Summary of the International Press on the Libyan Revolution

The United Kingdom recognises Libya's rebel umbrella group, not Muammar Al Qathafi's regime, as that nation's legitimate government, Foreign Secretary William Hague said Wednesday.

"We are dealing with them as if they are the state of Libya and that is how we are treating them," Hague said of the Transitional National Council.

He said London is working on ways to thaw Libyan frozen assets and get the funds to the rebels.

His announcement came shortly after the Foreign Office said it had expelled all Libyan Embassy staff from the country.

The United States two weeks ago recognized the Transitional National Council as the "legitimate governing authority" in Libya.

Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim called Britain's step "irresponsible and illegal" as well as "unprecedented" in the history of international diplomacy.

"The objective and the aim of this step is to give more support and push to the rebels," he said. "But I tell the British government, they are flogging a dead horse. The rebels will not be benefited from this. It will be another illegal move but will not help them to achieve their criminal goals."

Later Wednesday, a rebel spokesman told CNN that rebel fighters may launch an offensive to take the town of Ghazzaia in the western mountains near Tunisia.

"Everything is possible, and we are ready to liberate Ghazzaia from Al Qathafi forces," said Col. Jumma Ibrahim, spokesman for the military council.

Last week, rebel fighters manning hilltops in the western mountains overlooking Ghazzaia told CNN that they had been watching the government forces reinforcing their weapon stocks with heavy military machinery and rocket launchers.

Last month, rebel fighters suffered heavy casualties in a failed attempt to wrest control of Ghazzaia from Al Qathafi forces.

In addition to announcing the recognition of the rebel council, Hague also blasted the appearance of Lockerbie bomber Abdelbeset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi on Libyan television overnight, saying that it proved his release from a Scottish prison in 2009 on the grounds that he did not have long to live was based on "worthless" medical advice.

Al Megrahi, the only person convicted for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103, which killed 270 people, was shown at a pro-Al Qathafi forum in Tripoli on Tuesday afternoon.

Appearing frail, in a wheelchair and with a face mask under his chin, he was introduced to the rally as a victim of a conspiracy.

Hague on Wednesday reiterated his stance that Al Qathafi could remain in Libya if he leaves power, but added that the best thing would be for him to face justice at the International Criminal Court, which is seeking his arrest.

After Hague first voiced that position on Monday, Al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi, prime minister of Al Qathafi's government, said that the leader's future will be decided only by Libyans.

"With all due respect to the foreign minister of Great Britain, he cannot decide on behalf of the Libyan people," al-Mahmoudi said Tuesday. "What is important to us is what Libyans decide, not what William Hague decides."

Al-Mahmoudi also said Tuesday that NATO airstrikes must stop before any negotiations to resolve the five-month-old conflict can begin.

His statement came as the United Nations reported that a visit to the country by the secretary-general's special envoy to Libya found the government and the rebels "far apart on reaching agreement on a political solution."

Plan Would Keep Al Qathafi in Libya, but Out of Power

(N.Y. Times) - With Col. Muammar Al Qathafi showing no signs, so far, of yielding to Western demands, diplomats from the United States, Britain and France have adopted a new tactic in recent days: offering the besieged leader the opportunity to remain in Libya if he dissolves the government and steps aside.

But the offer, conveyed by American diplomats to Libyan government officials during a July 16 meeting in Tunis, came with a huge caveat: rebels based in eastern Libya would have to agree.

The rebels have expressed mixed views on that possibility, and they seemed to reject it on Wednesday. Reuters reported that Mustafa Abdel-Jalil, the rebel leader, told reporters in Benghazi, Libya: "This offer is no longer valid."

Beyond getting the rebels to sign on, American and European diplomats would have to find a way around the war crimes indictment hanging over Colonel Al Qathafi at the International Criminal Court at The Hague.

And finally, Colonel Al Qathafi himself would have to be persuaded that he would not end up in the same boat as his neighbour to the east, Hosni Mubarak, the deposed President of Egypt, who is facing trial on charges that could carry the death penalty.

But the offer reflects the muddled state of the Western offensive in Libya, and the failure, so far, of Libyan rebels to successfully press the advantage they received when the NATO bombing campaign began four months ago. Colonel Al Qathafi has vowed that he will die on Libyan soil, rebuffing demands from the West to leave.

What happens to Colonel Al Qathafi is "ultimately a question for the Libyan people to decide," a senior Obama administration official said Wednesday.

Jeffrey D. Feltman, the assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, met in Tunis with members of Colonel Al Qathafi's government to deliver that message, the official said.

State Department officials initially described the meeting as an effort to deliver a "simple and unambiguous message" that "Al Qathafi must leave power so that a new political process can begin that reflects the will and aspirations of the Libyan people."

But on Wednesday American and European officials said there was also discussion during the meeting on July 16 of the possibility that Colonel Al Qathafi could remain in Libya, providing he stepped down.

Mr. Feltman's message "was a dual message," said Robert Malley, program director for the Middle East and North Africa with the International Crisis Group. "He's got to go. And we're open to when he goes and where he goes. The wiggle room is he doesn't have to leave Libya."

Britain has now joined the United States and France in suggesting that Colonel Al Qathafi could be allowed to remain in Libya in return for giving up power in a broader deal that included a cease-fire.

In talks in London late Monday, the British foreign secretary, William Hague, met his French counterpart, Alain Juppé, who said last week that "one of the scenarios" to resolve the conflict in Libya "is that he stays in Libya on one condition, which I repeat: that he very clearly steps aside from Libyan political life."

Previously, Britain had insisted that Colonel Al Qathafi had to leave the country as part of a settlement. That could expose him to arrest under a warrant on war crimes charges.

But, adopting the State Department's new formula, Mr. Hague said Tuesday that "what happens to Al Qathafi is ultimately a question for the Libyans."

Critics of any deal that allowed Colonel Al Qathafi to remain in Libya have noted that he has long asserted that he holds no political office, only the informal title of "guide" and "leader" that he took when he did away with all formal government offices in 1972.

