Gaddafi’s suppression of his people gets, the worse Britain looks – not only to the rest of the civilised world but also to ordinary Libyans. Gaddafi might kill hundreds, maybe thousands of his opponents, but he can’t kill them all.
And if he is ousted, how will Britain explain to the next Libyan government why we sucked up to this monster? >>> Daily Mail Comment | Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Iran's Repressive Regime Cannot Last
THE GUARDIAN: Not only is the green movement alive, it is also showing resilience and stamina and making progress
With the world's attention focused on the protests in Libya, and indeed to some extent still on other Arab countries, there is a risk that the revival of streets protests in Iran is ignored. But it is real, and has worried the regime of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei enough that a show of unity has been orchestrated among politicians and the loyal masses. Scores of members of parliament shouted "death to Mousavi" and "death to Karrubi" during a parliamentary session on 15 February. On the 16th, people were bussed in and given free lunch and drinks to participate in pro-government demonstrations.
However, away from these scenes, the arrests, killings and abuses of human rights continue unabated.
During demonstrations on 14 February in solidarity with the people of Egypt and Tunisia, two people were killed and 1,500 people were arrested by government forces. On 20 February, Iranians returned to the streets in different parts of the country to mourn the death of the two young demonstrators who were killed on the 14th. This time they were outnumbered by security personnel. Again, scores were beaten and arrested.
The resurgence of demonstrations in Iran seem to have caught Iran's leaders by surprise. Many of them had thought that the green movement was dead. But the demonstrations have shown that they are wrong. Not only is the green movement alive, it is also showing resilience and stamina and making progress, from launching demonstrations to strikes, a notable one taking place at the oil refinery installation at Abadan. Read on and comment >>> Meir Javedanfar | Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Bundespräsidentin Micheline Calmy-Rey verurteilt die Gewalt in Libyen (Tagesschau, 21.2.2011)
Neben einer Reisewarnung reagiert der Bundesrat auch auf die gewaltsame Niederschlagung der Proteste in Libyen. Er hat die Vorbereitungen zur Einsetzung eines internationalen Schiedsgerichts gestoppt. Dieses soll aus Schweizer Sicht in der Affäre um die zwischen 2008 und 2010 in Libyen festgehaltenen Geschäftsleute Max Göldi und Rachid Hamdani Klarheit schaffen
Christchurch Quake: Cabinet to Decide on National Emergency
NEW ZEALAND HERALD: Cabinet will hold an emergency meeting at 9.30am to decide whether to declare a national state of emergency, Prime Minister John Key says.
Mr Key arrived back from Christchurch this morning and headed straight to the Beehive.
Although a state of emergency has been declared in Christchurch, Mr Key said a national state of emergency would give central government more capacity to act.
"We have enormous faith in the leadership fo Christchurch and we want to give them all the support we can."
He said the short term focus was on rescue and recovery, but it would quickly move to restoring core infrastructure and providing support for "a city that will effectively have to be rebuilt." >>> Claire Trevett | Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Le roi de Bahreïn ordonne la libération de détenus chiites
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: APAISEMENT | Le roi de Bahreïn libère des prisonniers chiites, faisant ainsi un pas dans la direction de l'opposition, qui manifeste depuis le 14 février pour des réformes et la fin du règne de la dynastie des Al-Khalifa.
Le roi de Bahreïn a ordonné lundi soir la libération de détenus chiites, une des revendications de l’opposition, qui prévoit mardi une démonstration de force, avec une grande marche à Manama.
Le roi Hamad Ben Issa Al-Khalifa a ordonné de libérer des prisonniers chiites et de surseoir aux poursuites judiciaires contre d’autres prisonniers politiques, selon l’agence officielle BNA, qui n’a pas précisé le nombre des personnes concernées.
Mais un responsable de l’opposition chiite a indiqué s’attendre à ce qu’elle concerne un groupe de 25 militants chiites, jugés depuis octobre pour des actes de terrorisme.
"Cette mesure répond à l’une des demandes faites au prince héritier" dans la perspective d’une reprise du dialogue avec l’opposition, a déclaré un élu du Wefaq, le principal mouvement chiite, Abdel Jalil Khalil Ibrahim.
