Summary of the American and International Press on the Libyan Revolution

Libya fighters push into Al Qathafi bastion

(Aljazeera.net) - Fighters aligned with Libya's National Transitional Council have launched a fierce two-pronged assault on Sirte with the support of heavy artillery, tanks and NATO warplanes.

Al Jazeera correspondents said NTC fighters on Saturday had pushed into the centre of the city, overrunning positions that forces loyal to deposed dictator Muammar Al Qathafi had held for months.

Al Qathafi's forces battled the attackers with mortars and rocket-propelled grenades and snipers as explosions rocked Sirte and its outlying areas and plumes of smoke rose into the sky

Ambulances have been carrying casualties from the fighting, with one medic estimating that one NTC fighter had been killed and 25 wounded.

Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr, reporting from the battle in Sirte, said the momentum in the fighting has so far been behind the onrushing NTC troops.

"There is a feeling here, after talking to some commanders that if they are able to take Sirte, Bani Walid will fall," Khodr said, in reference to another Al Qathafi stronghold that has withstood NTC assaults

Battle rages

By Saturday afternoon, NTC fighters occupied a key roundabout called Zafaran west of Sirte's downtown area and said their goal was to occupy two neighbourhoods on the western side of the city.

Al Jazeera correspondent Sue Turton, also reporting from the frontline, said the feeling among NTC forces is that the "end game" for Sirte has begun.

"[The feeling is] that if pro-Al Qathafi fighters don't surrender they will be trapped between two attacks from the east and west," Turton said.

The two sides have been locked in a standoff since former rebels tried to advance on the city a week ago but were repelled by fierce resistance.

Sirte, 400km southeast of Tripoli on the Mediterranean coast, is Al Qathafi's hometown and one of three strongholds that refused to surrender after revolutionary forces seized control of Tripoli late last month after a civil war against his 42-year rule.

Revolutionary fighters tried to push into the city last weekend but were driven back by fierce rocket and gunfire, with at least 25 former rebels killed and dozens wounded. They pulled back to regroup and let civilians leave the area, although the two sides exchanged fire daily.

Civilians threatened

Revolutionary forces said more than 1,300 families have left the city in the past week. A few dozen waiting at a checkpoint outside the city on Saturday described rapidly deteriorating conditions, with entire families hiding in basements and children suffering from illnesses and a lack of food and clean water.

A commander of one of the brigades fighting for Sirte, Mohammed al-Sugatri, said foot soldiers had gone past the roundabout and were heading toward the downtown area. He said Al Qathafi's forces and snipers also were attacking from buildings on the outskirts of the city.

The former rebels had said they would wait until civilians could escape,but al-Sugatri said commanders decided to advance because several families from the rebel-held city of Misurata were in danger.

"There are lots of people from Misurata who are stuck in the city living in basements. They have no food or water and many of their children are sick so we had no choice but to attack," he said.

A field outside the city's western side was filled with trucks and ambulances filled with wounded men.

Munther Kareyem, a doctor at the field hospital, said one dead fighter and more than 25 wounded had been brought in with shrapnel wounds. One man lost a leg.

New government

In Benghazi on Saturday, the head of the NTC has said an interim government will be announced in the coming week.

Mustafa Abdul-Jalil said Libyans must unite to form a new government. The NTC failed to seat a new cabinet last week amid disagreements over which cities should be represented and other issues.

Abdul-Jalil spoke to reporters after returning from New York where he and the NTC's premier Mahmoud Jibril represented Libya at the first post-Al Qathafi meeting of the UN General Assembly.

Libya's interim rulers will hold an urgent meeting on Sunday to discuss the formation of a "crisis government", signalling a breakthrough in efforts to form a more inclusive administration after the war.

"We've agreed on a number of portfolios and who would hold the most important ones. There will be 22 portfolios and one vice-premier," Abdul Hafiz Ghoga, a spokesman for the NTC, said.

"It will be a compact government, a crisis government."

Earlier this month, Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, the chief of Libya's revolutionary movement, called for the Libyan people to form a democratic state based on Islamic law.

Deaf rebels play part in Libya’s freedom

(Star, Canada) - Khalid Mustafa Sati fights in silence. He can feel the vibration of the bombs that fall around him, but this member of Libya’s rebel forces cannot hear their explosions.

Sati can see the smoke and flames from his gun as he fires at Muammar Al Qathafi’s soldiers, but he cannot hear the sound of the bullets. Nor does he have a voice to speak of the death and violence he has witnessed during this uprising.

Sati is one of Misurata’s many heroes, praised for his courage and quick thinking on the battlefield. He now heads a unit of 86 men. What sets them apart is that they are deaf.