The fear has been that a peace settlement that did not involve Colonel Al Qathafi going into exile would destabilize any new government by leaving him as the shadowy, all-powerful figure he has been for nearly 40 years.

Britain is extending formal diplomatic recognition to Libya's rebels, Mr. Hague said Wednesday, and it will expel all remaining Libyan diplomats loyal to Colonel Al Qathafi. The British government had ordered the Libyan ambassador to leave the country in May.

Mr. Hague also expressed dismay at a recording from Libyan television showing the presence among tribal chiefs at a pro-Al Qathafi rally on Tuesday of Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, the former Libyan intelligence officer convicted of masterminding the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jet over Lockerbie, Scotland, that killed 270 people.

Mr. Megrahi was released on compassionate grounds from a Scottish jail and allowed to return to Tripoli in August 2009. At that time, his lawyers cited medical evidence to say he was close to death from prostate cancer was likely to have less than three months to live.

Mr. Hague said that Mr. Megrahi's appearance, in a wheelchair, was likely to "increase the anger and outrage" that many of the Lockerbie victims' families feel over the Scottish government's decision to release him.

Britain is the latest in a long line of countries to shift diplomatic relations to the Libyan rebels. France was the first to recognize the Transitional National Council, the rebels' organisation based in Benghazi, accepting its legitimacy in March.

Two weeks ago, the United States and around 30 other countries followed suit, and the Americans allowed the rebel government access to $30 billion in Libyan assets held in the United States. Mr. Hague said Wednesday that Britain would unfreeze roughly $150 million in Libyan oil assets for use by the council.

Diplomatic hopes for Libyan peace appear to fade

(CNN) - Britain's decision to expel Muammar Al Qathafi's diplomats from London ensures that the bloody test of wills in Libya will grind on for weeks, if not months to come.

Barely 15 days ago, there was optimism from regime insiders here in Tripoli that a deal was in the works to resolve the five-month conflict.

Perhaps this was because the Muslim holy month of Ramadan was fast approaching, and with it, an anticipated slow-down in fighting on the front-lines.

Also, the regime was engaged in talks on multiple fronts with its European, American, and Libyan opponents.

Developments over the last two weeks appear to have killed those hopes.

First, the United States joined the growing list of countries officially declaring the rebel council based in Benghazi the "legitimate governing authority for Libya."

A day after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made the announcement in Istanbul, Turkey, the message was personally delivered during a round of secret talks in Tunisia. The Americans said they had one message for the Libyans, "Al Qathafi must go."

At roughly the same time, the Benghazi-based rebels mounted an attack on the eastern front, against the long-contested oil town of al-Brega.

Al Qathafi's main spokesman accused the NATO military alliance of assisting rebels in the assault. He also drew a rhetorical line in the sand around al-Brega, declaring dramatically, "We will kill, we will die for oil. You come to get our oil, we will destroy you."

Since then, the rebel advance on al-Brega has slowed, reportedly due to deadly fields of land mines.

The rebels admit hundreds of their fighters were killed and wounded during a week of fighting around al-Brega, which Ibrahim grandiloquently re-branded "Libya's Stalingrad."

Meanwhile, the Tripoli regime has been staging large rallies in support of its embattled leader.

Enthusiastic, flag-waving crowds thronged the central squares of different regime-controlled towns and cities. Partisans swore allegiance to Al Qathafi and defiantly fired volleys of gunfire in the air. State TV provided blanket coverage of the events, labelling them "million man marches."

The size of the rallies has been the subject of heated debate between foreign journalists and government officials.

But there is no question that Tripoli has been shoring up popular support for the man who has ruled this country for more than 40 years.

Government officials argue that the rallies prove Al Qathafi is the democratic choice of the Libyan people, a position that the rebels have fought and bled to refute.

Therein lies the main sticking point. The regime insists cease-fire first, then talks, while also adding that Al Qathafi's position as "Brother Leader" is non-negotiable. Benghazi and NATO say no talks until Al Qathafi goes.

In recent days, both the rebels and officials in Paris, London and Washington softened their demands. They indicated one possible way out of the stalemate could include Al Qathafi remaining in Libya, rather than going into exile.

But Wednesday's announcement by Britain's top diplomat marked yet another escalation against Al Qathafi and his cohorts. William Hague announced he would hand over Tripoli's embassy - as well as some of its frozen funds - to the rebels in Benghazi.

Al Qathafi has never been this internationally isolated, even in the dark days of the eighties when Ronald Reagan famously labelled him "mad dog of the middle east."

Turkey and even Germany, which abstained from the U.N. resolution authorizing the NATO operation in Libya, have both pledged to hand over hundreds of millions of dollars worth of regime assets to the rebels. Even tiny Malta, long described as the "gateway to Libya," has all but broken with the Tripoli regime.

This week, the United Nations special envoy to Libya seemed to kill all hope for peace. After yet another round of shuttle diplomacy between the rebels and the regime, Abdul Elah al-Khatib offered this grim assessment: "Both sides remain far apart on reaching agreement on a political solution."

A senior Muslim cleric told CNN that in the month to come, loyalist soldiers could break their daily Ramadan to better fight against what the regime calls "the colonialist, crusader aggression."

Ramadan begins in just a few days. Expect Libya's holy month to be a bloody one.

New pressure on Al Qathafi on foreign, rebel fronts

(Reuters) - Rebels fighting in Libya's western mountains prepared on Thursday for a new offensive against Muammar Al Qathafi's troops, raising pressure on the Libyan leader a day after Britain granted diplomatic recognition to the opposition.

With hopes fading of a negotiated settlement, both sides appear prepared for the five-month-old war to grind on into the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in August.

The rebels said they were planning to attack the town of Ghezaia near the Tunisian border in the next 48 hours, and a Reuters correspondent saw dozens of heavily armed pickup trucks heading for the nearby rebel-held town of Nalut.

"We are reinforcing the position around Nalut and we will attack Ghezaia tomorrow or the next day for sure. We plan to take it," Omar Fakkan, a rebel commander, told Reuters.

He said that forces from a number of rebel-held towns in the Nafusa Mountains were gathering in Nalut, ready for the attack.