Parmi les militants chiites qui pourraient être concernés par la décision du roi, l’opposant Hassan Machaimaa, jugé par contumace pour terrorisme, a annoncé de Londres son intention de regagner le pays mardi. >>> AFP | Mardi 22 Février 2011
Kadhafi refuse de partir et menace les opposants
Kadhafi. Photo : Le Monde
LE MONDE: S'exprimant pour la première fois en direct, Mouammar Kadhafi a affirmé qu'il "ne se retirera pas comme l'ont fait d'autres présidents", qu'il restera en Libye en tant que "chef de la révolution". Il s'est dit prêt à mourir "en martyr". Il a demandé à ses partisans de le soutenir dans la rue, et à la police et à l'armée de reprendre la situation en main. Kadhafi a assuré ne pas avoir fait usage de la force jusqu'ici, mais qu'il était désormais prêt à le faire. Suivez les évènements en direct. >>> | Mardi 22 Février 2011
Libyen-Liveticker: Gaddafi ruft zur Gegenrevolution auf
Gaddafi las Passagen aus seinem verworrenen Propagandawerk, dem "Grünen Buch", vor. Bild: Spiegel Online
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Er schrie, keifte, schwadronierte: In einer mehr als einstündigen Fernsehansprache hat sich Libyens Diktator Gaddafi an sein revoltierendes Volk gewandt. Er wetterte gegen Feinde des Regimes - und schwor, lieber zu sterben als aufzugeben. Verfolgen Sie die Ereignisse im Liveticker. >>> Von Katharina Peters, Lisa Erdmann und Alwin Schröder | Dienstag, 22. Februar 2011
Libya on Knife-edge
The future of Libya appears to be on a knife-edge. The military's taking on the people in the streets of the capital, Tripoli, and high-level diplomats are deserting the Gaddafi regime. But now the man himself has appeared on national TV to dispel rumours that he's getting out. And that's going to make things more difficult for the mounting calls for international action. Al Jazeera's Stefanie Dekker reports
Aljazeera News Bulletin
Gaddafis TV-Ansprache: «Libyen führt Afrika, Südamerika und Asien an.» (englisch)
Trotz des landesweiten Aufstands klammert sich Libyens Staatschef Muammar al-Gadaffi an seine Macht. Er wird notfalls als Märtyrer sterben, sagte er in einer vom Staatsfernsehen übertragenen Ansprache
Libyen: Interview mit Volker Perthes, Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (Tagesschau, 21.2.2011)
Der Sohn des libyschen Staatschefs Muammar al-Gaddafi, Saif al Islam, hat angesichts der Proteste gegen seinen Vater vor einem Bürgerkrieg gewarnt. Er wandte sich am Sonntagabend erstmals seit Ausbruch der Unruhen im Staatsfernsehen an die Bevölkerung. Islamisten und Oppositionelle versuchten, die Einheit des Landes zu zerstören, sagte Saif al Islam
Guttenberg will nicht mehr Doktor sein
Der wegen Plagiatsvorwürfen massiv unter Druck stehende Bundesverteidigungsminister will seinen Doktortitel dauerhaft nicht mehr führen
Defiant Gaddafi Refuses to Quit Amid Libya Protests
BBC: Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi has refused to stand down amid widespread anti-government protests which he said had tarnished the image of the country.
In his first major speech since unrest began last week, Col Gaddafi said the whole world looked up to Libya and that protests were "serving the devil".
Reading from the country's constitution, he said enemies of Libya would be executed.
Rights groups say nearly 300 have been killed in the violence so far.
A defiant and angry Col Gaddafi said that he had brought glory to Libya. As he had no official position in Libya from which to resign, he would remain the head of the revolution, he said.
He blamed the unrest on "cowards and traitors" who were seeking to portray Libya as a place of chaos and to "humiliate" Libyans. >>> | Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Cameron Defends Kuwait Trade Tour
Feb 22, 2011 – The PM defends taking businessmen - including arms manufacturers - to the Middle East, Joey Jones reports from Kuwait
Four Americans Captured by Somali Pirates Killed
<
Feb 22, 2011 – U.S. forces discover hostages
When Jeff Randall Met The Bahraini Prince
Feb 17, 2011 – The Crown Prince of Bahrain spoke about Middle East volatility in 2009 during his first ever British TV interview
Breaking News! Libya's Gaddafi: 'I Will Die A Martyr'
SKY NEWS: Libya's embattled leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi has said he has no intention of stepping down "like other leaders have", declaring on state TV: "I will die here as a martyr." >>> | Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Breaking News! Libya's Gaddafi Declares 'This Is My Country'
SKY NEWS: Libya's embattled leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi has said he has no intention of stepping down "like other leaders have", declaring on state TV: "This is my country and the country of our ancestors". >>> | Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi Is No Longer Welcome Among London's bien pensants
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH – BLOGS – CON COUGHLIN: Now that Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the Libyan dictator’s second son and heir apparent, has shown his true colours by declaring he will fight “until the last bullet” to defeat the pro-democracy protests sweeping his country, it is amusing to see how all his former friends are rushing to abandon him.