“In the early days, there were not so many men fighting,” Sati said. “I wanted to show everyone that we needed to get out there; show the people I can’t hear, I can’t speak, but I can fight. If I could do it, they had no excuse not to be out there, too.”

Of the 86 members of the Deaf and Mute Brigade, only seven can hear, and they are fluent in Libyan sign language and act as interpreters for the others. The majority, like Sati, were born with their condition. Others have lost their hearing later in life through injuries or disease.

None of these men are expected to fight, but many, including Sati and 18-year-old Abubakre Mustafa Awene volunteer to fight every day. They are distributed among the other units to fight alongside those who can hear.

“It’s not difficult to fight, but there is a lot of danger,” said Awene. “Rockets fall around us constantly, but if I die I will go to heaven because I am doing what is right.”

The men who fight with Awene speak highly of his bravery and dedication.

Without the ability to hear, other senses often become more acute.

“People rely too much on sound,” explained Sati. “They are not very observant.”

Sati recounted one occasion when he was fighting with 10 other men in the early days of fighting on Misurata’s Tripoli Street. As they entered the basement of a shop, Sati’s sharp vision spotted a tiny movement through a corner window.

Motioning the others back, he took aim with his AK-47 rifle, killing a Al Qathafi soldier seconds before he released a grenade into the room, saving all those with him.

Now manning a 14.5-mm mounted gun, Sati says the other advantage the men in his unit share is that when operating heavy weapons, they have no problems with the noise.

Other unit members run a number of checkpoints around Misurata and work security for events within the city.

This week, several members were chosen to form the security team for the visiting leader of the National Transitional Council, Mustafa Abdul Jibril, who praised them for their courage and impressive work for the revolution in an emotional meeting with members of the group.

This new-found acceptance and support has given the men, who were often discriminated against and even feared under the Al Qathafi regime, confidence and fulfilment, said Mohammed Hussien Gabag, the brigade’s spokesman and main translator.

Under the old government there were few education and employment opportunities for the deaf, said Gabag, who can hear but is fluent in Libyan sign language.

The community had no education about their condition, which meant that understanding and acceptance was low. The men were highly segregated from society. Even the sign language they were taught is unique to Libya, limiting their ability to communicate abroad.

Gabag had been trying to assist the men to form an association since 1992 but their requests were constantly delayed or refused. They were not granted permission to meet together under Al Qathafi’s system, which feared unity and alliances among its citizens.

The revolution’s start was a period of fear and confusion in Misurata, a city that quickly came under attack and siege by government forces.

With limited information on the dangers outside, most of the men say they were afraid to leave their homes. But as a united group, they found courage and purpose, cementing their role as determined rebel fighters.

“When we first requested to form this unit, no one wanted to back us because they were afraid for us,” Gabag said. “But they saw the hard work of our people and were surprised by the number of members.

“Now when people meet us at the checkpoints, we get a great reaction because they see the efforts we have made to help the city.”

Now the deaf group has its headquarters in the Misurata building that once housed Al Qathafi’s secret police. Gabag says he was once held overnight in one of the building’s underground cells.

There he was threatened, beaten and attack dogs were set on him before he was released without charge the following morning.

Two of the men say they had been approached by Al Qathafi’s intelligence agency on several occasions and were asked to spy on the deaf community to monitor anti-government conversations that could take place silently via sign language.

The headquarters is now colourfully painted in red, black and green, the colours of the new government of the National Transitional Council, with slogans of freedom and Libyan unity.

Hanging on the office walls are photos of 52-year-old Atiyah Aseid, a prominent fighter among the deaf group who was killed in a battle on Tripoli St. in Misurata.

Several of Aseid’s children are members of the unit.

“My father was a good man,” said Mohammed Atiyah Aseid, who works the night shift on one of several checkpoints run by the group. “My heart is proud because he died for Misurata and Libya.”

Several other deaf members have been injured in the fighting, including Sati, who was struck by shrapnel twice and hit in the torso by a 23-mm bullet. Despite that injury, he returned to the front line three days later.

With his background working in a steel factory, Sati at first volunteered to fix weapons for the soldiers.

“I saw them heading out to battle. Some returned. Some didn’t. Others came back injured. They clearly needed more men,” Sati said of his time spent working in the weapons factory.

After several days, he made his decision. As he left the house that first day dressed in combat gear with a gun in hand, the father of five says his wife tried to block the doorway. Despite her tears and pleas, Sati said he knew where he was needed most.

Awene, with bright young eyes and an innocent smile, beamed as he loaded his AK-47 and got ready for battle. He said he is determined to continue the fight to the end.