Rebel fighters have taken large swathes of Libya since the start of an uprising to end Al Qathafi's 41-year rule, and now control much of the Nafusa mountain range, the northeast of Libya and the western city of Misurata.

Yet they remain poorly armed and are often disorganized. Despite four months of NATO strikes, they have failed to reach the capital Tripoli and appear unlikely to make a breakthrough soon.

Al Qathafi has scoffed at the efforts to end his rule and has weathered the now-stalled rebel advance and the NATO air raids on his forces and military infrastructure.

A recent flurry of diplomatic activity has yielded little, with the rebels insisting Al Qathafi step down as a first step and his government saying his role is non-negotiable.

United Nations envoy Abdel Elah al-Khatib visited both sides this week with plans for a ceasefire and a power-sharing government that excludes Al Qathafi, but to no avail.

Asked about Khatib's proposal, rebel leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil said: "We were surprised the day before yesterday that we are taking 10 steps back... and he says to share power with Muammar Al Qathafi's regime. This is laughable."

Al Qathafi also appeared defiant on Wednesday, urging rebels to lay down their arms or suffer an ugly death.

"We all lead this battle, until victory, until martyrdom," he said in an audio message aired at a pro-Al Qathafi rally in Zaltan, 140 km (90 miles) west of his stronghold Tripoli.

Recognising the rebels

Ramping up pressure on Al Qathafi, Britain expelled his diplomats from London on Wednesday and invited the rebel National Transitional Council to replace them.

Foreign Secretary William Hague announced that Britain now recognized the rebels as Libya's legitimate government and unblocked 91 million pounds ($148.7 million) in frozen assets.

The United States and about 30 other nations have also recognized the opposition, potentially freeing up billions of dollars in frozen funds.

"This decision reflects the National Transitional Council's increasing legitimacy, competence and success in reaching out to Libyans across the country," Hague said in London.

Al Qathafi's government said the British move was "illegal and irresponsible" and a "stain on the forehead of Britain."

"We will go to the International Court of Justice and the national courts in Britain, and we will use their justice," said Libya's deputy foreign minister, Khaled Kaim.

However, the British move won praise from rebels fighting in the western mountains.

"We are encouraged by what Britain has done and there is no way Al Qathafi can stay in Libya," said Fakkan.

"The fighting will get much worse now because he will have to fight to survive and the Libyans do not want him."

UK officially says rebel council is "sole governmental authority", as Al Qathafi government terms move "illegal"

(Aljazeera.net) - Britain has officially recognised Libya's main opposition group as the country's legitimate government, and asked all diplomats belonging to Muammar Al Qathafi's government to leave the United Kingdom.

William Hague, the UK foreign secretary, said on Wednesday that Britain was unfreezing 91m pounds ($150m) of Libyan oil assets to help the National Transitional Council, which the country now recognises as "the sole governmental authority in Libya".

"We will deal with the National Transitional Council on the same basis as other governments around the world," Hague said.

"In line with this decision, we summoned the Libyan charge d'affaires here to the foreign office this morning and informed him that he and other regime diplomats from the Al Qathafi regime must now leave the United Kingdom.

"We no longer recognise them as the representatives of the Libyan government and we are inviting the Libyan National Transitional Council to appoint a new Libyan diplomatic envoy to take over the Libyan embassy in London."

Khaled Kaim, the Libyan deputy foreign minister, told a news conference in Tripoli that Britain's recognition of the NTC was "irresponsible (and) illegal".

"We consider this is irresponsible, illegal and in violation of British and international laws," he said.

In an audio message to loyalists on Wednesday, Al Qathafi said that he and his people were "ready to sacrifice" in order to defeat NATO and the rebels.

"Political, economic boost"

Al Jazeera's Anita McNaught, in the Libyan rebel stronghold of Benghazi, reported that the funds in particular would be welcomed by NTC leaders, as they had been running dangerously low on cash.

She said that if the funds were handed over to the oil company that Hague named in his statement, they could go towards repairing an oil pipeline to one of the east's largest oil fields, in Soriya.

Mustafa Abdul Jalil, the head of the NTC, said in a press conference in Benghazi on Wednesday that the UK's decision "gives us a political and economic boost".

"This means Al Qathafi and his followers are no longer legitimate,' he said, while announcing that Libya's new ambassador to the UK would be Mahmud Nacua, who he described as a Libyan exile in Britain.

Britain's diplomatic moves implement a decision made at a July 15 meeting in Istanbul, Turkey during which the US, Britain and 30 other nations recognised Libya's main opposition group as the country's legitimate government.

Russia has criticised such moves as following a "policy of isolation" and going beyond the UN's mandate and taking sides in a civil war.

Britain is one of the leading participants in the NATO campaign, but the government has been under pressure over its failure to remove Al Qathafi from power.

It gave the current charge d'affaires and all eight remaining staff and their dependents three days to leave the UK, the foreign office said.

"Abandon all power"

This week Hague said for the first time that Al Qathafi might be able to remain in Libya, as long as he is not in power.

Hoda Abdel-Hamid reports on the return of families who were expelled from Misurata by Al Qathafi forces

He said that "Al Qathafi is going to have to abandon power, all military and civil responsibility", but "what happens to Al Qathafi is ultimately a question for the Libyans".

France and the US have made similar statements.

On Wednesday, however, Mustafa Mohamed Abdel Jalil, the NTC's chief, said that the deadline for a proposal involving Al Qathafi ceding power and remaining in Libya had expired.

"We made a proposal. The deadline has past. The proposal has expired," Jalil said of the three-point offer during a press conference in Benghazi. Under the proposal, Al Qathafi would relinquish all powers and would remain under "close supervision" in a location of the "Libyan people's" choosing, he said.

The proposal marked a major shift from previous opposition demands that Al Qathafi leave and be tried for war crimes in The Hague.

Deadlines are approaching for the NATO-led alliance, whose UN mandate for military action - granted on the grounds that it would protect civilians - expires in two months.

Fadi el-Abdallah, an official with the International Criminal Court, has said that that while the ICC cannot comment on political matters, warrants for the arrest of Al Qathafi, his son Seif al-Islam Al Qathafi and intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi are still applicable.