Saif’s overnight transformation from the cool Mediterranean dude who preached the virtues of democratic rule to the shambolic figure who appeared on Libyan television on Sunday night has caused particular consternation at the LSE, his alma mater and the recipient of a £1.5million gift from the Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation. Read on and comment >>> Con Coughlin | Tuesday, February 22, 2011
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: DUBAI--King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia returned to his country Tuesday after a three-month absence for medical treatment, potentially signaling he will play a more active role as the country deliberates its response to the turmoil sweeping across the Arab world.
Although the oil-rich kingdom has escaped the sort of unrest unleashed in Egypt, Libya or Tunisia, there have been signs of domestic discontent over high unemployment, as well as some nervousness that Saudi Arabia's Shiite Muslim minority could be inspired by the protests of their co-religionist neighbors in Bahrain.
During the king's prolonged absence from the kingdom, analysts had voiced worries that the country's other ageing leaders—notably the defense minister Prince Sultan and the interior minister Prince Nayef—could struggle to react with agility to the regional challenges and to any big protests at home.
Since King Abdullah left in November for two operations on a herniated disc, Saudi Arabia has lost a key regional ally with the toppling of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak earlier this month.
Scholars and analysts have said the royal family will be particularly worried by the protests that have shaken Bahrain—the only member of the oil-rich Gulf Cooperation Council so far to have been affected by the regional unrest. The tiny island kingdom is linked to Saudi Arabia by a 16-mile causeway and has a majority Shiite population who are ruled by a Sunni royal family.
Although Saudi Arabia is mostly Sunni, its own Shia minority mainly live in the oil-rich east of the country adjacent to Bahrain and historically have shared some of their neighbors' anger over religious discrimination and lack of opportunities. Read on and comment >>> Angus McDowall | Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Tens of Thousands March in Bahrain
As many as 300,000 protesters marched through the Bahraini capital of Manama on Monday night, as opposition Shi'ite demands for change intensify. Reuters' Jon Decker reports
Libya Violence Escalates
The international community responds to new reports of violence that could spell civil war in Libya
Cameron Says UK Prejudiced for Believing Muslims Cannot Manage Democracy
THE GUARDIAN: Prime minister will tell Kuwait national assembly that Britain was wrong to prop up 'highly controlling regimes' as [a] way of ensuring stability
Britain has been guilty of a prejudice bordering on racism for believing that Muslims cannot manage democracy, David Cameron will say as he recasts foreign policy in light of protests across the Arab world.
In a speech at the national assembly in Kuwait, the prime minister will abandon decades of so-called "camel corps" diplomacy by saying Britain was wrong to prop up "highly controlling regimes" as a way of ensuring stability.
Cameron – who is facing anger in the UK for placing defence exports at the heart of his long-planned visit to the Gulf – will use the speech to show that Britain is promoting political reform in the region.
The prime minister, who attended a ceremony in Kuwait with Sir John Major to mark the 20th anniversary of the first Gulf war, said: "Now, once again, this region is the epicentre of momentous changes, but pursued in a very different way. History is sweeping through your neighbourhood."
Cameron, who on Monday visited the scene of the demonstrations in Tahrir Square in Cairo that toppled President Hosni Mubarak, said the protests had highlighted a hunger for freedom across the Middle East.
He depicted the protests as "movements of the people" that were not ideological or extremist.
But he indicated that the demonstrations presented a challenge for Britain as he dismissed as a "false choice" the old calculation that authoritarian regimes needed to be supported as the price of ensuring stability.
"For decades, some have argued that stability required controlling regimes and that reform and openness would put that stability at risk," Cameron said.
"So, the argument went, countries like Britain faced a choice between our interests and our values. And to be honest, we should acknowledge that sometimes we have made such calculations in the past."
He added: "But I say that is a false choice. As recent events have confirmed, denying people their basic rights does not preserve stability – rather, the reverse."
The prime minister said Britain and other western countries cannot impose any democratic model on the Arab world, but stressed: "That's not an excuse, as some would argue, to claim that Arabs or Muslims can't do democracy – the so-called Arab exception.
"For me, that's a prejudice that borders on racism. It's offensive and wrong and it's simply not true." >>> Nicholas Watt in Kuwait | Tuesday, February 22, 2011
I find Cameron’s naïveté and ignorance of the Islamic world staggering! I also find it rather unnerving that a man so ignorant in Middle Eastern affairs at this important juncture in the history of the Middle East, and the world, could be my prime minister! Doesn’t Cameron know anything about the meaning of democracy? Doesn’t Cameron think that there might be a very good reason why democracy has never taken hold in all these Muslim countries? Is he so naïve as to think that this is a co-incidence?
David Cameron: Britain Has Contributed to Middle East Instability by Backing Autocratic Regimes
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Britain and the US have contributed to instability in the Middle East by supporting autocratic regimes that suppress human rights, David Cameron has said.
The Prime Minister said that popular uprisings now flaring across the Middle East showed the West had been wrong to support dictators and oppressive regimes.
