LIBYA WAR: LATEST POLITICAL DEVELOBMENT
Laaska News August 25,2011
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UN to unfreeze 1.5 bin U.S. dollars in Libyan assets: diplomat
UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) — The United Nations will release 1.5 billion U.S. dollars in Libyan assets after the United States and South Africa reached deal on the issue on Thursday, a diplomat close to the talks said.
The last-minute deal meant that the United States would not press for a vote at the UN Security Council to force the release of the assets.
“There is an accord and there will be no vote,” said the diplomat on the condition of anonymity.
The United States proposal to release a portion of Libyan assets had faced opposition from South Africa, a non-permanent member of the 15-member Security Council, in a UN committee on Libyan sanctions this week. Proposals in the sanctions committee, which works by consensus, require the support of all 15 council members to be approved.
Xinhua.
U.S., South Africa reaches deal on releasing frozen Libyan assets: diplomat
UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) — The United States and South Africa reached deal on Thursday on unfreezing 1.5 billion U.S. dollars Libyan assets for humanitarian needs, a diplomat close to the talks said.
Xinhua.
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NATO disavows British Defense Secretary’s allegations on Libya
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NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu. Photo: EPA
NATO is making no effort to spot Colonel Gaddafi and avoids coordinating Libyan rebels’ efforts, NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said on Thursday.
She added that the alliance never deployed its ground forces to Libya.
The statement came after the Sky News TV channel quoted British Defense Secretary Liam Fox as saying that NATO allegedly provides Libya’s opposition government with intelligence information to help track down Muammar Gaddafi and his supporters.
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Gaddafi asset release blocked
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Muammar Gaddafi. Photo: EPA
South Africa has blocked a UN Security Council resolution on releasing Gaddafi regime’s frozen assets to Libya’s rebel-backed new government, media reports said on Thursday.
Earlier this week, the US put forward a resolution to the UN to authorize the transfer of 1.5 billion dollars to Libyan rebels.
South Africa’s UN Ambassador Baso Sangqu said that his country okaying the resolution would have indicated its intent to officially recognize the rebel Transitional National Council (TNC) as a legitimate government in Libya – a decision that is yet to be made.
Recognizing the TNC also remains on the agenda of many African Union countries.
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Russia wants UN to break Libyan logjam
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Russian Foreign Ministry. Photo: RIA Novosti
Moscow proceeds from the assumption that the political settlement in Libya should be resolved by the United Nations, not a contact group consisting of “Libya’s friends”, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Alexander Lukashevich told a Moscow new conference on Thursday.
He added that representatives of Russia were not yet invited to take part in the contact group’s session slated for September 1.
Touching upon the current situation in Libya, Lukashevich said that everyone is in a “dismal anticipation of an irreversible breakthrough.” He declined to elaborate.
At the same time, he said that Russia continues to keep a watchful eye on the current developments in Libya.
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Arab League recognizes Libyan rebel council
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League of Arab States. Photo: EPA
The League of Arab States has recognized Libya’s rebel Transitional National Council (TNС) as a legitimate representative of the Libyan people, Reuters quoted Arab League Secretary General Nabil Al-Araby as saying on Thursday.
He added that the TNС, which was earlier recognized by a number of Western countries, will soon receive permanent membership in the Arab League.
On February 22, Libya’s membership in the Arab League was suspended over Libyan authorities’ crackdown on the opposition.
VOR.
Gaddafi may try to sell tons of gold through proxy dealers – ex-Central Bank chief
Photo: RIA Novosti
Muammar Gaddaf may try to cell 25 tons of gold through foreign proxy dealers in order to pay Libyan tribes for his security.
The statement came from Libya’s defected former Central Bank chief Farhad Bin Guidara in an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. He said that Libya’s gold reserves totaled about $10 billion.
Bin Guidara believes that Gaddafi may have taken part of the gold and intends to dispose of it in his own interests.
He said that the rebel National Transitional Council was in urgent need of a $5-7-billion loan to support the national banking system and pay for imports.