"A political agreement does not affect the legal obligations or the judicial process. Justice must be done, in accordance with the rules of the Rome Statute (the treaty which founded the ICC)," el-Abdallah said.

Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the ICC's chief prosecutor, said on Wednesday that Libya has "an obligation" to arrest Al Qathafi, and that any future government would also be subject to the same obligation.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Abdul Elah al-Khatib, the UN special envoy, said parties to Libya's crisis remain deeply divided on how to end the conflict that has raged since an uprising began.

Khatib this week visited the opposition capital, Benghazi, in Libya's east as well as the capital Tripoli.

A UN statement issued in New York on Tuesday quoted al-Khatib as saying that both sides "remain far apart on reaching agreement on a political solution".

The warring parties, however, both reaffirmed to Khatib "their desire to continue to engage with the UN in the search for a solution," the statement said.

Productive dialogue

Al-Khatib met Al-Baghdadi Ali Al-Mahmoudi, the Libyan prime minister, who said they had a productive dialogue.

The government however told al-Khatib that NATO must end air attacks before any talks can begin and that Al Qathafi's role as leader was non-negotiable.

Al Qathafi says he supports talks with the fighters and the West, but has shown no sign of agreeing to cede power after 41 years of unchallenged supremacy, much of it as a pariah in Western eyes.

In his talks with the Benghazi-based opposition leadership council, al-Khatib discussed ideas for ending the war but said later a firm initiative had yet to take shape.

Despite four months of NATO airstrikes on pro-Al Qathafi forces, the conflict in Libya remains stalemated, with rebels failing to make significant advances west towards Tripoli.

Opposition leaders have given conflicting signals in recent weeks over whether they would allow Al Qathafi and his family to stay in Libya as part of a deal, providing that he first gave up power.

Expatriate political party

Also on Tuesday, Libyan expatriates became the first to take a stab at forming a political party in Benghazi, the AFP news agency reported.

"We call ourselves the New Libya Party because everything was destroyed," said Ramadan Ben Amer, 53, a co-founder of the party, and now a resident of the UAE.

"Al Qathafi says he has built Libya brick by brick but, especially Benghazi, he has destroyed it brick by brick."

He said that of the 2,000 individuals who have joined the party in Libya so far, the majority hail from his native Benghazi or Derna - the hometown of co-founder Rajad Mabruk, 65, who lives in Dallas, Texas.

The party is also supported by some 20,000 Libyan expatriates living in the US, Canada and Germany, he said.

Britain opens rebel Libyan Embassy, U.S. likely to follow

(Daily Star, Beirut) - The United States said Wednesday it was reviewing a request by Libya's rebels to open an embassy in Washington, following Britain which expelled diplomats from Muammar Al Qathafi's regime.

State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the rebel National Transitional Council Tuesday submitted a formal request to open what the United States would consider Libya's embassy to the United States.

Toner indicated that the United States was sympathetic to the request – major powers recognised the rebels as Libya's legitimate representatives this month – but needed to sort out practicalities such as accreditation.

"They did send an official request regarding the reopening of their embassy and we're reviewing that request. And we'll work through these issues," Toner told reporters.

Ali Aujali, who was accredited as Libya's ambassador, defected from the Al Qathafi regime in February as violence erupted and affiliated himself with the National Transitional Council.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague Wednesday invited the council to appoint an ambassador and expelled remaining diplomats loyal to Al Qathafi.

After his announcement, rebel supporters unfurled the red, black and green flag of the Libyan opposition outside the embassy where the regime's green flag still flew.

William Hague also said his country was unfreezing £91 million ($150 million) of Libyan oil assets to help the National Transitional Council, which the U.K. now recognises as "the sole governmental authority in Libya."

"We will deal with the National Transitional Council on the same basis as other governments around the world," Hague added.

Al Qathafi's Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim denounced Britain's move as "irresponsible, illegal and in violation of British and international laws."

Britain and France have spearheaded the campaign against Al Qathafi's regime launched in March, when the United Nations approved action to protect civilians.

Britain's diplomatic moves implement a decision made at a July 15 meeting in Istanbul during which the U.S., Britain and 30 other nations recognized Libya's main opposition group as the country's legitimate government.

Libya's rebels saluted Britain's decision. Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, the chief of the rebel National Transitional Council, said Britain's recognition "gives us a political and economic boost."

"We will try through this recognition to get our frozen assets," Abdul-Jalil told a news conference in the rebel capital of Benghazi in eastern Libya. "This means Al Qathafi and his followers are no longer legitimate."

He added that the new Libyan ambassador to Britain would be Mahmud Nacua, whom he described as a Libyan exile in Britain.

The NTC chief also told journalists in Benghazi that the rebels had delivered to U.N. special envoy Abdul Elah al-Khatib "a very specific, well-intentioned offer that Al Qathafi can stay in Libya under three conditions. "We made a proposal. The deadline has passed. The proposal has expired," he said of the month-old offer.

Under the offer, Al Qathafi would have had to step aside and relinquish all responsibilities, his place of residence would be the "choice of the Libyan people" and he would be under "close supervision," Abdul-Jalil said.

"The period of this proposal has passed," he said. "We cannot ignore the fact that the people who have been standing against him want him out."

"Al Qathafi and his followers as a result of all these recognitions from the international community have become outlaws," Abdul-Jalil said.

He added it is "disappointing and unexplainable that the NTC has received a counter-proposal stating that the council, being the representative of the Libyan people should share responsibilities of government of Libya with the Al Qathafi regime."

Abdul-Jalil also said rebel forces will keep fighting during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, a time of heightened religious observance that begins next week.

"Fighting during Ramadan is not something we want to do," Abdul-Jalil told a news conference. "But if Al Qathafi does not step down, we will fight, and you must know that this month will keep up our morale."

Following visits to the rebel bastion Benghazi and the capital Tripoli, Khatib said Tuesday Libya's rivals "remain deeply divided on how to reach a political solution."