Speaking to the Kuwaiti Parliament, Mr Cameron said Britain would back democracy campaigners seeking greater rights across the Middle East.
"History is sweeping through your neighbourhood," he said. "Not as a result of force and violence, but by people seeking their rights, and in the vast majority of cases doing so peacefully and bravely."
Britain and other Western countries supported Hosni Mubarak, ousted by protests in Egypt. They have also backed authoritarian regimes in the Gulf region, making few efforts to push allies towards democratic reform.
That approach was wrong and counter-productive, Mr Cameron said. Read on and comment >>> James Kirkup, in Kuwait City | Tuesday, February 22, 2011
My comment:
Cameron's diapers must be in the wash. And where is that cotton wool? I have the urge to wipe dry the back of his ears!
Does this man seriously think that the Palestinians are ever going to be satisfied with a two-state solution? Does he seriously think that the Muslim Arabs, still less the Palestinians, would ever be satisfied to have Jerusalem as the capital of both a future Palestine and Israel. I know the guy smokes cigarettes. But he must have been smoking something much stronger on this occasion! And doesn't he know that not only Iran, but also the Palestinians and most other Arabs want to see the back of Israel altogether? This man is living in cloud cuckoo land!
And what is all this nonsense he is speaking in Kuwait about authoritarian régimes? Does he not realise that Saudi Arabia, Kuwait's neighbour, is the arch-autocratic régime? And what about the state he is speaking in? Does he believe Kuwait to be the bastion of democratic values?
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Im vergangenen Jahr sind nach Schätzungen mehr als 3000 Britinnen zum Islam übergetreten. Die Übertritte erfolgen in einer zunehmend islamfeindlichen Stimmung in Großbritannien.
LE POINT: Le monde arabe est confronté à une révolte sans précédent. Entretien avec le politologue Antoine Basbous.
Le 29 janvier, au Caire, des manifestants défient le régime de Hosni Moubarak. Celui-ci tombera moins de deux semaines plus tard. Photo : Le Point
En Libye, à Bahreïn, au Yémen, mais aussi en Algérie et au Maroc, les mouvements de protestation enflent : après la chute des régimes tunisien et égyptien, l'ensemble du monde arabe fait aujourd'hui face à une vague de contestation qui semble résister jusqu'aux tentatives de répression les plus brutales. Pour le politologue Antoine Basbous, directeur de l'Observatoire des pays arabes, les dictatures usées de la zone ne peuvent avoir raison d'une jeune génération avide de liberté, et qui se jette dans la bataille avec l'aide d'Internet.
Le Point.fr : Comment analysez-vous les événements actuels en Libye ?
Antoine Basbous : De tous les régimes arabes, celui de Kadhafi est le plus usé. Premièrement, parce que son chef exerce un règne absolu depuis 42 ans. Deuxièmement, parce qu'il est orphelin : ses deux voisins autocrates Ben Ali et Moubarak, qu'il a maladroitement soutenus y compris après leur chute, sont très rapidement tombés. Aujourd'hui, la peur a changé de camp. La nouvelle génération est celle d'une jeunesse décomplexée, qui n'a pas subi la répression de ses parents et dispose d'Internet. Grâce à cet outil, il est devenu impossible de mener comme autrefois une répression illimitée, à huis clos, sans que cela se sache. Le "seuil" de la répression s'est établi à trois cents morts, il est devenu trop bas pour empêcher la chute d'un régime. Aujourd'hui, Kadhafi a coupé le téléphone, chassé les rares journalistes étrangers, brouillé toute une série de chaînes autour d'Al Jazeera qui faisaient des directs en continu. Et, malgré cela, des Libyens partent en Tunisie et en Égypte poster ce qu'ils ont réussi à enregistrer depuis leur téléphone portable. Ces dictateurs avaient appris à réprimer des mouvements islamistes. Ils sont confrontés aujourd'hui à leur jeunesse, et une jeunesse connectée au reste du monde. Ils ne savent pas comment réagir. Continuez à lire et écrire un commentaire >>> Le Point.fr | Lundi 21 Février 2011
Libye: l'ONU évoque la possibilité de "crimes contre l'humanité"
LE POINT: La haut commissaire des Nations unies aux droits de l'homme, Navi Pillay, a averti mardi les autorités libyennes que "les attaques systématiques contre la population civile pourraient être assimilées à des crimes contre l'humanité".
Navi Pillay a exigé mardi l'ouverture d'une "enquête internationale indépendante" sur les violences en Libye et demandé l'"arrêt immédiat des graves violations des droits de l'Homme commises par les autorités libyennes". >>> AFP | Mardi 22 Février 2011
Riz Khan - Morocco's Prince Moulay Hicham (October 3, 2007)
The F24 Interview: Prince Moulay Hicham El Alaoui of Morocco, Cousin of King Mohammed VI
FRANCE 24: Prince Moulay Hicham El Alaoui, a fellow at Stanford University and a cousin of Morocco's King Mohammed VI, tells FRANCE 24 why democratic reforms would be in the interest of the Moroccan monarchy.