VOR.
Libya’s embassy in Moscow pulls Gaddafi’s flag down
Red-black-and-green tricolor flag used by the anti-Gaddafi rebels. Photo: EPA
Libya’s embassy in Moscow has pulled down the green flag of the Libyan Jamahiriya but stopped short of raising the red-black-and-green tricolor flag used by the anti-Gaddafi rebels.
Earlier, the rebel flag was raised by the Libyan embassies in Algeria, Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine and several other countries.
VOR.
Defected Libyan ex-PM says ready to create new party
ROME, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) — Defected Libyan ex-prime minister Abdessalam Abdel Jalloud said here at a press conference on Thursday that he was ready to found a new political party.
Once one of Gaddafi’s most closed allies, Jalloud escaped to Rome with his family on Sunday and has now passed over to the rebels’ side, ready to take part in the transition phase in Libya and resuscitate himself in politics.
Born in 1944, Jalloud was the prime minister of Libya from 1972 to 1977, known as the No. 2 figure in Gaddafi’s regime for over 20 years.
“We intend to create a liberal, lay, nationalist group that may pave the way towards the rise of a free press and a strong public Libyan opinion, where youth will have the leadership,” said Jalloud, adding that talks were underway with several different Libyan tribes and ethnic groups.
He accused Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi of being “a tyrant and destroyer” of Libya, expressing confidence that the Libyan people would rise from their own ashes.
“I believe the best weapon for the people is national unity and reconciliation,” he stressed.
Jalloud however said that more sacrifices were still required to win the final battle against the regime, warning that no one yet knew where Gaddafi was.
In his opinion, two could be the alternatives of Gaddafi’s hiding place: either he might have escaped from Tripoli and try to cross the desert, or he was hiding somewhere in the northern part of Tripoli where he might be remaining until the roads get clear, he said.
Gaddafi, he added, had a habit of changing locations frequently and moving with just a few followers. Jalloud argued Gaddafi might as well decide to disguise himself as a woman to go unnoticed by the rebels.
Talking about Italy-Libya future ties, Jalloud stressed that bilateral relationship would be even stronger in the future thanks to the Mediterranean vicinity and the role Italy played in fighting against the Gaddafi regime.
Libya contact group calls on Gaddafi to surrender
ISTANBUL, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) — The Libya contact group called on the embattled Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his inner circle to surrender at the conclusion of its meeting in Istanbul on Thursday.
The Libya contact group meeting at the level of political directors stressed the need for Gaddafi and his inner circle to turn themselves in to justice in order to prevent further bloodshed and the destruction of national infrastructure.
The contact group said the Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) is the sole representative of the state and people of Libya.
It was also agreed that the United Nations should lead all the international efforts aimed at helping Libya in the post-conflict period.
While underlining the crucial role of NATO and its partners in Libya, the group stressed the need for the Operation Unified Protector to continue until the UN Security Council resolutions 1970 and 1973 are fully realized.
The group reiterated its commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and national unity of Libya and urged the NTC to embrace an orderly transition phase to constitutional democracy based on the principles of inclusiveness, and avoidance of retribution and vengeance.
Officials from 29 countries and 7 organizations convened in Istanbul on Thursday to seek ways for the international community to cooperate to provide political guidance to the NTC and potentially release the frozen funds as the rebels look to strengthen their grip on the reins of power.
The UN Security Council began a meeting on Wednesday to discuss a U.S. proposal to release the frozen Libyan assets to pay for emergency humanitarian aid.
The Libya contact group was created in London on March 29 and comprises around 30 countries and international organizations, including the United Nations, the European Union and the Arab League.
UN to help Libya in post-conflict period, says top official
UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) — United Nations Under- Secretary-General for political affairs B. Lynn Pascoe told reporters here Thursday that the UN will assist Libya at the directives of its new government after the current conflict in the North African nation has come to a close.
“One thing that the National Transitional Council (NTC) has made very clear is they expect the UN to play a strong role in the post-conflict period,” said Pascoe.
