West Spurns Libyan Call for Ceasefire Monitors, Threatens Attacks

Calls for International Monitors Ignored as Officials Turn Up Rhetoric

Though the exact state of the situation on the ground in Libya is totally unclear this Friday evening, the Libyan government is loudly insisting it is complying with the ceasefire and is urging international observers to deploy to monitor the terms of the ceasefire.

The offers are largely calling on deaf ears in the West, however, where the decision to turn the internal conflict into a major international attack on Libya has already been made. French officials, indeed, say the attacks are likely to begin around 8:00 AM EST on Saturday, irrespective of what the Libyan government does between now and then.

The Obama Administration is likewise ignoring the calls for monitors, and instead insists that Gadhafi is “defying” the call for the ceasefire, threatening military action to punish him for his defiance.

Indeed the only direct Western confirmation of the offer of monitors was made by the German government, which rejected the offer outright, saying it was not up to them to “decide how it (the ceasefire) should be observed.”

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.