Elif Shafak: 'No Society Is Stagnant. The Islamic World Is Not Stagnant' – Video
THE GUARDIAN: Bestselling Turkish novelist Elif Shafak on multiculturalism, eastern stereotypes and the fallacy that democracy cannot work in the Middle East
To the video >>> David Shariatmadari, Elliot Smith and Christian Bennett | Monday, February 21, 2011
We Can No Longer Live Under Gaddafi's Evil Subjugation
THE GUARDIAN: Libya's oil has protected its regime from criticism abroad. But those who support democracy must back our fight for freedom
'Libya is not Tunisia or Egypt. Libya is different, if there is disturbance it will split into several states." These were the words of the son of Muammar Gaddafi, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, on Libyan state TV on Sunday.
He is right of course; Libya is not Egypt or Tunisia. It is a country of over 600,000 sq miles of land, populated by less than 7 million people. Since 1969 it has known just one leader – a man who has shown merciless cruelty to anyone who speaks out against him, the regime or the revolution he headed. It is a country built on the foundations of tribal unity and which, despite having the largest oil reserves in Africa, continues to allow two-thirds of its citizens to live below the poverty line. It is also a country that cannot boast of long ties with Europe and the west, having only in the last few years made amends with its neighbours across the Mediterranean after years of US- and UN-imposed sanctions.
After "coming in from the cold" in 2004, European ties with Libya developed rapidly. As it stands Libya is the third biggest supplier of oil to Europe, having recently surpassed Saudi Arabia. Its proximity to Europe, its unexplored terrain and its relative lack of foreign investment made Libya a gem worth cultivating to the oil-dependent economies of the west. The fact that its leader may publicly hang dissident students was of no great concern as long as his philosophy of intolerance extended to, and adequately suppressed, the supposed extreme "threat" of Islamism.
However, the events of the last few days have forced world leaders to re-examine their relationship with the crumbling regime. Accounts of unprovoked sniper attacks on peaceful demonstrators, the use of violent foreign mercenaries as a means of crowd control, live ammunition being shot into crowds of protesters, and the media blackout that tried (unsuccessfully) to prevent the world from finding out, has brought about new focus and attention to the plight of the Libyan people and to the reaction of their inhumane leader.
As he addressed the nation, Saif's feebly masked threats were received angrily by protesters in the streets. His claims that the celebrations of the people of Benghazi, Darnah and al-Bayda had been brought about by drunk and drugged youths led to furious chanting and jeering against Gaddafi and his son. His warnings of the possibility of separatism and civil war evoked slogans emphasising the unity of the Libyan people and their intention to support each other till they had achieved victory. >>> Mohamed Abdul Malek | Monday, February 21, 2011
Libya under Muammar Gaddafi
THE GUARDIAN: Ian Black charts the recent history of Libya, from the rise of Gaddafi to Lockerbie to a thaw with the west
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The regime of Col Muammar Gaddafi of Libya is on the verge of collapse, but the dictator has hit out at the “dogs” who claimed he had fled the country.
As the violence intensified and indiscriminate shootings were reported in Tripoli, Gaddafi appeared on state television early on Tuesday to deny “malicious reports” he had fled Libya after several cities fell to opposition forces.
Libyan air force jets launched bombing raids on military bases and, it was claimed, rebel areas in a final attempt to reassert control.
Two colonels in the air force flew their jets to Malta, saying they had refused orders to fire on protesters in the second city Benghazi and wanted to seek asylum.
Senior regime figures, including his public security minister, justice minister and seven ambassadors around the world, also deserted Col Gaddafi. Libya’s deputy ambassador to the UN, Ibrahim Omar al-Dabashi, described his leader’s actions as “genocide” and pleaded for international intervention.
In his brief appearance on Libyan television, where he was filmed leaning out of the back of a car holding an umbrella, Gaddafi claimed he was still in Tripoli. >>> Richard Spencer, Middle East Correspondent, James Kirkup in Kuwait City and Nabila Ramdani in Cairo | Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Universities in Texas 'To Allow Students to Carry Guns on Campus'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Universities in Texas are set to be forced to allow students and academics to carry guns on campus, in a victory for a firearms lobby unbowed after last month’s massacre in Arizona.
A new law that looks certain to pass through the Texas legislature would mean that its 38 public colleges, which are attended by half a million students, must permit concealed handguns on site.
It would become only the second state, after Utah, to enforce such a rule.
More than 20 states have rejected similar proposals introduced since the Virginia Tech massacre in April 2007.
