US Attacks Libya

Munsta · Mar 21, 2011

JoeyV said:

A bit late on that news my friend

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Only about an hour. They've called for a cease fire several times. After the first one Gaddafis troops continued shelling Benghazi. The one I was talking about was supposed to start yesterday at 9pm GMT+2.

JoeyV · Mar 21, 2011

Munsta said:

JoeyV said:

A bit late on that news my friend

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Only about an hour. They've called for a cease fire several times. After the first one Gaddafis troops continued shelling Benghazi. The one I was talking about was supposed to start yesterday at 9pm GMT+2.

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Several times? wow

butcher · Mar 21, 2011

Munsta said:

You mean the US, France and UK attack Libya with support from Spain, Italy, Canada and the Arab League. And the UN. It's not a US led operation. The title is misleading. Before anyone goes and compares this to Iraq, it's completely different.
Is this a good thing? I don't know honestly. The rebels have been asking for help and they do need it. Something had to be done to stop Gaddafi bombing residential areas and brutally killing civilians. The coalition says that they have no plans to send gound troops to Libya.I hope this wont turn into an occupation.

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Bit late, but yeah, its different than Iraq, but simply because its a UN not US intervention doesn't necessarily mean its legitimate (although that depends on yr viewpoint i guess...).

Its still basically a NATO undertaking, and, as such, reviewing previous such NATO 'humanitarian interventions' may be informative...
http://libcom.org/library/nato-war-yugo ... rcurrent-7
http://libcom.org/library/the-neolibera ... n-pamphlet
http://libcom.org/library/war-peace-cri ... yugoslavia

Also worth bearing in mind is the peacekeeping mission that occurred in East Timor, due to political pressure Australia intervened (as part of a coalition force) in East Timor, and its still widely viewed here (in Australia) as a fantastic example of how nice and 'humanitarian' we can be. Less mentioned is that the Indonesian military and proxy militias we went in to stop were actually armed and trained by the Australian military. There are stories of the uncomfortable position some Aus military personnel felt by actually knowing personally (cos they had trained them) the 'bad guys' we were there to stop...
Chomsky has written lots on this conflict if anyone's interested...

I guess my point is that this intervention occurs within a political and historical context, as such treating the bombing campaign as a self-contained event is pretty problematic.

anywayz, a bit of Zizek:

Nobody ↑ :

From this particular insight we may problematize, at a general level, the ostensibly depoliticized politics of human rights as the ideology of military interventionism serving specific economico-political ends. As Wendy Brown has suggested apropos Michael Ignatieff, such humanitarianism presents itself as something of an anti-politics, a pure defence of the innocent and the powerless against power, a pure defence of the individual against immense and potentially cruel or despotic machineries of culture, state, war, ethnic conflict, tribalism, patriarchy, and other mobilizations or instantiations of collective power against individuals.

However, the question is: what kind of politicization do those who intervene on behalf of human rights set in motion against the powers they oppose? Do they stand for a different formulation of justice, or do they stand in opposition to collective justice projects? For example, it is clear that the us-led overthrow of Saddam Hussein, legitimized in terms of ending the suffering of the Iraqi people, was not only motivated by hard-headed politico-economic interests but also relied on a determinate idea of the political and economic conditions under which ‘freedom’ was to be delivered to the Iraqi people: liberal-democratic capitalism, insertion into the global market economy, etc. The purely humanitarian, anti-political politics of merely preventing suffering thus amounts to an implicit prohibition on elaborating a positive collective project of socio-political transformation.

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http://libcom.org/library/against-human-rights-zizek

JoeyV · Mar 21, 2011

Bombing Libya to "save Libya": The forces behind this war Emergency demonstrations across the country this Wed-Sat

By Brian Becker
National Coordinator, ANSWER Coalition

The same global powers that used the force of arms to colonize Africa, suction out its natural resources and enslave millions of its people are now raining bombs and missiles down on the continent’s largest oil producer.