A statement quoted Khatib as saying both sides "remain far apart on reaching agreement on a political solution" but had reaffirmed to him "their desire to continue to engage with the U.N. in the search for a solution."

Troops loyal to Al Qathafi and rebels seeking to oust the strongman have fought their way into a stalemate five months after the start of a popular uprising that quickly turned into a civil war.

The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said in a statement in the Hague that Libya and any future government of the country has the "obligation" to arrest Al Qathafi.

In other developments, a Libyan sought damages against NATO in a Belgian civil court, accusing the alliance of killing his wife and three children in an airstrike, his lawyer said Wednesday.

Separately, a Libyan man convicted in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing attended a pro-Al Qathafi rally, and Libyan state television images showing the bomber in a wheelchair in a crowd in Tripoli, revived criticism in Britain Wednesday of the decision to grant him early release on medical grounds.

Abdel Baset al-Megrahi's presence at Tuesday's rally appeared to be another sign of defiance by Al Qathafi's embattled regime.

Megrahi was convicted in the 1988 downing of a Pan Am plane that killed 270 people, most of them Americans, over Lockerbie, Scotland. He was released from a Scottish prison in 2009 after being diagnosed with prostate cancer, and at the time was given three months to live. He returned to a hero's welcome in Libya later that year.

"The appearance of Mr. al-Megrahi on our television screens is a further reminder that a great mistake was made when he was released," Hague said.

Italian Senate votes to keep funding troops in Afghanistan, but trim Lebanon, Libya missions

(Washington Post) - The Italian Senate has voted to keep funding for troops in Afghanistan but to reduce its participation in the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Lebanon and in NATO's Libyan operations.

Some allies in Premier Silvio Berlusconi's conservative coalition oppose the Libyan mission for fear it will drive more illegal migrants to Italian shores.

Italy's defence minister said in May the 1,700-soldier strong Lebanon mission could be reduced after a bomb blast wounded Italian troops there.

If the Senate legislation approved Wednesday, passes in the lower Chamber of Deputies, Italy will trim 700 troops from its Lebanon contingent starting next year, and nearly 900 from the NATO Libya operation.

Italian troops in NATO's mission in Afghanistan remain at some 4,200.

London recognises TNC as Libyan government

(UPI) - A decision by London to recognise Libya's Transitional National Council as the sole authority means there is no future for Muammar Al Qathafi, an official said.

Members of the NATO-led military action in Libya at a contract group meeting in Istanbul said Al Qathafi, Libya's leader has lost his legitimacy to lead the country.

A U.N. Security Council resolution authorized military force to protect civilians from attacks by forces of Al Qathafi, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes committed since February.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague announced Wednesday that the government of British Prime Minister David Cameron was recognizing the TNC as the sole governmental authority in Libya.

"This decision marks another step toward a better, democratic future for Libya - a future that does not include Al Qathafi," he said in a statement.

London said it was committed to the NATO-led intervention in Libya, which started in March. Hague announced that regime officials still functioning on behalf of Al Qathafi in London were no longer welcome in the country.

"We no longer recognise them as the representatives of the Libyan government and are inviting the NTC to appoint a new Libyan diplomatic envoy to take over the Libyan Embassy in London," he said.

Libyan state TV shows Lockerbie bomber, in wheelchair, attending pro-Al Qathafi rally

(Washington Post) - The Libyan man convicted in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing attended a pro-Al Qathafi rally, and Libyan state TV images showing the bomber in a wheelchair in a crowd in Tripoli revived criticism in Britain on Wednesday of the decision to grant him early release on medical grounds.

Abdel Baset al-Megrahi's presence at Tuesday's rally appeared to be another sign of defiance by the embattled regime of Muammar Al Qathafi, locked in a civil war with anti-government rebels for the past five months.

Britain officially recognised Libya's main opposition group as the country's legitimate government and expelled all diplomats from Al Qathafi's regime on Wednesday.

Al-Megrahi was convicted in the 1988 downing of a Pan Am plane that killed 270 people, most of them Americans, over Lockerbie, Scotland. He was released from a Scottish prison in 2009 after being diagnosed with prostate cancer, and at the time was given three months to live. Al-Megrahi returned to a hero's welcome in Libya later that year.

"The appearance of Mr. al-Megrahi on our television screens is a further reminder that a great mistake was made when he was released," British foreign secretary William Hague told reporters Wednesday.

Medical advice suggesting that al-Megrahi had only three months to live "was pretty much worthless," Hague said.

Hague's Conservative Party opposed the Scottish government's decision to free al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds and has criticized the Labour government, which it replaced last year, for paving the way for his release.

"The anger and outrage at this release will be intensified by what we have seen," Hague said.

The Libyan state TV footage, rebroadcast in Britain and elsewhere, shows al-Megrahi sitting in a wheelchair, wearing a white turban and what appears to be a blue medical mask tucked under his chin. He looks thin, but attentive and is flanked by men in traditional Libyan tribal dress.

Al Qathafi has rejected calls by the international community to step down. Instead, he has threatened to attack targets in Europe unless NATO stops its bombing campaign of regime-linked installations in Libya. NATO is acting under a U.N. mandate to protect civilians.

In formally recognizing Libya's main opposition group, the National Transitional Council, as the "sole governmental authority in Libya," Hague said Britain is unfreezing £91 million ($150 million) of Libyan oil assets.

Hague said the council has been invited to send an ambassador to London, adding that "we will deal with the National Transitional Council on the same basis as other governments around the world."

In the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, the main rebel stronghold, rebel chief Mustafa Abdul-Jalil praised the British decision as an economic and political boost.

Abdul-Jalil also said rebel forces will keep fighting during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, a time of heightened religious observance that begins next week.

"Fighting during Ramadan is not something we want to do," Abdul-Jalil told a news conference. "But if Al Qathafi does not step down, we will fight, and you must know that this month will keep up our morale."

Abdul-Jalil reiterated that a proposal to let Al Qathafi retire in Libya, provided he resigns, is no longer on the table. The rebel chief said proposal was linked to a deadline by which Al Qathafi would have had to step down.

That deadline has passed, "and that makes the proposal no longer valid," Abdul-Jalil said.

