In the latest shift by a NATO member nation about the war in Libya, the Obama Administration has today issued a statement saying it endorses the Russian efforts to mediate a ceasefire in Libya, provided it ends with Moammar Gadhafi stepping down.
The move follows a pair of announcements from France over the past two days, first that the French government was encouraging Libya’s rebels to seek a peace deal and later that the French themselves are involved in talks with the Gadhafi regime.
It is a stark contrast from the position even a week ago, when NATO member nations were openly scorning the notion of a negotiated settlement. France itself loudly condemned Italy’s call for a ceasefire as a “sign of weakness.” Now it seems the Italian position is winning out.
It seems to signal the growing acceptance among NATO’s hawkish bloc of nations, which was led by France and the US, that constant escalation of the bombing campaign in Libya isn’t going to produce some sort of overwhelming victory over Gadhafi. Rather, the stalemate appears to be largely unchanged by the bombings, which are garnering more international outcry about civilian deaths. While it would have been unsurprising just days ago to hear the US condemn the Russian efforts at peace as getting in the way of their latest escapade, it seems now that officials are hoping that the Russians can salvage some sort of settlement that allows them to escape their latest quagmire with something short of an admission of failure.
Please, please, USA, UK, France, Canada, etc., just keep your noses out of other country's business. Civill wars are just that and should be allowed to run their course. We're thaught that the American Civil War was accomplished on the back of over 300,000 deaths. And the incursions into Iraq and Afghanastan have taught us that the most civilized countries place very little value on a human life. Let the Libyans fight it out amongst themselves without the air support to the rebels from the UK, France and the USA.
the fattest guy in the G20, our boy Harper, has just been made honorary chief of a tribe in Alberta and wishes to be a war chief — what a man.
Right on it's not our business. Our Civil war killed over 600,000 people and it should never have been faught but I still wouldn't have wanted another nation to have used it as an excuse to kick lincoln out of power and slaughter more civilians.
The sad thing was that this would have been over about a week after we started bombing. Gadaffi's forces had the reblels last cities surrounded. It was a done deal.
"Days, not weeks!"
Funny how the media isn't holding him accountable to those words.
It would have been if we had stayed out of it.
"France itself loudly condemned Italy’s call for a ceasefire as a “sign of weakness.”
A weak and cowered government is the one who starts wars with falsified accusation or documentation. US and NATO always been depend on their weapons then their democracy because there is no such thing as democracy exist in US nor for that matter in EU present form of governing the governments.
EU body of government is based on few countries such as France, England and German influence to dominate the faith of all other members of “European Union” as its called.., the model is a copy of USA and its states where all members are bound by what Federal Government will do or give.., it was built to stand the US political and militarism pressure for wars.., now the very same body have managed to destroy Italians, Spain, Greece, Portugal, Ireland, and many of the eastern European countries with EU monopoly on Euro and its social political and economic domination.., Libyan war were not the European peoples choice.., nor the Afghanistan or Iraq war.., but it was and is the EU hypocrites’ choice in joining US and its agendas for the world.., EU is a militarism regime as US is, therefore they need to share this world and keep on making falsified accusation to start wars.
Its good America is listening.They should have never went in the first place.Than sating doing what Italy said was a sighn of weakness when it was far from a sighn of weakness its smart.But America saying Gadafi has to step down why because you say so it should be up to the lybian people with no outside involvment,Thatsa democracy witch America is now longer a democracy they just have many citizens fooled.
Anything the US gets its hands on automatically turns to shit.
As the old saying goes, putting lipstick on a pig still makes it a pig. The Worldwide Murder by the US and It's European Army called NATO, is about to go the way of the USSR as high tech killing costs lots of money and creates more Enemies than We can Kill. Not smart Politics or way to run a Country but Nobody believes We have smart Leaders. The US and Destruction are synonymous and go together like hand and glove.
Gadaffi could not have allowed those three wretched creature to succeed in toppling his government it would have meant that all of Africa would be laid bare for more imperalism,starvation etc etc.
Demanding that Gadaffi step down is not taking part in the peace process at all. Obama is just blowing smoke up our rear ends.
The Rebels are no better than any of the other tribes but they are somewhat popular in the East of the country were the oil is. My guess would be that any "Peace" would have to include the oilfields being under control of the "Rebels", funded and run by a central bank and foreign corporations.
Access to the oil profits is how we formented this war in the first place. Like the devilish little imps that we are, we have been wispering in the "Rebels" ears for decades.
"The oil is on your land. Why should they be in change of the profits? Why shouldn't you get all the choice jobs and government appointments? Don't worry you can do it with our help, you can do anything. Just remember that we are putting you in place and we can take you out, so don't forget who your friends are".
Stop the bombing and let the strongest side wins.
If that happens to be Ghadaffi then so be it. The guy deserves to win it at this point. He's got nine lives and the apparent support of more than just a few army units and mercenaries.