NATO’s Secretary General has said the alliance will confirm on Friday a decision to end its operations in Libya by October 31. In tandem, the United Nations Security Council voted unanimously on Thursday to end military operations in Libya.
These decisions conflict with what Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) chairman Mustafa Abdul Jalil had requested earlier this week, that NATO continue its bombing campaign over the nation through at least the end of December and to add “military advisers” on the ground.
While the request implied that the NTC still needed help cracking down on the pro-Gadhafi resistance, Jalil is probably more interested for NATO’s help in establishing authority within the NTC and its various factions throughout the country. The group is increasingly splintered and many are predicting tensions could escalate a new civil war between the Gadhafi defectors and the Islamist rebels within the NTC.
Despite the apparent finality in these decisions, NATO’s Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen did provide a caveat, insisting that while he does not “foresee a major NATO role in Libya in the post-conflict period,” if it is formally requested the alliance could “assist” the new Libyan government, particularly in the areas of defense and security.
And the Western powers so eager to intervene back in March, just may find new cause to intervene again. The NTC forces US-NATO brought to power in Libya continue to be accused of widespread human rights, including a recent massacre of 53 pro-Gadhafi detainees by summary execution and over 7,000 prisoners of war in poor conditions and who have yet to be charged.
In addition, vast amounts of unsecured explosive weapons, including surface-to-air missiles, remain unguarded in areas around Libya and the NTC has failed to secure enormous weapons stockpiles despite months of calls by Western leaders and human rights organizations to do so. Weapons from Libya already seeped into the black market all around the region and failure to secure them domestically could precipitate tribal conflict.
In an attempt to calm these fears, the NTC has vowed to bring Moammar Gadhafi’s killers to justice, in a sharp break with their previous statements denying he had been brutally beaten and intentionally executed by his captors. Positions like this one and others promising a dedication to equality and the rule of law accelerated since Gadhafi’s death.
But many are still doubting that the post-Gadhafi Libya will be based on democracy and human rights, and since the US and NATO have injected their own responsibility into the future of Libya, continued intervention is to be expected.
After the resolution expires it will just be a sovereign state requesting it, and they will have no need for un resolutions.
Sovereign state "requesting" it? Where have I seen this movie before. Of course, the Groundhog Day.
When are we EVER going to learn? Media has cultivated individuals with a memory of a fruit fly, and we are to believe that the murderous thugs now lording over frightened and helpless population is a GOOD THING? The thugs are now diving up the sections of towns under their exclusive control. and the pillage is going to make them rich. How many people they choose to kill, how many men, women and children they choose to rape, torture, and expose to every sort of depravity — is none of our sophisticated western concern? And these are the "sovereigns" you are trusting with calling in NATO for help. They will of course. For one, the population may be armed and the thugs may be not numerically strong enough to keep them down for ever. And, more importantly, NATO will guard oil facilities, so that money will be made. The rest of the country will be left in darkness, away from our dumb media. How horrifying! What is happening to us?
So there you go, another mindless slaughter is laid to rest. US/NATO rides off into the sunset and done is done. Nothing more to see here folks, move it along…
Libya will always be considered one of the most brutal useless military action in the history of mankind. Why could be no just buy the oil? NATO is just an organization which clearly has no controls and no one is responsible for anything. George Bush started to use NATO because he could not get his wars started any other way. I can fully understand why they want to get as far away from Libya as possible as the real fighting starts. Having a bad dictator is bad but apparently it a NATO is worse and more deadly to people. NATO should never have been created much less allow to continue. Lets hope that the missing weapons from Libya do not start showing up in New York. Heaven knows that there already enough guns in the big apple.
I think it was president Clinton who first found out how to revive NATO, when peace was threatening, to participate in the war against Serbia – as usual on fabricated premises. Appealing to broad principles, as though those were a proof, that the person making declamations are somehow being santified by uttering his abstract principles.
Precisely, Serbia was a test case. NATO declared the Albanian thugs and crime families the "liberators', and bombed a country for the sake of establishing an "independent " Kosovo, ruled ever since by murderers, heroin dealers, organ traffickers, and slave traders. Some of the most depraved criminals on earth have been celebrated as "freedom fighters". And when these "liberators" killed civilians, postmen, farmers or policeman, the state was just supposed to sit on their hands, and let them do it. Well, NATO protected thugs, and caused untold deaths, destruction of economy, and amputation of part of Serbia — all in the name of local crime families, beefed up by their supporters from accross Albanian border. General Clark did say then that "we are testing some very important methods". And the method is on display in Libya. I see same movie in Syria. Thugs are OK killing police, executing them in droves, they are allowed to kill civilians — but the regime is supposed to sit on their hands and do nothing? Strange world we live in. In the name of protecting civilians, we are unleashing psyhopaths on the helpless population.
Bill Clinton started it with his illegal attack on Serbia in support of the CIA/MI6 created islamic terrorist organization the KLA
Libya is almost a mirror image of the savage bombing back to the stoneage of the Serbs
Even down to the assassination of the leader
In Gaddaffi's case sodomised and shot, with Milosevich almost certainly assassinated in his cell via his medication when after two years it was clear they could pin nothing on him other than he defended his country against NATO backed islamic terrorists
The parallels are there to see if one has the eyes for it.
Qaddafi was trying to make Africa less dependent on the West. The West wanted Libya turned into another beggar state, institutionalized Slavery where 3rd World countries despite their riches are forced into dependency and at the behest of the IMF an the US and NATO is there to bomb them into submission. How else can they justify the millions slaughtered and incapacitated in Iraq and the 100,000 murdered and maimed in Libya.
Perfect timing. Now, they can come over here and start by imposing a No-Fly Zone over Oakland, CA. Then, give weapons to the protesters, bomb Wall Street and help the people uproot their tyrants.
Perhaps the Occupiers could invite the Chinese to come in and protect them
After all China is freely buying up most of the USA thanks to US treasonous politicians and their policies – China might care to come in to protect ITS investments and the neo American slaves could become familiar with their new owners
China is not investing in the people of the US. Why should they give a sh*t about a bunch of morons who quietly and sheepishly agreed to giving up their country in exchange for a flat screen teevee and a job at Wal Mart? Stupid is as stupid does.
The point is that only a phony, self-serving minority of the protesters would invite the Chinese to bomb America and take over its resources for pennies on the dollar.