A great irony in the vicious and yet cowardly attack on Libya is that the same exploiters and enslavers of Africa explain their most recent act of mass violence as motivated by a tender concern for democracy and freedom for Libyans.

On Libya’s eastern border is Egypt, where the U.S. government financed, armed and cheered on the Mubarak dictatorship until the very last days of the tyrant’s hold on power. Even during the people's uprising at Tahrir Square and elsewhere, the spigot of U.S. “foreign aid” kept flowing to Mubarak. After Israel, Egypt’s torturers were the second-largest recipient of this “aid.”

The U.S. government is at war again. How could they get away with launching another war when they tell us the country is so broke that vital public services must be slashed and public workers must be fired in massive numbers?

The people of the United States are opposed to the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and would openly oppose a third U.S. war in a Muslim country. So President Obama, Secretary of State Clinton and Secretary of Defense Gates are going out of the way to assure the country that all the bleeding will be exclusively from Libyans.

When U.S./NATO forces destroyed Serbia and broke up Yugoslavia in the 1999 aerial war, they dropped 23,000 bombs and missiles on Yugoslavs and not one U.S. soldier died.

As they did in the 19th century, the colonialists—who have now morphed into modern-day imperialists—bribed or coerced some indigenous elites to function as their partners and clients. Today, the so-called Arab League provided some early cover to mask the imperialist character of the operation.

As U.S. planes drop terror bombs in the center of Tripoli, CIA-operated drone aircrafts are carrying out missile attacks on villages in Pakistan, and Pentagon forces are bombing the people of Afghanistan. Tens of thousands of U.S. troops still occupy Iraq after a war that took 1 million Iraqi lives.

The dominant force practicing terrorism in the world today is the U.S. government, the Pentagon and the CIA.

Washington's goal in Libya is to have the U.S.-backed rebel leadership of Libya's civil war take power in all of Libya or, as an alternative, to become a new governing power in the oil-rich eastern part of the country.

The cheerleaders for this "democracy movement" went from right-wing Republicans to some liberal Democrats. It is a repeat of the political alignment that led to the first Iraq war in 1991 and the Yugoslav war in 1999. In this case too, they were joined by some in the U.S. anti-war movement, including some self-described "socialists," desiring to show their "democratic" credentials and wanting to accommodate to liberal mainstream public opinion. By their cheerleading for a rebellion whose leaders demanded foreign intervention, and focusing all their fire on the Libyan government, they only contributed to confusion in the weeks leading up to the onslaught against Libya. They are embarrassed about their position now that the imperial carnage is clear for all to see.

The United States needs a real anti-imperialist movement—a movement that can resist the lies and demonization schemes that the corporate media churns out to justify military aggression. That’s why the ANSWER Coalition is mobilizing a movement in the streets that extends a hand of solidarity to the people of Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine who have both suffered and resisted the terrorism of the greatest war machine in human history. Please join us in the streets in coming days in demonstrations across the country.

Emergency demonstrations to say
“Stop the bombing of Libya”

Demonstrations will take place across the country between Wednesday, March 23 and Saturday, March 26. Please see below for details. If you are planning an action in your city, click here to submit your information.

Washington, D.C.
Saturday, March 26
12 noon
White House (Pennsylvania Ave.)

Los Angeles, California
Thursday, March 24
5 p.m.
Westwood Federal Building
11000 Wilshire Blvd.

San Francisco, California
Wednesday, March 23
5 p.m.
New Federal Building
7th and Mission Sts.

New Haven, Connecticut
Saturday, March 26
11 am p.m.
141 Church St.

Naples, Florida
Friday, March 25
4:30pm to 5:30pm
Corner of 41 and Pine Ridge Rd.

Chicago, Illinois
Thursday, March 24
5 p.m.
Federal Plaza (corner of Dearborn and Adams)

Baltimore, Maryland
Thursday, March 24
5 p.m.
McKeldin Square (SE corner of Light St. and E. Pratt St., by the flag pole nearby the Inner Harbor)

Boston, Massachusetts
Saturday, March 26
1 p.m.
Park St. Station (Park St. and Tremont St.)
MBTA: Red or Green lines to Park St., Orange line to Downtown Crossing

Albuquerque, New Mexico
Saturday, March 26
2 p.m.
UNM Bookstore

New York City, New York
Wednesday, March 23
5 p.m.
Times Square (in front of the recruiting center)

Greenville, South Carolina
Wednesday, March 23
5 p.m.
Federal Building, Washington & Church Sts.