“I will hold my line or advance until it is over,” said Awene. “I will never back down.”

Libyan NTC forces thrust deep into Al Qathafi home town

(Reuters) - Libyan interim government forces backed by NATO warplanes swarmed into Muammar Al Qathafi's home town of Sirte on Saturday but encountered heavy sniper fire as they tried to win control of one of the deposed leader's last strongholds.

Black smoke billowed over Sirte as National Transitional Council (NTC) forces massed in Zafran Square about 1 km (half a mile) from the centre of the Mediterranean coastal town.

Gunfire could be heard from the town centre as the forces moved tanks and mortars to the square. Pick-up trucks mounted with machineguns and loaded with NTC fighters raced into the town and ambulances hurtled back and forth ferrying casualties.

"They have snipers above the mosques, above the buildings. They're using the houses and public buildings," NTC fighter El-Tohamy Abuzein told Reuters from his position in Zafran Square.

NATO, whose warplanes played a vital role in the six-month war that toppled Al Qathafi, said its planes hit a number of targets in Sirte in the last 24 hours, including an ammunition depot and an anti-aircraft gun.

It said in a statement the air attacks had been mounted to protect civilians from Al Qathafi forces inside the town.

"Among the reports emerging from Sirte are executions, hostage-taking, and the calculated targeting of individuals, families, and communities within the city," NATO said.

Previously, NTC forces had retreated from Sirte and the other final Al Qathafi stronghold, Bani Walid, after poorly organized assaults met fierce resistance from his loyalists.

Though NTC forces have tightened their grip in the past few days on southern oasis towns which sided with Al Qathafi, that progress has been overshadowed by unsuccessful efforts to take the last strongholds.

NTC commanders say their advance on Sirte has been hampered by the presence of large numbers of civilians, many of whom have fled in the past week.

A Al Qathafi spokesman has accused NATO of killing several hundred civilians with its strikes on Sirte. Communications have been largely cut off since the fall of the capital Tripoli last month.

Taking Sirte would be a huge boost for the NTC as it tries to establish credibility and a devastating blow for Al Qathafi, who is still widely believed to be on the run inside Libya.

"Forbidden” weapons found

NTC leader Mustafa Abdul-Jalil said on Saturday interim government forces had found suspected internationally banned weapons near the towns of Sabha and Wadan, but he gave no details about them.

"There are weapons believed to be internationally forbidden, and they are under our control," he told a news conference at the NTC's headquarters in its eastern Benghazi base.

"We will seek help from local experts and the international community to get rid of these weapons in a suitable way."

The NTC, the political leadership of the rebel movement which rose up against Al Qathafi's 42-year-rule and drove him from power with support from the West and several Arab nations, faces a challenge in trying to impose authority across Libya.

It said last week it would move to Tripoli only after its forces were in full control of Libyan territory, contradicting an earlier pledge to move the interim administration from Benghazi around mid-September.

Raising a new challenge, Abdelraouf al-Kurdi, a representative of fighters from a Tripoli district, said arms seized from sites in the capital had been taken to other parts of Libya by fighters who filled the city to overthrow Al Qathafi.

Interim government forces operate in disparate units based on their home towns, with little overall command

In the fighting for Sirte, Reuters journalists said NTC fighters had captured its strategically vital eastern gate, 50 km from the town. NTC forces had come under heavy rocket fire from just behind the gate for more than a week.

"The gate is very symbolic for us because it's very close to Sirte and it has raised our moral," NTC fighter Ahmed Khairy told Reuters, as his comrades draped the new Libyan flag over its arches and shouted: "God is greatest."

Identity cards that NTC fighters said were left behind by pro-Al Qathafi fighters littered the ground at the gate. Most were owned by Libyan nationals but several belonged to Nigerians.

NTC officials have said Al Qathafi used mercenaries from sub-Saharan Africa to bolster his ranks during the war.

Tanks were seen moving beyond the gate toward Sirte.

"We are coming for you, wild-haired one," fighters chanted, referring to Al Qathafi.

On Thursday, the NTC said it had taken full control of Sabha, which was the traditional base for Al Qathafi's own tribe. About 800 km (500 miles) south of Tripoli, it had been occupied by fighters loyal to him.

The NTC says it also controls Jufra, to the northeast of Sabha, and the nearby oasis towns of Sokna, Waddan and Houn.

The manhunt for Al Qathafi, who has been in hiding for weeks occasionally issuing audio messages through Syrian-based Arrai TV, is drawing closer to its target, NTC officials say.