The month-long conflict between Muammar Gaddafi’s Libyan government and the NTC rebels appears to be coming to an end as rebel forces overrun Tripoli while the whereabouts of Gaddafi remain unknown.
Pascoe said the UN’s future activities in a post-conflict Libya depend on requests from the Libyan people and new Libyan authorities.
“Let me state first that any process will be a Libyan-led one,” he said. “What we are doing is trying to help them. We are not imposing or coming with our own ideas.”
According to Pascoe, Ian Martin, the UN special advisor dealing with post-conflict planning in Libya as well as Abdel-Elah Al Khatib, UN special envoy to the country have been engaged in discussions about the African nation’s future.
Martin is currently in Istanbul attending a contact group meeting on Libya.
Pascoe said Martin has been “in charge of the process for the secretary-general trying to look at the issues that are out there, ways that we may be helpful, and things that we could do to help a new government get established and carry through with the kind of free and open democracy that they want and that we want.”
There are many areas where the UN could support Libya, said Pascoe, with regard to the establishment of a government, as well as the development of accountable institutions, and reconciliation issues.
The UN’s expertise on security could also be quite helpful, though there are currently no plans to deploy UN peacekeepers to the country, Pascoe explained.
“We also know some things about security issues in terms of dealing with disarmament, dealing with the control of anti mines, with unexplored ordinance,” he said. “There is a whole range of issues where you know that we have been quite busy down through the years and have had a lot of involvement.”
Addressing concerns about the movement of arms around Libya and across borders, Pascoe noted that the Security Council Resolution 1973 which was passed in March has authorized measures to enforce an arms embargo on the country.
“We have been talking about the possibility of some arms monitors that would be there, as you will recall this was part of the Resolution 1973,” he told reporters. “So we have people and we can be helpful if they want our help.”
Discussion of Libya will continue in the Security Council with a new draft resolution designed to undo the asset freeze imposed on the Gaddafi regime through Security Council Resolution 1970 passed in February. The unfrozen assets would be used to help the Libyan people.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is also due to hold a meeting on the situation in Libya here Friday that will include the European Union, African Union, the League of Arab States, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
“We’ll have a good discussion,” said Pascoe on the upcoming meeting.
UN to help Libya in post-conflict period: official
UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) — UN under-secretary-general for political affairs B. Lynn Pascoe said here on Thursday that the United Nations will assist Libya at the directives of its new government after the current conflict in the North African nation has come to a close.
“One thing that the National Transitional Council (NTC) has made very clear is they expect the UN to play a strong role in the post-conflict period,” Pascoe told reporters.
The months-long conflict between the Muammar Gaddafi’s Libyan government and the rebels under the NTC appears to be nearing a close as rebel forces have overrun Tripoli and the whereabouts of Gaddafi remain unknown.
Pascoe said that the UN’s future activities in a post-conflict Libya depend on requests from the Libyan people and new Libyan authorities.
“Let me state first that any process will be a Libyan-led one,” he said. “What we are doing is trying to help them. We are not imposing or coming with our own ideas.”
According to Pascoe, Ian Martin, the UN special advisor dealing with post-conflict planning in Libya as well as Abdel-Elah Al Khatib, UN special envoy to Libya have been engaged in discussions about the country’s future.
Martin is currently in Istanbul, Turkey to meet with a contact group on Libya.
Pascoe said that Martin has been “in charge of the process for the secretary-general trying to look at the issues that are out there, ways that we may be helpful, and things that we could do to help a new government get established and carry through with the kind of free and open democracy that they want and that we want.”
Pascoe said that there are many areas where the UN could support Libya, for example, on the political side on the establishment of a government, on the development of accountable institutions, reconciliation issues.
The UN’s expertise on security could also be quite helpful, though there are currently no plans to deploy UN peacekeepers to the country, Pascoe explained.
“We also know some things about security issues in terms of dealing with disarmament, dealing with the control of anti mines, with unexplored ordinance,” he said. “There is a whole range of issues where you know that we have been quite busy down through the years and have had a lot of involvement.”