Austin, Texas
Wednesday, March 23
6 p.m.
6th and Lamar

Seattle, Washington
Saturday, March 26
2 p.m.
Westlake Park (4th and Pine)

JesusCrust · Mar 21, 2011

Re: Bombing Libya to "save Libya": The forces behind this war Emergency demonstrations across the country this Wed-Sat

Sauce?

punkmumma · Mar 21, 2011

I think this whole thing is fucked up I mean Libyan's need help the freedom fighters apparently asked for help. American going in to be the police of the world is just a tad irritating. what about what is occurring in Saudi Arabia ? or in the ivory coast where people are being murdered for similar things? Why step into Libya now. I am 99.9% sure this will turn into another occupation it will look different to Iraq and Afghanistan because it is. Long term the US think they own the world and feel they can do whatever they want and are never held accountable. I mean look at how they treat their own?

ungovernable · Mar 21, 2011

Re: Bombing Libya to "save Libya": The forces behind this war Emergency demonstrations across the country this Wed-Sat

This article made me laught. Yes, war is wrong and i'm not supporting it, but for once it's a war against a real enemy. First this article keeps talking about US bombing libya well it's not the US it's the United Nations and US participation isnt very important if we compare with countries like France and Canada. Even the arabs countries are participating.

It's the libyan people who ASKED for an intervention from the United Nations. It's not a war imposed over a country like afghanistan irak or even vietnam.... The libyan revolutionnaries asked for UN support since the beginning. It's not an occupation, it's an air support with the revolutionnaries in Libya. Without the UN support, the revolution is doomed. I would even say that the UN took too long to react... The revolutionnaries lost many cities because the UN took too long to adopt the resolution, and Kadhafi had the time to kill over 10,000 revolutionnaries. Without UN support, the dictatorship would have won.

In an anarchist society we would have some kind of international brigades to help people from other countries fighting against their dictators, but today the only way to help the libyan people is with an United Nations resolution. Anyway i don't see what's wrong when everyone in libya wants UN support.

By the way, brining the oil argument into this debate is the worst proof of ignorance i ever seen. First of all, libya doesnt even own 2% of the world's oil reserve. Next and more importantly, US COMPANYS ALREADY CONTROL OIL IN LIBYA. All libyan oil is being exploited by US companies. And the proof is that kadhafi threatened the US to let chinese companies exploit their oil reserve instead of US company.

JesusCrust · Mar 21, 2011

Re: Bombing Libya to "save Libya": The forces behind this war Emergency demonstrations across the country this Wed-Sat

Ungovernable, do you really think these countries give a shit about the Libyan people?

butcher · Mar 22, 2011

Re: Bombing Libya to "save Libya": The forces behind this war Emergency demonstrations across the country this Wed-Sat

Declaration of KRAS-IWA against new war in North Africa

Nobody ↑ :

DOWN WITH THE NEW WAR IN NORTH AFRICA!

The "humanitarian" intervention of NATO States in Libya with purpose esentially to provide a military assistance to one party in a local civil war, has once again proved: there are no “revolutions” in the North Africa and in the Middle East. There are only a stubborn and bitter struggle for power, profit, influence and control over oil resources and strategic areas.