Firefight in Sirte, fighting fire in Tripoli

(CNN) - Anti-Al Qathafi forces Saturday claimed a new military advance into the deposed Libyan dictator's hometown Sirte, while a fuel storage warehouse fire at the port of the country's capital city Tripoli in the west sent plumes of smoke into the air.

National Transitional Council forces took a neighbourhood previously held by remnants still loyal to Muammar Al Qathafi, according to a spokesman. Twenty-four hours of NATO aerial bombardments preceded the advance.

The western military alliance "struck a series of targets (Al Qathafi) forces used in order to threaten the civilian population of Sirte," NATP said in a statement.

"Among the reports emerging from Sirte are executions, hostage-taking, and the calculated targeting of individuals, families, and communities within the city," according to NATO, which also pointed to the involvement of mercenaries on the pro-Al Qathafi side and denial of civilian access to food, water and medical care.

Targets included a munitions stash, a command post and three large guns.

During the advance, NTC fighters "removed all the Al Qathafi loyalists' checkpoints in that area, allowing for more revolutionaries to enter the town for the first time," said spokesman Adel Ghuleak with the NTC in Misurata. He said senior Al Qathafi military members were in the neighbourhood, a claim CNN is not able to confirm.

Thirty NTC fighters sustained injuries in the push, Ghuleak said.

In Tripoli's port a navy fuel warehouse at caught fire Saturday afternoon, and sporadic explosions could be heard in the Libyan capital for an hour as the fire spread.

NTC security arrived at the scene and secured the surrounding area, blocking roads leading to the burning site and firing into the air to drive back dozens of onlookers. Journalists' access was limited.

The fire has been extinguished and explosions since ceased.

A fire crew sprayed water on a ship docked near the warehouse, which contained military hardware, but it was not clear if the ship was burning.

Libya's NTC is to hold an urgent meeting Sunday to discuss the formation of an interim government, a senior council member told CNN Friday.

Mohammed Naser, the council member, said the formation of a government could take up to one week, but NTC members agreed that the interim government would include a premier, a vice premier, and 22 ministers.

Earlier in the week, Elamin Belhaj, a senior member of the NTC, told CNN the formation of a Libyan government would not be announced until anti-Al Qathafi forces controlled the borders of the country and liberated three cities that still remained under loyalist control - Bani Walid, Sirte and Sabha - a task that could take up to one month, he said.

The NTC, he said, will expand as cities are liberated in order to give representation to all regions of the country. Ultimately, the council could have approximately 80 members; it currently has 43.

Elections for a National Congress is slated to take place in eight months. At the creation of the congress, the interim government will cease to exist.

Anti-Al Qathafi forces renew their attack on Sirte

(L.A. Times) - Forces loyal to Libya’s provisional government launched a renewed assault Saturday on the besieged coastal city of Sirte, Muammar Al Qathafi’s hometown and a holdout bastion of support for the ousted leader.

The attackers were meeting fierce resistance from pro-Al Qathafi militiamen in the form of sniper fire, according to reports from the scene.

Reuters reported that huge plumes of black smoke arose from the town as anti-Al Qathafi fighters massed in a square less than a mile from the centre of Sirte, which has been under siege for more than a week.

In recent days, anti-Al Qathafi troops have been positioning tanks, artillery, antiaircraft guns and other weapons for a long-anticipated second push toward Sirte.

An initial offensive last week was repelled as pro-Al Qathafi forces launched rockets and mortars and fired from sniper positions, rebel commanders said.

Libya’s provisional rulers had given Sirte’s defenders until Saturday to surrender or face an all-out attack. There was no sign of capitulation from the defenders of Sirte, situated about 230 miles east of Tripoli, the capital, along the Mediterranean coast.

Hundreds of civilians have been fleeing in recent days from Sirte, where the humanitarian situation was said to be grave, with shortages of food, gasoline and other staples. Pro-Al Qathafi militias controlled the streets, fleeing residents said. The city has been largely cut off from the outside world.

Reports indicated that NATO warplanes were heard overhead as the fighters advanced. NATO has mounted a months-long air war aimed at protecting Libyan civilians. Al Qathafi stalwarts have accused NATO of acting as an air force for the former rebels.

During a 24-hour period ending Saturday, warplanes struck a series of targets - including an ammunition storage facility, an antiaircraft gun, a command and control centre and two armed vehicles - that had been used “to threaten the civilian population” of Sirte, NATO said in a statement.

NATO cited reports from Sirte of “executions, hostage-taking and the calculated targeting of individuals, families and communities within the city.”

Sirte once had a population of about 100,000, but many if not most of the civilians have escaped the town, which is almost encircled by anti-Al Qathafi forces.