Over the past week, officials in the U.S., France and Britain have said they would not object to such an arrangement, provided it's accepted by the Libyan people.

Letting Al Qathafi retire in Libya might have been a possible way out of the military and political deadlock of the past few months.

The civil war broke out shortly after anti-government protests, inspired by uprisings elsewhere in the Arab world, swept across Libya in February.

Rebels now control the east of the country and pockets in the west, while Al Qathafi clings to power in the remaining areas.

Britain expels Libyan embassy staff

(Deutsche Welle) - Britain has invited Libya's National Transitional Council to replace diplomats loyal to dictator Muammar Al Qathafi. This comes as the rebels said an offer for Al Qathafi to stay in Libya if he stepped down has expired.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague has confirmed that all remaining Libyan diplomats have been told to leave the UK.

Speaking at a press conference in London on Wednesday, Hague said Britain no longer recognized embassy staff loyal to the Libyan leader Muammar Al Qathafi as representatives of the Libyan government.

He said Britain would invite Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC) to take over the Libyan embassy, and described the rebel opposition as the "sole governmental authority" in Libya.

"We will deal with the NTC," said Hague, "as other governments around the world."

Hague says Libyan diplomats have been told to leave the UK

Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim said the move by Britain was "irresponsible and illegal," and was in violation of both UK and international law. He added Libya would challenge the decision before tribunals in Britain and in international courts.

Deal off

That comes as the NTC noted the expiration of a conditional offer that would have allowed Al Qathafi to remain in Libya if he relinquished power to the rebel council.

Under the deal, Al Qathafi's residence would have been chosen by "the Libyan people" and he would have been under "close supervision," NTC chief Mustafa Mohamed Abdel Jalil told reporters in the eastern city of Benghazi.

"The period of this proposal has passed," he said. "We cannot ignore the fact that the people who have been standing against him want him out."

He added that it was "disappointing and unexplainable that the NTC has received a counter-proposal stating that the council, being the representative of the Libyan people, should share responsibilities of government of Libya with the Al Qathafi regime."

Threat to increase military offensive

The rebel NTC has been asked to take over Libya's London embassy

NATO has meanwhile warned it would bomb civilian facilities in Libya if forces loyal to Al Qathafi continued to use them to launch attacks.

Alliance military spokesman Colonel Roland Lavoie said in Brussels that "Al Qathafi forces are increasingly occupying facilities which once had a civilian purpose."

"The regime has transformed them into military installations," Lavoie said.

In London, Foreign Secretary Hague reiterated the need for the military offensive against Al Qathafi, saying "what we're doing in Libya is necessary, legal and right."

He pledged support for the Libyan people "for as long as it takes."

Land mines hamper Libyan rebels' progress

(UPI) - Libyan rebels say they're finding thousands of land mines in civilian areas as they press toward the country's capital city of Tripoli.

The number of mines found and deactivated by the rebels has swollen from hundreds to thousands as the fighters move into towns abandoned by troops loyal to Muammar Al Qathafi, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

"Stick around, we will find a thousand in this field today," Bashir Ghourish, a member of a team searching for land mines buried by Al Qathafi forces near Kikla, told the Post.

A NATO official said the military alliance "has witnessed an increase in indiscriminate mining and the escalating use of force by pro-Al Qathafi forces" in Brega and the western mountains.

Rebel commanders in the western mountains said they witnessed Al Qathafi troops lacing the ground with mines around towns near the Tunisian border.

"It feels like there are reports of new [mine] fields every week now," said Sidney Kwiram, a consultant for Human Rights Watch in Libya.

"In each of the front lines we have visited around the country, the Al Qathafi forces have used land mines near their troop positions," Kwiram told the Post. "These minefields may be flanking troop positions one day, but the next day they are the reason that civilians cannot return home."

Libyan army, rebels face common enemy in the mountains

(Deutsche Welle) - Accidents caused by lack of training and the mishandling of weapons are common among the rebels of the Western mountains. But negligence might also be an 'invisible enemy' among Muammar Al Qathafi's troops.

"Male, 15 years old. He's wearing a t-shirt boasting Libya's pre-Al Qathafi flag and his unsecured Kalashnikov is resting against his foot.

"I've come across that wound more than once. They always say it happened in combat but that is impossible unless you're lying on your back and get shot at ground level," Doctor Mohannad Aith al Khalifa, a doctor at Zintan's hospital in the Nafusa mountains, tells Deutsche Welle.

Since the war erupted in Libya last February, many civilians of almost all ages have woken up with a gun in their hands, without knowing what to do with it.

There's no way of knowing how many fighters have been killed or wounded by mishandling weapons or, simply, during one of the gun-toting celebrations after a battle victory.

Small wonder that the number of victims on both sides remains unclear.

At least five of the fighters recovering at Zintan's hospital would have gladly traded their severe wounds for a "simple" shot in the foot.

After the rebels captured several weapon depots in al Qa'a late last month, an alleged "booby trap bomb inside one of the boxes containing explosives," caused a terrible explosion that injured five rebels.

Shortly after hearing the "official" version, we came across the truth: it was a rebel who, carried away by the euphoria after successfully seizing the compound, mishandled a piece of a Russian anti-aircraft missile made in 1982. But other questions still remain unclear.

Most of the weapons used by the rebels have been seized from Al Qathafi's troops "We have found different parts of missiles, shells, etc., but not a single complete one.

"I wonder how they were going to use them against us," Rasool, a rebel in charge of transporting part of the stock, told Deutsche Welle.

According to experts, the poorly-stocked army arsenals could be the result of Al Qathafi's mistrust of his own army.

Chaos on the front

In the Berber town of Nalut, 50 kilometres (31 miles) from the Tunisian border, stories from the front are equally strange:

"Four days ago, we went on a night raid against Al Qathafi's position in Kut (Western Nafusa). As we exchanged fire, our platoon was totally in shambles," Bassim, a Libyan-Canadian who recently enrolled in a squad called "Tripoli Brigade," told Deutsche Welle.

Apparently, that night, luck was on the side of the rebels: "It was a miracle that we won, with only one of us injured.