Deep discontent and social-economic protests of the working masses in the region generated by global economic crisis (attacks on the living conditions of workers, increase of unemployment and poverty, spread of precarious work) are used by oppositional political groups to make the coups, overthrowing the tyranny of the corrupt, senile dictators and rising in their place. Mobilising the unemployed, the workers, the poor as cannon fodder, discontented factions of the ruling class distract them from their social and economic demands, promising them "democracy" and "change". In fact, the coming to power of this motley bloc of "backbenchers" of the ruling elite, liberals and religious fundamentalists will not bring the workers any changes for the better. We know well the consequences of the victory of the liberals: new privatizations, strengthening of market chaos, emergence of the next billionaires and further aggravate poverty, suffering and misery of the oppressed and the poor. The triumph of the religious fundamentalists would mean growth of clerical reaction, the ruthless suppression of women and minorities, and the inevitable slide towards a new Arab-Israeli war, which hardships would again lay on the shoulders of the working masses. But even in "ideal" option of establishing of representative democracy regimes in North African and Middle Eastern countries, the working people will not win anything. The worker, ready to risk their lives for the sake of "democracy" - is like a slave, who vows to die for their "right" to choose his slaveholder. The representative democracy is not worth a drop of human blood.

In the struggle for power unfolding in the region, the European NATO States and the United States take even more openly side with the oppositional political groups in the hope that the victory of these forces and the "democratization" model of political domination will bring them new benefits and privileges. Supporting "democracy" in Tunisia and Egypt, they hope to strengthen its influence there, to deliver their capitalist "investors" from corruption of dictators and to take part in the upcoming privatization of riches of ruling clans. Helping the liberal, onarchist and religious-fundamentalist opposition in Libya, which acts in conjunction with a number of former senior officials of the Gaddafi regime, they expect to take control of rich oil reserves. Along with them, some Arab states enter into struggle for influence having their own ambitions in the region.

The powers-that-be are going again with bombs and shelling to "save" lives of people and to "liberate" them from dictatorships, killing people. The governments of Western European countries and the U.S. are lying and hypocritical: yesterday they helped dictators, hugged them and sold them weapons. Today they are demanding dictators go, "listening to the demands of the people", but do not hesitate to suppress the protests of population in “their own” countries completely ignoring his demands. When the vast majority of inhabitants of France or Britain, Greece or Spain, Portugal or Ireland say they do not want to pay from their pocket the State aid to banks and businesses, and demand to cancel the austerity measures, anti-social pension and labor reforms, the authorities answer to them that democracy "is not ruled by street".

A "humanitarian" intervention gives the rulers of Western Europe and the United States a great opportunity to distract the population of countries-in-their-power from the consequences of actual crisis. The “short victorious” war for “saving people and democracy” designes for make the European and North American workers to forget about anti-social policies of governments and the capitalists and to experience again the pride in their "humane" and "fair" rulers in the next edition of "holy alliance" between the oppressors and the oppressed .

We call on workers of the world not to yield to a "democratic"and "humanitarian" fraud and to oppose syrongly a new escalation of capitalist barbarism in North Africa and the Middle East.

If we could bring our voice to the oppressed and exploited poor in the region, over thousands-kilometres-long distances and language barriers, we would encourage them to return to the initial social and economic motives and themes of their protest, to rebel, to go on strike and demonstrations against low wages, high prices and unemployment, for social emancipation - but not to allow to involve them in political games in a power struggle between different factions of the ruling classes.

We call on the workers of Europe and America to go in the streets to protest against the new "humanitarian" war in the interests of states and capitalists. We appeal to sections of the International Workers Association to increase their internationalist and anti-militarist agitation and to initiate anti-war demonstrations and strikes.

DOWN WITH WAR!
DOWN WITH ALL STATE AND ARMIES!
NOT A SINGLE DROP OF BLOOD FOR DICTATORSHIP OR DEMOCRACY!
NO TO ALL GOVERNMENTS AND “OPPOSITIONS”!
FOR SOLIDARITY WITH WORKING PEOPLE`S STRUGGLE FOR SOCIAL EMANCIPATION!
LONG LIVE THE GENERAL SELF-ADMINISTRATION OF WORKING PEOPLE!

Confederation of Revolutionary Anarcho-Syndicalist,
Section of IWA in Russian region

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ungovernable · Mar 22, 2011

Re: Bombing Libya to "save Libya": The forces behind this war Emergency demonstrations across the country this Wed-Sat

JesusCrust said:

Ungovernable, do you really think these countries give a shit about the Libyan people?