At present, colleges in Texas – along with churches and businesses – are free to ban firearms from their premises. Guns are prohibited from university buildings, dormitories and surrounding grounds.
The plan is likely to astonish most who recall the mass shootings at Virginia Tech, where a student killed 32 people, and in Northern Illinois the following year, where five people were murdered.
It also comes just six weeks after six people were killed and 13, including the US Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, were wounded during a shooting spree in a supermarket car park in Tucson, Arizona. >>> Jon Swaine, New York | Monday, February 21, 2011
Christchurch Earthquake: 65 People Dead in 'New Zealand's Darkest Day'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A major earthquake in the New Zealand city of Christchurch has left at least 65 people dead, hundreds more injured and toppled buildings in what the prime minister has described as "New Zealand's darkest day".
A state of emergency has been declared following the 6.3 magnitude quake, which struck in the middle of the day when office blocks and shopping centres in the city centre were bustling with people.
Rescue workers on Tuesday scrambled to free scores of people trapped in buildings, some crews arriving by helicopter because streets were blocked by rubble and jammed traffic.
Officials fear the death toll could double amid reports that more than 200 were trapped in collapsed buildings and wreckage of homes. Bodies were seen lying in the streets, untended until emergency services were able to reach them.
Bystanders dug with bare hands to rescue survivors trapped under piles of rubble. Some reports said the city had ran out of ambulances, with rescuers forced to use private vehicles.
John Key, the prime minister who has flown to the city, described what he saw as "utter devastation".
"We may be witnessing New Zealand's darkest day," he told reporters.
"The death toll I have at the moment is 65 and that may rise.
"So it's an absolute tragedy for this city, for New Zealand, for the people that we care so much about." >>> Paul Chapman, in Wellington and Bonnie Malkin | Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Feb 21 - Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi appeared on state television for a brief speech saying, ''I'm in Tripoli and not in Venezuela.'' Rough cut (no reporter narration)
Pakistan Protesters Demand Hanging Raymond Davis
Feb 21 - Pakistan's government tightens security around Raymond Davis, an American held in Pakistan, as protests continue near the jail where he is imprisoned. Rough cut (no reporter narration)
Deadly Quake Rocks New Zealand
Feb 22 - New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said he could not rule out fatalities after a strong earthquake hit the country. Marie-Claire Fennessy reports
New Zealand Rocked by Quake
Feb 21 - A local tv station shows the aftermath of a 6.3 magnitude quake which hit New Zealand's second-largest city of Christchurch, toppling buildings, causing ''multiple fatalities,'' trapping people beneath rubble and sparking fires. Rough cut (no reporter narration)
Dramatic Scenes of Rescue from New Zealand
Feb 21 - Scenes from New Zealand's local TV3, from the moment the earthquake struck to dramatic rescues from the flattened Pyne Gould Guinness building in Christchurch. Rough cut (no reporter narration)
Monday, February 21, 2011
Gaddafi's Rule Appears in Jeopardy
Feb 21 - Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's four-decade-old rule appeared in increasing jeopardy on Monday as anti-government protests reached the capital of Tripoli for the first time. Jon Decker reports
Tens of thousands march in Bahrain
Feb 21 - As many as 300,000 protesters marched through the Bahraini capital of Manama on Monday night, as opposition Shi'ite demands for change intensify. Jon Decker reports
Muammar Gaddafi's Rule Teeters on Brink
THE AUSTRALIAN: THE iron-fisted rule of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was rocked overnight as protests spread to the capital, regime loyalists defected, and colonels fled abroad to defy orders to fire on demonstrators.
Barely a week after his Egyptian neighbour Hosni Mubarak was forced from office, the Middle East's longest-ruling leader sent out a warning that he was ready for a fight to the death, despite signs his grip on power is loosening.
However, Libyan officials were forced to deny that Gaddafi had fled to the country, after British Foreign Secretary William Hague said "information that suggests (Gaddafi) is on his way" to Venezuela. Caracas also issued a denial.
The president of Yemen, another ruler who has chalked up more than three decades in power, also defied calls to quit saying he would only exit if defeated at the ballot box.
And a top exiled opposition figure said he planned to return to Bahrain, fuelling pressure on the ruling royal family for reform.
While there was fresh violence in several Arab cities, the most dramatic events were in Tripoli where heavy gunfire broke out in downtown areas for the first time since the uprising began in eastern Libya last week.
Tripoli residents said by telephone there had been "a massacre" in the Tajura and Fashlum districts, with indiscriminate shooting and women among the dead.
"What happened today in Tajura was a massacre," one resident said. "Armed men were firing indiscriminately. There are even women among the dead," he said, adding mosque loudspeakers were putting out appeals for help. >>> AFP | Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Western Nationals, Companies Flee Libyan Unrest
THE AUSTRALIAN: THOUSANDS of Europeans fled the unrest in Libya yesterday and the United States has ordered non-essential personnel to leave the oil-rich north African nation amid escalating violence.