"Better still, we even managed to take two prisoners - most of the soldiers fled, but those two were so drunk that they could barely stand up," added the young fighter with a broad smile.

According to Tripoli, the rebels in the Nafusa mountains are well equipped, mainly due to the alleged Western air supplies.

Nonetheless, Deutsche Welle has barely seen anything else but poorly-armed rebels, toting kalashnikovs and FAL rifles - the latter a French weapon dating back to the 1950s. Rebels have allegedly received weapons from Western countries

Jadu would be just "another Berber town" were it not for a runway painted on its main road. However, neither the infrastructure nor the "air drops" claimed to have been made by France recently seem to meet the local demand for all kinds of weapons' supplies.

In an exclusive interview given to Deutsche Welle recently, rebel colonel Mokhtar Milad Fernana claimed that only one "test-landing" had taken place at Jadu's "airport." The rebel chief commander categorically denied receiving any air-dropped supplies from the French government.

Harmless soldiers

The general picture of the mountain front is that of rebels controlling the heights and government troops keeping their positions in the desert plains. But this equation has recently started to change.

The Libyan tricolour flag and the Berber symbols also dominate the village of Qala, whose houses are scattered down the valley toward the desert.

It is true that Al Qathafi's self-propelled GRAD rockets keep pounding this tiny community, however army soldiers no longer patrol the steep streets of the village.

After the recent victory over the Al Qathafi-controlled Qawalish village in Eastern Nafusa, rebel troops strengthened their presence on the outskirts of Bir al Ghanam.

This is a strategic point with its back to the mountains and a mere 70 kilometres from Tripoli. But many fear the Libyan desert may well turn into a "Rubicon" for a group of rebels too used to scanning the horizon from the heights of the mountains.

Rashid, who does not want to give his full name for fear of reprisals against his family in Tripoli, is probably one of the few well-trained fighters here, thanks to his previous combat experience during the siege of Misurata.

The majority of rebels lack military training "Have you seen how many people are here without any weapons, and with literally no idea of what to do? They're not only putting their lives in danger but other people's lives too.

"Besides if things get ugly we do not even have enough vehicles to evacuate everyone," he told Deutsche Welle.

Surprisingly enough, the rebels in the Western Libyan mountains seem to be piling up one victory after another. Neither the lack of experienced fighters, nor the apparent disorganization seem to pose a handicap as they advance toward Tripoli.

Still, the crux of the matter is that whatever is actually happening within the ranks of Al Qathafi's troops remains one of this war's biggest mysteries.

Libya condemns UK for recognising rebels as sole power

(Al Arabiya) - Khaled Kaim, deputy foreign minister in Muammar Al Qathafi's government, told reporters the decision was unprecedented and irresponsible.

Libya would seek to reverse the decision through the courts, he said.

Britain has ordered the expulsion of all eight remaining Al Qathafi diplomats in the UK.

The rebel leadership, the National Transitional Council (NTC), has put forward Mahmud al-Naku, a writer and journalist, as the new Libyan ambassador in London.

He told the BBC he has been in exile for 33 years because of his opposition to the Al Qathafi regime.

Foreign Secretary William Hague said the NTC had shown its commitment to a "more open and democratic Libya... in stark contrast to Al Qathafi whose brutality against the Libyan people (had) stripped him of all legitimacy".

The green flag of the Al Qathafi government was still flying outside the Libyan embassy in Knightsbridge on Wednesday afternoon as protesters carrying the red, green and black flag of the rebels gathered outside.

Folllowing the US decision to recognise the NTC two weeks ago, the BBC has been told the US has now received an "official request" from the rebels to reopen the Libyan embassy in Washington.

US officials say they are "reviewing" the request.

Libyan rebels and pro-Al Qathafi forces are still locked in battle, five months after an uprising began against Muammar Al Qathafi's 42-year rule, as NATO continues to enforce a UN-backed no-fly zone over the country.

'Surprise decision'

Mr Kaim said the British decision was "unprecedented in diplomatic history".

"It's illegal, it's irresponsible and for us it was a surprise to happen from the British Government because, I mean, if other countries will [follow] Britain, then the international diplomacy will be chaos," he told reporters in Tripoli.

It's difficult to tell how damaging the expulsion of the Libyan diplomats in London will be to the authorities here in Tripoli.

It is in the nature of the government here not to admit to feeling any pressure.
Officials insist that Colonel Al Qathafi and his supporters will win the conflict with NATO and the rebels - no matter how long the war may last.

"I personally consider it a stain on the forehead of Britain," he said. Libya, he added, would try to reverse the decision by taking legal action in both British courts and the International Court of Justice.

The deputy foreign minister also condemned Britain and France for supporting the rebels in eastern Libya. They were, he said, "flogging a dead horse".

Col Al Qathafi's charge d'affaires, Khaled Benshaban, is being given three days to leave while his colleagues' fate will be decided on a "case-by-case basis", the Foreign Office said.

Mr Hague told reporters in London that a recent meeting of the Libya contact group in Istanbul had decided to treat the NTC as the legitimate government authority in Libya - and he was outlining the UK's response.

The UK previously said it recognised "countries not governments" but the British foreign secretary argued it was a "unique situation" and recognising the NTC could help "legally in the unfreezing of some assets".

The British government will now be able to unfreeze £91m ($149m, 102m euros) in assets from a Libyan oil company but not other Libyan assets frozen in the UK, which total about £12bn.

Libya's rebels have been saying for weeks that they need more money from the international community to pay for salaries and food supplies.

In the rebel stronghold Benghazi, NTC chairman Mustafa Abdul-Jalil praised the British decision as an economic and political boost.

The new ambassador to London, Mahmoud al-Naku, told the BBC Col Al Qathafi could not stay in Libya once he was overthrown.

"Thanks to the brave men on the ground who now surround the main cities, we hope in a few weeks [the rebels] will arrive to Tripoli," he said.

Meanwhile, outside the embassy in London, about 20 demonstrators chanted, "We want to say thank you UK".

"I was so happy I cried," one of them, 57-year-old Muftah Abdelsamad, told AFP news agency.