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Do you really think they give a shit about lybian oil when it's already controlled and secured by US companies with the agreement of libyan government ?

It's not even in their interest to destroy kadhafi regime. Kadhafi is a good old friend of occidental government since at least 10 years. They were a good ally against al quaida and they always cooperated with US government. They even accepted to dismantle their WMD when the US started the "war on terror". Kadhafi is also a good ally of France, they even helped to fund Sarkozy electoral campaign.

I don't understand what interest you think that the UN would have to destroy kadhafi regime. Anyway like i said, this isn't an occupation, it's just air support.

butcher · Mar 22, 2011

Obama, volte para casa! 20 de março, Dia Anti-imperialista de Solidariedade aos Povos em Luta. Obama, tire as garras do Pré-sal!

Nobody ↑ :

Obama go home!

March 20, Day Anti-Imperialist Solidarity with the People in Struggle. Obama, remove the claws of the Pre-salt!

Principal representative of the imperialist policies and the wars against the oppressed peoples of the world, the U.S. president arrives in Brazil to talk about "democracy and social inclusion." Backed by a mega show, will be heading to the Brazilian people as a stage using a symbol of people's struggles, hitherto an exclusive setting of large demonstrations against dictatorships and human rights: the Municipal Theater in Rio

The U.S. president talking about human rights, but betrayed one of his major campaign promises, while keeping the Guantanamo prison, where there are thousands of people in inhumane conditions and torture, no right to a fair trial: in the last 7 days, Obama has reversed its own decree, allowing Guantanamo detainees continue to be tried by military tribunals.

U.S. President talks about democracy and peace, but supported the military coup in Honduras, has troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, maintaining the blockade against Cuba and meddle in the right to intervene militarily in any region of the planet. It supports the policy of terror while Israel maintains the royalists in the Middle East dictatorships, shutting up front to the barbaric repression of popular revolts in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. The Brazilian government is approaching this position to maintain the military occupation of Haiti, already punished by the misery of the neoliberal model and hostage centuries of imperialist domination. After the earthquake that devastated the country last year, the U.S. sent marines and militarily occupied part of Haitian territory, delaying the arrival of humanitarian aid.

On the pretext of "fighting terrorism", the U.S. track and export policies that criminalize social movements, as is clear in this visit to Rio de Janeiro: what about the large enclosure that is mounted to prevent the nationalists and anti-imperialist to speak out against wars and the delivery of national wealth to foreigners, during Obama's visit?

While talking peace, inclusion and human rights in Brazil, the president of the States is about to provoke a new war, invading Libya. However, Libya is among the greatest economy the world's oil. "Operation Libya" cares little for the repression and the bombing of the Libyan uprising waged by his government anachronistic. It is part of a military agenda in the Middle East and Central Asia, which aims to control more than 60 percent of world reserves of oil and natural gas.

After Palestine, Afghanistan and Iraq want a new war in Libya. That would serve the same interests that led to the invasion of Iraq on March 20, 2003! Moreover, the choice of the "March 20" to make this statement to the masses, not by chance. Convened at the World Social Forum events will be happening today in many parts of the world in support of the struggle of oppressed people against the wars that deepen the exploration of the rich and the poor who are driven just by the United States and the countries of NATO.

Also in Brazil, the biggest country in Latin America, was not chosen by chance: they have their eye on the immense wealth of the pre-salt and already talking to revive the FTAA - a proposal contrary to the interests of the majority of Brazilian people and we had already defeated on the ballot in a popular referendum.

The governments hope the delegation made up of dozens of American businessmen who, along with Obama, negotiate contracts and preferential energy infrastructure, many taking advantage of the "opportunity" of profits for mega sporting events such as the 2014 World Cup and the Olympics 2016. It is public money being spent without bidding and extensive allegations of overbilling and diversions, conveyed both by the press as the Courts of Accounts. Podemos aceitar isso? We can accept this?