Portugal, Austria and The Netherlands sent military planes to Tripoli to evacuate their nationals and those of other EU states as companies with major interests in the country, including British energy giant BP and Italy's ENI and Finmeccanica, were also set to repatriate their employees.
An Austrian foreign ministry spokesman said regular flights on Austrian Airlines from Tripoli to Vienna were fully booked, adding that the airline would use a larger plane today for the daily round-trip flight.
Russia was to begin evacuating its nationals today, Moscow's emergency situations ministry said. The Russian community totals more than 500.
Earlier yesterday, rail monopoly Russian Railways said that it would evacuate its employees working on a multi-billion euro high-speed railway.
Turkey plans to send four planes and two ferries to evacuate more nationals from Libya after repatriating some 600 at the weekend after rioters stormed construction sites in the Benghazi area, the NTV news channel reported. >>> AFP | Tuesday, February 22, 2011
La Tunisie réclame l'extradition de Ben Ali
LE FIGARO: Le gouvernement tunisien a demandé à l'Arabie Saoudite de lui remettre l'ex-raïs, qui serait actuellement dans le coma, ainsi que son épouse, Leïla Trabelsi.
La Tunisie, où les ministres de l'Économie, Christine Lagarde, et des Affaires européennes, Laurent Wauquiez, se rendent mardi, a demandé dimanche à l'Arabie saoudite d'extrader Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali. Le gouvernement tunisien a fait de même lundi pour l'épouse du président déchu, Leïla Trabelsi. Ben Ali est accusé d'être impliqué dans «plusieurs crimes graves» et d'avoir «semé la discorde entre [les Tunisiens] en les poussant à s'entre-tuer». Ces charges viennent s'ajouter à celles, déjà formulées, pour corruption dans un mandat d'arrêt international lancé fin janvier.
Ben Ali, qui a dirigé le pays pendant vingt-trois ans, a pris la fuite le 14 janvier pour se réfugier à Djedda, port saoudien situé sur les rivages de la mer Rouge. Depuis, ses avoirs ont été gelés à l'étranger et plusieurs membres de sa famille arrêtés.
Alors que les rumeurs sur son état de santé enflaient, un proche de l'ex-raïs avait affirmé jeudi que Ben Ali, âgé de 74 ans, avait été victime d'un accident vasculaire cérébral le 15 février. Dans le coma, il serait soigné dans un hôpital de Djedda. Après avoir estimé que la santé de l'ancien président n'était pas «son affaire», le gouvernement tunisien a changé de pied. Le ministère des Affaires étrangères, qui a été confié lundi à Mouldi Kéfi, a demandé aux autorités saoudiennes des renseignements «dans les plus brefs délais» sur l'état de santé de l'ancien président, voire sur «son décès éventuel». >>> Par Pierre Gastineau | Lundi 21 Février 2011
Libye: Kadhafi organise sa riposte
Egypt Requests Freeze on Hosni Mubarak's Foreign Assets
BBC: Egypt's top prosecutor has requested the freezing of the foreign assets of Hosni Mubarak, 10 days after the president stood down amid mass rallies.
Prosecutor General Abdel Magid Mahmud asked the Egyptian foreign minister to contact other nations on the issue.
He said the freeze would apply to Mr Mubarak, his wife, his two sons and two daughters-in-law. >>> | Monday, February 21, 2011
Libya Unrest: London Embassy Protesters 'Sense Change'
BBC: As pressure increases on the Libyan government there has been another day of protests outside the embassy in London. A number of employees have begun joining the demonstrators outside and the Libyan flag switched for one that pre-dates Gaddafi's rule.
A small but passionate crowd had gathered outside the embassy in Knightsbridge to voice their disapproval of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's regime.
There was a definite sense among the protesters of a long wait coming to an end.
Earlier, while Col Gaddafi's 'green revolution' flag still hung from the building, the demonstrators had detected a marked change in the behaviour of the building's occupants.
Monday was the first day they had been there without an embassy video camera recording their faces and chants.
It was yet another sign, they said, that the regime was crumbling. >>> Neil Henderson, BBC News | Monday, February 21, 2011
Go, Gaddafi! Go!
THE GUARDIAN: UNITED NATIONS – Libya's deputy ambassador at the United Nations, surrounded by fellow diplomats, called Monday for Moammar Gadhafi to step down as the country's ruler.
"If he doesn't," deputy ambassador Ibrahim Dabbashi warned, "the Libyan people will get rid of him."