"We have been wanting this for six months now. It will put pressure on Al Qathafi to leave the country because there is no other way for him. Soon we will have freedom and democracy in Libya."

Rebel offer for Al Qathafi now expired

(Xinhua) - The chief of Libya's Transitional National Council (TNC) said that the deadline for embattled Libyan leader Muammar Al Qathafi to stay in the country, after relinquishing his hold on power, has expired, Al-Jazeera TV reported Wednesday.

"This offer is no longer valid," Moustafa Abdel-Jalil told reports in the rebel-held city of Benghazi.

"The offer was made about a month ago through U.N. envoy Abdel Elah al-Khatib, with a two-week deadline," he added, noting that the two weeks had passed.

Jalil, the former justice minister, took the reins of the rebel movements after resigning from Al Qathafi's government in February over what he saw as excessive use of force against demonstrators calling for the leader's ouster.

Rebels have been battling Al Qathafi's forces for months in an attempt to bring about an end to the Libyan leader's 42-year rule.

Al Qathafi has been under international pressure to step down, and the International Criminal Court at the Hague issued a warrant for his arrest as well as for the arrest of his son, Seif al-Islam and his brother-in-law Abdullah al-Senussi

UN sanctions threaten to turn Al Qathafi held territory into humanitarian disaster zone

(Al Arabiya) - Figure this one out: Areas of Libya controlled by Col. Muammar Al Qathafi could soon be in dire need of food and medical aid to cope with shortages and a broken healthcare system as a result of United Nations-imposed sanctions.

That is if NATO and allied backed-rebels fail to either force Mr. Al Qathafi from office or negotiate a deal that allows for a transfer of power.

Al Qathafi-controlled western Libya isn't quite there yet, but is well on its way to becoming yet another part of the world struggling with a humanitarian crisis, according to the United Nations.

The UN reported this week that a fact-finding mission it had sent to Al Qathafi-controlled parts of Libya had found the region suffering from rising food prices, cash and fuel shortages and a decaying healthcare system.

Ironically, the mission amounted to the UN surveying the consequences of its own actions. The UN Security Council has imposed sanctions on the Al Qathafi regime that make importing fuel and goods difficult as well as a non-fly zone that on the one hand is supposed to protect innocent lives and on the other complicate Libyan attempts to circumvent the sanctions.

To step up pressure on Mr. Al Qathafi, NATO-backed rebel advances in Nafusa, a range of hills that stretch from Yafran southwest of Tripoli to the border with Tunisia, aim to cut the Libyan capital off from water and oil supplies.

Tripoli gets much of its water and oil through pipelines from the southern area of Ghadames that traverse Nafusa. France recently disclosed that its air force had dropped arms and ammunition in Nafusa to reinforce the rebel efforts.

The isolation of the Al Qathafi regime is only likely to further increase as the rebel Transition National Council (TNC) that operates from the eastern city of Benghazi and controls much of eastern Libya garners increasing international recognition.

Britain on Wednesday announced that it was breaking diplomatic relations with the Al Qathafi regime, expelling Libyan diplomats and recognising the TNC as the country's sole legitimate representative. The move allows it to unfreeze seized Libyan assets and hand them over to the cash-starved TNC.

It follows recognition of the TNC earlier this month by the Libya Contact Group, which groups the United States, the European Union, NATO and the Arab League.

Few are going to rush to the aid of Al Qathafi-controlled parts of Libya as the going gets tougher.

In fact, the increased hardship in Tripoli and elsewhere is part of NATO's strategy and from the alliance's perspective it may well be working.

NATO is working on Plan B after its Plan A failed. Plan A anticipated a quick collapse of the Al Qathafi regime, either because NATO bombings, defections and sanctions would persuade the Libyan leader to throw his towel into the ring or the mounting pressure would convince one or more of his more people in his inner circle to remove him from power. Neither scenario played out.

Nor did hopes that the rebels with allied backing would force Mr. Al Qathafi on to his knees. Instead, Mr. Al Qathafi has drawn the line in any negotiated settlement at being forced to go into exile.

As a result, the TNC as well as major Western powers have reversed their positions and conceded in recent days that Mr. Al Qathafi would be allowed to stay in Libya as part of any settlement as long as he leaves office and disappears into the wilderness.

The Libyan Contact Group at its meeting in Istanbul earlier this month effectively adopted a Turkish roadmap for ending the conflict in Libya that anticipated the need for humanitarian aid for Al Qathafi-controlled parts of Libya but put it in the context of an end to hostilities.

The roadmap calls for the withdrawal of Al Qathafi forces from all besieged towns and cities, UN peace monitors and establishment of humanitarian aid corridors, and a transition to a democracy with free and fair elections within six months.

Hopes that an agreement could be reached before the beginning of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan early next week are fading quickly. Rebel leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil warned on Wednesday that the TNC's offer that Mr. Al Qathafi would be allowed to stay in Libya had expired.

Mr. Jalil's warning is little more than posturing designed to tighten the screws on Mr. Al Qathafi. It's a tactic that is unlikely to work. Mr. Al Qathafi has made clear that what counts for him is what is said in Washington, London and Paris, not Benghazi.

Neither Britain nor France has backed down from their concession that the Libyan leader will be allowed to stay in the country.

Efforts to achieve agreement are however nowhere close to conclusion. As if achieving agreement on the modalities of a transitional post-Al Qathafi Libya is not complicate enough, the International Criminal Court in The Hague this week threw a monkey wrench into the diplomatic machinery.

The court warned that the arrest of Mr. Al Qathafi so that he could stand trial for war crimes was non-negotiable. No agreement that allowed Mr. Al Qathafi to live out his life in peace and quiet could cancel the obligation of countries like Britain and France to ensure that the ICC's arrest warrant is executed.

The court's warning is likely to reinforce Mr. Al Qathafi's stubborn personality and his inclination to stick to his guns at whatever cost. That does not bode well for a resolution of the conflict any time soon.

In fact, it may well help to make the irony of the need for humanitarian help for Al Qathafi-held areas of Libya that result from the international community's own actions a reality.