Former rebels loyal to Libya’s transitional administration have said they would do everything possible to avoid more civilian casualties. But both sides are using Grad rockets and other weapons systems known for their lack of accuracy.

More than six months of fighting in Libya have left at least 30,000 people dead, officials say.

Rebel forces took Tripoli last month after several days of fighting. Al Qathafi, his family members, close associates and loyal troops are believed to have fled the capital.

Al Qathafi himself remains a fugitive but has called on his supporters to mount a guerrilla war against Libya’s new rulers.

Sirte is one of two major strongholds still in the hands of Al Qathafi loyalists. The other pro-Al Qathafi bastion is the city of Bani Walid, a tribal enclave southeast of Tripoli. Anti-Al Qathafi forces have been routed and sent into headlong retreat after several chaotic efforts to overrun Bani Walid.

Libya’s provisional government says it has asserted almost complete control over another former pro-Al Qathafi redoubt, the desert town of Sabha, a Sahara crossroads some 500 miles south of Tripoli.

Libya’s new rulers say all of Libya must be freed from Al Qathafi’s forces before the country can be declared “liberated” and a timetable can be set for elections and the writing of a constitution.

The stiff resistance from pro-Al Qathafi fighters in Sirte and Bani Walid has raised fears of a long-term insurgency in Libya, similar to what happened in Iraq and Afghanistan after rulers were toppled.

But Libya’s transitional rulers have vowed that the armed opposition will soon be crushed, and the new government’s three-coloured flag will rise in both holdout cities, enabling Libya to complete a transition to democratic rule.

Fighters Renew Attack on Sirte, Al Qathafi’s Hometown

(N. Y. Times) - Fighters trying to root out loyalists of the fugitive Libyan leader Col. Muammar Al Qathafi renewed their attack on his hometown, Sirte, on Saturday as his daughter Ayesha became the latest family member to broadcast a recorded taunt of the provisional authorities struggling to replace his government.

In the capital, Tripoli meanwhile, an unexplained fire in the hangar of a naval base sent giant clouds of smoke over the harbour on Saturday afternoon.

Witnesses leaving the area and former rebel fighters guarding the site said car grease and old tires appeared to be on fire, though some reports indicated the site might have been an ammunition depot. Some fighters tried to stop journalists from photographing the flames.

The cause of the fire could not be determined. But extinguishing it safely appeared to pose a new challenge for the fledgling government still struggling to get on its feet and restore basic services.

“God is great!” a firefighter shouted from his truck, flashing a victory sign as he sped away from the still-burning hangar.

A few hundred miles to the east, there were reports that fighters aligned with the provisional government had once again battled their way inside Sirte after retreating just days before. NATO warplanes were heard overhead, according to a report from Reuters.

But the loyalists inside continued to put up stiff resistance with rockets, mortars and gunfire. Along with the Western city of Bani Walid and some parts of the southern desert town of Sabha, Sirte is one of Colonel Al Qathafi’s last bastions of support and possible places of refuge within Libya.

As the fighters were preparing to renew their assault, Ms. Al Qathafi said in the recorded message broadcast Friday that her father was fighting on against the forces that unseated his government.

“I assure you, he is fine, a believer in God, in good spirits, is carrying his gun and is fighting side by side with the warriors,” she said in the message, according to a translation by The Associated Press.

It was broadcast over the Syrian television station Arrai, the favourite media outlet of the Al Qathafi family since it lost control of Libyan state television, and offered no clues to her father’s whereabouts.

Ms. Al Qathafi’s message is the latest in a series of taunts of the post-Al Qathafi provisional government delivered in recorded statements by Colonel Al Qathafi and his family, usually from unknown locations. It is her first public statement since she fled with her mother and two brothers to Algeria after the fall of Tripoli.

Its broadcast suggested that the Al Qathafi family still retained enough resources to coordinate its propaganda efforts from remote locations across borders.

At least two of Colonel Al Qathafi’s sons, Seif al-Islam and Muatassim, are believed to remain in Libya. His son Khamis may remain as well, though there have been unconfirmed reports of his death. Both Khamis and Muatassim led militias defending Colonel Al Qathafi’s government.

Ms. Al Qathafi warned the Libyan people not to trust their new leaders, who she said had betrayed her father.

“Those who have betrayed the pledge they offered, how come they won’t betray you?” she said, presumably alluding to members of the provisional government council who previously worked in her father’s government.

Japanese PM pledges to support Libya rebuilding

(Xinhua) - Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said on Friday that Japan will support reform and democratization efforts in the Middle East and North Africa.

Soda told the third day of the General Assembly's annual general debate that to improve the employment situation and support human resource development in the region, Japan "is prepared to extend an additional yen loan worth approximately 1 billion US dollars in total, for projects which are expected to contribute to infrastructure building and industrial development."