Dabbashi spoke as deep cracks appeared in Gadhafi's regime after more than 40 years in power, with a fire raging at the main government hall in the capital, Tripoli, and protesters calling for more demonstrations despite the government's deadly crackdown.
Gadhafi's son, Seif al-Islam, went on state TV in the early hours Monday, vowing to fight and warning in a sometimes confused speech that if protests continue, a civil war will erupt in which Libya's oil wealth "will be burned."
Some diplomats abroad and the justice minister at home resigned.
But Dabbashi said the U.N. diplomats were not resigning because they served the people of Libya and not the regime. Libyan UN diplomats say Gadhafi should step down >>> Edith M. Lederer, AP foreign | Monday, February 21, 2011
Paris invite ses ressortissants à quitter la Libye
LE POINT: Le Quai d'Orsay ne prévoit pas de rapatriement général mais exhorte les 750 Français présents sur place à la prudence.
La France a encouragé lundi ses quelque 750 ressortissants en Libye à rentrer et a réclamé la "cessation immédiate" de violences qui ont fait plus de 200 morts dans le pays. Des discussions sont en cours à Bruxelles pour adopter une position commune de l'Union européenne face au problème de ses ressortissants, a déclaré le porte-parole du ministère français des affaires étrangères.
"Nous discutons de ce sujet avec nos partenaires européens dans le cadre du conseil affaires générales qui se tient actuellement à Bruxelles", a dit Bernard Valero lors d'un point de presse électronique. Paris, qui n'envisage pas pour l'instant d'organiser l'évacuation de ses expatriés, réclame la fin de la répression brutale du mouvement de contestation contre le régime de Mouammar Kadhafi, a-t-il ajouté. >>> SOURCE REUTERS | Lundi 21 Février 2011
Tunesien: Millardenschatz hinter "Bücherwand"
DIE PRESSE: Eine Ermittlungskommission entdeckte auf der Jagd nach dem illegalen Vermögen des geflüchteten tunesischen Machthabers Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in der Nähe von Tunis Geld und wertvollen Schmuck in Milliardenhöhe.
Tunis Die Ermittler wollten ihren Augen nicht trauen: Auf der Jagd nach dem Vermögen des geflüchteten Machthabers Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali stießen sie in einem Palast nordöstlich der Hauptstadt Tunis auf einen wahren Schatz. Banknoten in Höhe von mehreren Milliarden Euro und Dollar, reihenweise in Stapeln zu 500er-Scheinen geordnet, sowie Schmuck in unschätzbarem Wert: Diamanten, Smaragde und weitere wertvolle Steine. In den Safes hinter der falschen Bücherwand fanden sich außerdem bündelweise tunesische Dinar und ägyptische Pfund.
Eine eigens eingerichtete Kommission sucht seit dem Sturz Ben Alis nach dem illegalen Vermögen des Ex-Machthabers und seines Clans. Vor allem gegen die Familie von Ben Alis Ehefrau Leila Trabelsi werden schwere Korruptionsvorwürfe erhoben. >>> Ag. | Montag, 21. Februar 2011
ARAB REVOLUTIONS: What Is Really Awaiting Europe
PRESSEUROP: Terrorism, immigration, the economy: for Europeans, the wave of revolts that have shaken the Arab world is fraught with dangers that are not altogether clear. El País has tried to unravel truth from falsehood.
Rare are those who allow themselves to discuss the fact that the support offered by the West for decades to the dictatorships on the southern shores of the Mediterranean is a blotch on their history. The Arab uprisings of recent weeks have put to flight these attitudes, among other debasements. This does not mean, however, that the concerns motivating this Western policy were not and do not continue to be based on very real dangers. The dream of bringing democracy to the Arab world is an exciting one, but the path weaves among yawning chasms that some fear the dream will end up in (and others want it there).
The most obvious and widely discussed fear is that these changes will pave the road to power for Islamist groups hostile to Israel and to the West. However, several factors would appear to hold off that threat, at least in the short term. First is the nature of the events of these last weeks, which have been led by legions of young people aspiring to live in an open and tolerant society, and in which Islamism has not played a leading role. That does not stop some in Europe from raising the spectres of unstable transitions, terrorism, waves of immigration and drug-trafficking that can threaten economic stability and our energy supply.
Certain risks are there, but some experts are insisting there is no need to exaggerate them: the likelihood that they will become reality remains low. All the more reason to face the risks inherent in the bet on democracy with a little courage. Some issues are more worrisome than others: >>> Andrea Rizzi | Monday, February 21, 2011
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Für Italien steht in Libyen besonders viel auf dem Spiel. Italien war seit Jahrzehnten ein besonders enger Partner Libyens. Sorgen machen sich etwa die Manager des Eni-Konzerns- mit der Benzinmarke Agip. Eni fördert in Libyen täglich mehr als 520.000 Barrel an Öläquivalenten.