Addressing concerns about the movement of arms around Libya and across borders, Pascoe pointed out that Security Council Resolution 1973, passed in March, authorized measures to enforce an arms embargo on the country.
“We have from the first been talking about the possibility of some arms monitors that would be there, as you will recall this was part of the Resolution 1973,” he told reporters. “So we have people and we can be helpful if they want our help.”
He added that the UN has no plans to deploy peacekeepers to the country at the moment.
Discussion of Libya will continue in the Security Council with a new draft resolution designed to undo the asset freeze imposed on the Gaddafi regime through Security Council Resolution 1970, passed in Feb.. The unfrozen assets would be used to help the Libyan people.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is also due to hold a meeting on the situation in Libya here on Friday that will include the European Union (EU), African Union (AU), League of Arab States, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
“We’ll have a good discussion,” said Pascoe.
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IMF pins Libyan new gov’t recognition on members’ acceptance
WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) — The Washington-based International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Thursday that it will consider recognizing a new Libyan government if such a move were supported by its 187-member countries.
“When there is a clear, broad-based, international recognition of a new government in Libya,” it is at that point the Fund would move towards recognition, IMF spokesman David Hawley told reporters at a Thursday press conference.
The Fund is monitoring developments in Libya and called for a prompt end to the civil conflict, said Hawley, deputy director of IMF’s external relations department.
Italy to help Libyan people in priorities: PM
MILAN, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) — Italy is willing to help the Libyan people in priorities they are in urgent need of, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said here on Thursday, following a meeting with Libya’s rebel government leader Mahmoud Jibril.
Italy is preparing to release 350 million euros (around 505 million U.S. dollars) worth of Libyan assets frozen in Italian banks as “a first trance,” Berlusconi said.
“We are also willing to provide trainers for the police and for the military forces of the new State, and for anything needed in all other sectors, from education to health,” he added.
According to the prime minister, the chief executive of the Italian oil giant Eni, Paolo Scaroni, would sign an agreement on Monday in Benghazi with the Libyan transitional council to supply gas for vehicles and natural gas for electricity generation to meet the Libyan people’s immediate needs.
Mahmood Jibril warned of dangerous destabilisation without urgent financial help from the West to restore services and pay government salaries.
“The biggest destabilising element would be the failure of the National Transitional Council (NTC) to deliver the necessary services and pay the salaries of the people who have not been paid for months,” Jibril told the press conference.
Libyan rebels to receive 2.5 billion U.S. dollars soon, says NTC official
ISTANBUL, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) — The Libya Contact Group promised here on Thursday to release 2.5 billion U.S. dollars in frozen Libyan assets to the National Transitional Council (NTC) before the end of the month.
“The Libya Contact Group agreed to speed up the process so that we the NTC receive 2.5 billion US dollars before the end of the month,” said Fathi Baja, head of political and international relations of the NTC.
The NTC is very pleased with the support offered at the Istanbul meeting, Baja told reporters after the Libya contact group meeting at the level of political directors ended.
He said the group also promised to assist in ensuring security in Libya and to help the transition process.
Baja said this did not mean that foreign troops would be moved to Libya but that NATO operations would continue as necessary.
“We are very happy with the assistance being offered. Of course we need more but all this help is vital and we are very pleased,” said Baja.
Officials from 29 countries and seven organizations convened in Istanbul on Thursday to seek ways on how the international community can cooperate to provide political guidance to the NTC and potentially release frozen funds as the rebels look to strengthen their grip on the reins of power.
The United Nations Security Council began meeting on Wednesday to discuss a U.S. proposal to release frozen Libyan assets to pay for emergency humanitarian aid.
The Libya contact group was created in London on March 29 and comprises around 30 countries and international organizations, including the United Nations, the European Union and the Arab League.
The rebels say they need at least 5 billion U.S. dollars from frozen Libyan assets to pay state salaries and maintain vital services.
Xinhua.
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