Moreover, Japan will provide support to ensure fair elections in Tunisia and Egypt, where polls are scheduled to be held in Autumn this year.

"For a new Libya, Japan will support the country's nation- building efforts in cooperation with the international community, utilizing its expertise and technological capacity," said Soda.

At the same time, he said that Japan will deepen economic relations with Middle Eastern and North African countries by further promoting trade and investment through such means as trade insurance and export loans.

Libya's NTC says full of Sabha under control

Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC) has taken control of Sabha, known as one of the main bastions of fallen leader Muammar Al Qathafi, military spokesman from the NTC Ahmed Bali confirmed Thursday, following similar reports from the frontline the previous day.

At a press conference held in the Libyan capital of Tripoli, Bani said he is sure that Sabha is entirely free now, after the NTC fighters had driven away some of the Al Qathafi loyalists from the town.

But he still fell short of courage to make any confirmation whether Al Qathafi and his sons were once in Sabha, before the NTC's seizure of the town.

Bani said that some Al Qathafi loyalists had run away from the town, but they would not be able to run away from justice.

Libya PM says new Libya can be regional model of democracy, urges world help in rebuilding

(Washington Post) - Libya’s de facto prime minister on Saturday called on the United Nations to unfreeze all frozen Libyan assets and urged the world community to stand beside his nation in its difficult road to reconstruction and national reconciliation.

To loud applause, National Transitional Council premier Mahmoud Jibril addressed the UN General Assembly, saying he was saddened by the thousands who had died in the fight to topple Muammar Al Qathafi and whose “sacred blood was shed to write a new history for a new Libya.”

In his first address to the world body since Al Qathafi’s ouster from 42 years in power, Jibril spoke from the same rostrum where, two years earlier, Al Qathafi ripped apart a copy of the world body’s charter during a lengthy rant. Jibril ridiculed that as “a pathetic theatrical move.”

“A new Libya is coming to life,” Jibril said, one that seeks to rebuild and reach out to the global community. He said the new nation’s vision is one of “a state of democracy, ruled by a clear unambiguous constitution setting forth rights and obligations, that does not discriminate between male or female, one community or another, one political belief or another, or east or west.”

Jibril spoke as the former rebels pushed into Al Qathafi’s hometown of Sirte, in central Libya, on Saturday. NTC officials promised to announce an interim government in a week.

The NTC has struggled to form a Cabinet, with debates still ongoing about several key issues, including the distribution of ministries between the west and east of the country. The east, from where the rebellion against Al Qathafi gained momentum, was long marginalized under the ousted regime.

Jibril alluded to those challenges in his speech, saying that one key issue was agreeing on the rules of participation in the new government and juggling the expectations of the Libyan people as well as the expectations of the world community.

He said that “national unity without a united land, without national reconciliation, is a dream” and that it was of the “utmost importance” to put to a referendum a draft constitution that would guarantee rights for all in Libya. He did not, however, discuss timing.

Jibril, in urging the world community to back the NTC, said the unfreezing of some assets already has been ordered but vast sums are still withheld. That “does not rise to what is required in order to assure reconstruction and rehabilitation of the country,” he said.

Libya’s foreign assets, which are in the range of $110 billion, were largely frozen as part of a series of UN and Western sanctions on the now-ousted regime shortly after the civil war began in mid-February.

The Libyans have complained that the release has been moving slowly and that they are in dire need of money, not just to pay salaries and cover expenses, but also to begin the extensive reconstruction necessary after the conflict.

Huge expenses were also expected to overcome the underdevelopment that prevailed during Al Qathafi’s regime.

The OPEC member was producing about 1.6 million barrels of crude oil per day at the start of the war, but that output largely ended during the war. Experts and analysts estimate it could take at least a year for them to reach comparable levels.

“The assets freeze on our funds must be lifted as urgently as possible,” Jibril said, urging the Security Council to take action to unblock the assets. He assured the world that while pockets of resistance remained, the old regime was now history.

Jibril said the country faced daunting challenges aside from cementing a political structure.

“We do not claim to have a magic wand, as Muammar Al Qathafi claimed when he looked at himself in the mirror and suddenly discovered that he is an almighty prophet with a solution to every problem on earth, except for Libya’s problems,” said Jibril.

Four decades of Al Qathafi rule left 20 percent of the population living in poverty, created the region’s worst educational and health care systems, left a collapsing infrastructure and unemployment among youths at over 30 percent, he said. “These are the solutions handed us by Muammar Al Qathafi,” he said.

