LIBYA: Protests continue; regime may be unable to use chemical weapons; Venezuela calls for dialogue
Residents chanted "Kadafi out" and "Free Libya" on the streets of Zawiya, 30 miles west of Tripoli, as anti-government forces deployed tanks and anti-aircraft weapons Sunday, according to the Associated Press.
The protests come as leaders in the eastern city of Benghazi said they had set up an interim council to represent the face of the revolution and leaders across Europe and the United States urged embattled Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi to step down.
"It is time for [Kadafi] to go and to go now. There is no future for Libya that includes him," British Prime Minister David Cameron said Sunday, echoing statements by President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
The United Nations Security Council also agreed Saturday to freeze the assets of and impose travel bans on members of the Kadafi regime, and also refer violent actions against protesters to the International Criminal Court for investigation.
Kadafi called these actions "null and void."
Britain on Sunday rescued an additional 150 civilians from the desert, a day after both it and Germany snuck into Libyan air space to bring out civilians.
Venezuela, which has long had a cordial relationship with Libya, said Sunday that it hoped that the two sides in Libya could establish a dialogue, and that it would not support any military action by the United Nations in the North African country.
"We hope they know how to find the paths toward national dialogue; that they know how to find the paths toward national reconciliation," Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicholas Maduro said of the two sides in Libya.
Another ally, President Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua, a former Sandinista revolutionary, called Kadafi last week to express his solidarity with the leader, the Wall Street Journal reported.
At a meeting at the Los Angeles Times on Friday, Nicaraguan Ambassador Francisco Campbell said his country did not support any actions that one nation may take to influence events in another.
"Nicaragua is opposed to any kind of intervention in the affairs of other countries," he said. "Outside interference has only brought about pain and suffering of the country," he added, referring to actions taken by the United States in the 1980s to fund Contra forces that opposed the Sandanistas in Nicaragua.
Kadafi said Sunday he was in control, reportedly ordering banks in Tripoli to hand out payments of $400 per family to shore up loyalty. A report said that Libya no longer had the weaponry to deliver the 9.5 tons of mustard gas it had stockpiled. A spokesman for the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons told Reuters that Libya had destroyed its stockpile of munitions in 2004. Its remaining chemicals are kept in a secure location far from Tripoli, he said.
-- Alana Semuels
Photo: Pro-Kadafi supporters in the contested town of Zawiya. Credit: Ben Curtis / Associated Press
Col Gadafi your good day has to be over. You cannot claim yourself as indisposable leader. Let others have the opportunity to lead Libaya to better future. What have you achieved for the past 4o years? Be critical and look at yourself. Do'nt blame others for what happen now. Please consider the costs and benefits of staying in power ?
Posted by: Basiran Supardi | February 28, 2011 at 03:04 PM
Mr Gadafi, you telling the world lies that you will die a martyr. The truth is that during your 42 year old rule you made a lot of enemies and you have nowhere to run to. This is your chance to make peace with God not accunulating sins as you are doing right now by killing more people. Everybody sees that you are now confused; one day you blame Americans and the other day you blame Bin Laden. Do you know why you are behaving like this? You closed your ears but you opened your month the widest. Ypu were only interested to talk but you hated listening.
Posted by: Bingu | February 28, 2011 at 05:51 AM
Libyians should be happy they had a man like Gadafi were by there abundant of food ....what about other African countries were they are poverty and sufferings all over...please Libyians want to be democratic because they want to bring prostitution to Libya...
Posted by: Adams | February 28, 2011 at 12:54 AM
Unable to use chemical weapons because the USA did not supply them that is why.
Posted by: pepe | February 27, 2011 at 05:42 PM
It's about time the bloodiest revolution in the middle east saw some peace of mind. The Libyan people should cheer that Gaddafi doesn't even have the military equipment to send the very weapon he has been hoarding up. Ha! This only marks the dictator's inevitable fall from power. The violence in Libya has been some of most shocking, involving government-hired mercenaries to kill protesters, Gaddafi killing his own men, and general gunfire on the streets. There was one video in which a Gaddafi supporter shot a protester point-blank in the head. Normally, I'd advise against American interference in foreign revolutions but in this case, the entire U.N. should be active. And according to the article, Britain has already taken initiative. I'm just wondering, what will sudden democratization of all these middle east countries led to? Will their futures really be brighter or are there hidden complications?
Posted by: Yibin Mu | February 27, 2011 at 04:46 PM
It's about time the bloodiest revolution in the middle east saw some peace of mind. The Libyan people should cheer that Gaddafi doesn't even have the military equipment to send the very weapon he has been hoarding up. Ha! This only marks the dictator's inevitable fall from power. The violence in Libya has been some of most shocking, involving government-hired mercenaries to kill protesters, Gaddafi killing his own men, and general gunfire on the streets. There was one video in which a Gaddafi supporter shot a protester point-blank in the head. Normally, I'd advise against American interference in foreign revolutions but in this case, the entire U.N. should be active. And according to the article, Britain has already taken initiative. I'm just wondering, what will sudden democratization of all these middle east countries led to? Will their futures really be brighter or are there hidden complications?
Posted by: Yibin Mu | February 27, 2011 at 04:44 PM
oh well if you cant use gas against the people pay them to forget what you were going to do and of course if he were in control he and his family would still be takeing no giving.
thank you.
Posted by: sam | February 27, 2011 at 04:22 PM