Libya’s National Transitional Council tries again to form government

(Al Arabiya) - Libya’s National Transitional Council holds fresh talks on Saturday on forming a new government, amid doubts over whether disagreements that prevented a deal last week will be overcome.

On the ground, NTC fighters were delaying final assaults on fugitive ex-leader Muammar Al Qathafi’s two remaining bastions - his coastal hometown of Sirte and the desert redoubt of Bani Walid.

Speaking in the NTC’s eastern headquarters of Benghazi, a council official said the meeting, due to begin late morning, would also hear a report from NTC leader Mustafa Abdul-Jalil about his talks this week in New York ahead of the UN General Assembly.

The birth of a new government had been due last Sunday, but was postponed indefinitely because of haggling over portfolios.

One official insisted Saturday’s meeting would be “decisive,” but another expressed doubts that differences could be overcome.

“There is still no agreement on the composition of the government or the number of its members,” said the skeptical official.

“There are a lot of proposals,” he said, and while there could be a deal, “I fear we will not reach one given the current situation.”

NTC number two Mahmud Fibril, speaking in New York on Wednesday, said Libya would have a new government “in a week, ten days maximum.”

After talks failed on Sunday, Fibril said much had been achieved and that he expected consultations to be “over quickly.”

At the time, there were expectations that Fibril, a former Al Qathafi official, would keep his post as interim premier, while Ali Tarhuni was touted to become vice President in charge of economic affairs.

The defence portfolio was expected to go to Osama al-Juwili and oil to Abdul Rahman bin Yezza.

Among other things, the NTC will also look into getting women and young people into major roles as deputy ministers and directors general of ministries.

On the ground, desperate residents were fleeing Sirte on Friday, as NTC fighters probed the city’s eastern outskirts in anticipation of a final assault.

A commander near Sirte said pro-Al Qathafi forces were targeting residents as they fled, with one fighter killed and a packed family car destroyed when their convoy was hit.

NATO said it was nearing the “final phase” of its air war in Libya, and said its only key hits on Friday were in the Sirte area - a command and control centre, an ammunition dump, an anti-aircraft gun and armed vehicles.

“Our fighters are in control of the eastern gate of Sirte,” commander Ahmed Zlitni told AFP.

“They are two kilometres (1.2 miles) ahead of the gate and holding positions there. Technically we can say that we entered Sirte from the east,” Zlitni said, adding that the fighters “did not face any resistance.”

“Three to four brigades have entered through the eastern gate,” confirmed commander Mohammed al-Marimi.

Asked why NTC fighters were delaying the final assault on Sirte, commander Osama Muttawa Swehly told AFP on Friday: “We’re trying to get the families out.

“We are averaging between 400 to 500 cars a day. We are basically trying to starve (the Al Qathafi forces) out.”

“We are giving the families every chance to get out. Once that stream turns into a trickle then stops, then it will be time to act,” he added.

When rebel fighters stormed and captured Al Qathafi’s Bab al-Azziziyah headquarters in Tripoli on August 23, they found no trace of the strongman, who has since made several broadcasts claiming he is still in Libya.

While Libya’s new authorities do not know where Al Qathafi is, they are focused on taking Sirte and Bani Walid, two places where some think he might be.

But reports have also emerged that he may be in the south.

“General Belgasem al-Abaaj, who we captured on Monday, said that Al Qathafi had contacted him by phone about 10 days ago, and that he was moving secretly between (the oases of) Sabha and Ghat,” an NTC commander, Mohammed Barka Wardugu, told AFP.

Abaaj had said Al Qathafi “is helped by Nigerian and Chadian mercenaries who know the desert routes,” added Wardugu, spokesman for the Desert Shield Brigade.

Al Qathafi’s daughter Ayesha said her father was well and fighting on the ground, as she attacked the country’s new rulers and called them “traitors.”

“Remain reassured, your great leader is doing well. He carries weapons and is fighting on the fronts,” she said in a telephone message aired by Syria-based Arrai television, which regularly broadcasts comments from Al Qathafi or his family.

“You can be proud of your leader,” she said, addressing the “resistant people” of Libya.

Ayesha Al Qathafi, who fled to Algeria with her mother and two brothers late last month, called on the people to “rise” against the new rulers, saying NTC members were “traitors who have broken their oath of allegiance” to Al Qathafi.

Algeria recognizes new Libyan government

(Star, Canada) - Algeria has recognized the National Transitional Council as the legitimate government of Libya.

The Foreign Ministry statement declared on Thursday the government’s willingness to “work closely with the new Libyan authorities.”

A close ally of former Libyan leader Muammar Al Qathafi, Algeria withheld its recognition long after the rest of the Arab world and the West had backed the rebels in their struggle.

Al Qathafi’s wife, daughter and two of sons took refuge in Algeria after rebels stormed the capital.

The rebels also accused Algeria of providing Al Qathafi with mercenaries, a charge Algiers denies.

Exclusion of women in new Libya must end (FARAH ABUSHWESHA)

(Irish Times) - Libyan women may not have been visible on the streets with guns, but they played an equally important role, displaying courage and strength that has been invaluable to the success of the country’s revolution. So why are women being excluded from decisions and official appointments in the new Libya?

Libyan women triggered this revolution on February 15th, when the mothers, sisters and widows of prisoners killed in the 1996 Abu Salim massacre took to the streets in Benghazi to protest outside the courthouse after their lawyer was arrested.

At home and abroad, Libyan women have protested, smuggled arms, founded civil society groups, raised awareness and delivered humanitarian aid, and continue to do so, taking a central role alongside men in Libya’s revolution - and it has united us.

Yet only one woman is listed as a member of the National Transitional Council, Dr Salwa Fawzi El-Deghali (legal affairs and women).

Libyan women were not included as equal partners in last week’s Friends of Libya Paris Conference. There were unconfirmed reports this week that three women - a lawyer, an academic and an activist - have been proposed to the Tripoli NTC council and rejected.

Common excuses for this exclusion, both inside and outside Libya, is that we women must wait until the situation is more secure and that appointments should be made on merit, or that there aren’t enough qualified women to step up.

Libyan women are among the mostly highly educated and professionally highly qualified in the Arab world, and have been working in the public domain in Libya for decades.

A double standard seems to be operating with respect to the “appointment on merit” argument: Libyan men with no experience are being appointed to posts.

There is naturally a learning curve as Libya rebuilds its institutions, but opportunities should be inclusive of all - across the genders, regions and ethnic groups.

It is time for women to be encouraged to step forward, given their place around decision- making tables and access to the conversations about Libya’s future in accordance with United Nations Security Council mandate 1325, which emphasises the important role women play in peacebuilding.

Women4Libya is a campaign run by Libyan Women’s Society, part of the Libyan Civil Society NGO.

It is calling for aid to be ringfenced to support women’s rights; financial aid for civil society and grassroots initiatives set up by women, for women; and negotiations and meetings on the future of Libya to include all tribes and regional representatives, which should include sufficient numbers of women.

It has launched an online petition for greater participation of Libyan women in government (http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/women4libya)

Freedom of thought and expression has not been available to all Libyans for nearly 42 years and it is important that Libyan women who want to be part of the dialogue can participate equally in shaping a better Libya.

Such representation should not be tokenistic, nor should it compel women to participate who would prefer to remain in the background working in equally important roles of nurturing families and helping to rebuild local communities. But the choice should be there.

Much is made in the international press of how Al Qathafi promoted women in unorthodox or sadistic ways - for example, his use of female bodyguards and assassins.

The stories are only beginning to emerge of the abusive reality of life for many of these women. Al Qathafi understood how to use the power of women and how to manipulate society.

Last week saw the arrest of Huda “the executioner” Ben Amer, who at a public Al Qathafi- staged execution in 1984 grabbed one of the condemned hanging men. She was seen on TV pulling him down until he died.

My Irish mother still speaks of her horror at watching that disgusting act. Huda was subsequently made mayor of Benghazi and terrorised the community for many years. We need to move away from this skewed view of empowerment of women; Al Qathafi does not represent Libyan society.

In the new Libya, there are new heroines. We have seen the iconic images of Iman al-Obeidi, who spoke out about the sexual violence inflicted on so many who have otherwise suffered in silence; the elderly lady praising rebels at a lay-by and giving them her blessing; and Malak, the five-year-old amputee from Misurata - to name a few.

The age of dictatorship is over, 51 per cent the population cannot be ignored or marginalised. We must start as we mean to go on and get women “round the table”, involved as equal partners alongside men.

This issue needs to be resolved now to make sure post-conflict Libya starts off on a strong foundation – one that is inclusive and respects the skills and input of all citizens.

Women must be part of the conversation in the new Libya. To do otherwise is not to honour the legacy of the brave Libyan men and women who gave their lives for human rights in the spirit of the country’s revolution.

Morgan Strong
Contributing Editor, New York

Comments

Name: Walton Eric	Date: 26/09/2011 18:50:26
Comment: I have to wonder why the International media makes reference to the Rebels instead of the Freedom Fighters for the New Libya

All fields marked with an |*| are required.

Name*

Email*

Comment*

Code

Re-type Code*