The Minister Antonio Patriota expects these agreements to place Brazil as the "equal footing" with the U.S. In return the U.S. capital will enjoy broad advantages in its business in Brazil, with their investments and guaranteed profits, among other things, the BNDES financing mega enterprises with the participation of transnational corporations, with U.S. headquarters.

The capture of Brazilian public money is seen as a source of economic recovery in North American, still in crisis. In sum, Obama wants the people of Brazil to finance the U.S. private sector, causing the same crisis of 2008!

How can the Brazilian government to bow to U.S. imperialism, which replicates the same model of operation and now with the aggravation of using money from BNDES to sustain and reproduce that model? The same imperialism that threatens us reactivating the Fourth Fleet, which still talks of moving to the South Atlantic warships of NATO?

The U.S. came to Brazil to negotiate the purchase of stocks of early pre-salt, which is even worse than auction off our wealth. We reject the auctions and any other form of delivery of the national wealth!The Oil Must Be Ours! History is full of examples of countries that have depleted their reserves and remained immersed in a sea of corruption and misery! We do not want to repeat these examples.

Campaign Petroleum Must Be Our - RJ
Sindipetro-RJ
MST
Sintnaval-RJ
Sintrasef
Condsef
Ascpderj
Committee for Solidarity with Palestinian People's Struggle
PCB
PSOL
PCBR
UJR
Class Struggle Movement
Movement Struggles in Neighborhoods and Slums
Modecon
Intersindical
PACS
Jubilee South Brazil
MTD
DCE-UFF
DCE-UFRJ
Socialist core of Campo Grande and Santa Teresa

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Note: just a dodgy google translate, plus not entirely relevant, but i find it interesting nevertheless...
Moreover, Chavez's State media are uncritically reprinting Libyan State media's reports, and there are reports that this media coverage is somewhat gaining influence in the Latin American Left, not that our media is 'objective' but...

bichpaket · Mar 22, 2011

Obama piece of shit

JesusCrust · Mar 22, 2011

Re: Bombing Libya to "save Libya": The forces behind this war Emergency demonstrations across the country this Wed-Sat

ungovernable said:

I don't understand what interest you think that the UN would have to destroy kadhafi regime. Anyway like i said, this isn't an occupation, it's just air support.

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Thing is, I don't know if there is an interest. I'm not quite sure where I stand on all this. It's a little hard to take in the fact the US may actually be doing this for the sake of other people. I want to believe what I'm told, but I can't. They've cried wolf so many times before. I'm just waiting for this to play out before I pick sides after two days.

JoeyV · Mar 22, 2011

As far as you saying that "US controls Libyan oil" I'm not to sure about that one
From what I've Heard The Libyan oil Is a very rich pure oil.
Lawrence Wilkerson, the former chief of staff to Colin Powell Said In an interview that The oil will be an important issue.
But besides the whole oil crap
Do I side with the UN Decision To help the Libyan people?
Yes I think the help was very much needed but Is Bombing Libya the answer?

Bakica · Mar 22, 2011

Re: Bombing Libya to "save Libya": The forces behind this war Emergency demonstrations across the country this Wed-Sat

ungovernable said:

JesusCrust said:

Ungovernable, do you really think these countries give a shit about the Libyan people?

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Do you really think they give a shit about lybian oil when it's already controlled and secured by US companies with the agreement of libyan government ?

Click to expand...

I think that Gadaffi threatened to destroy all the oil plants.

Also, I have heard that Brithish troops were in Libya about 3 weeks ago. If revolutioners ask for help, UN should help them but that doesn't mean I supprot either U.S or UN. The only thing they should do is to eliminate Libyan regime.

ungovernable · Mar 22, 2011

Nobody ↑ :

As far as you saying that "US controls Libyan oil" I'm not to sure about that one

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I am 100% sure of what i am saying.

Gaddhafi always licked USA's ass because he wanted to have them on their side. They asked the US to bring their corporations in libya to take their oil, it was a tactic to have them on their side.

And a couple of days ago, Gaddhafi threatened to replace the US companys by chinese companies.

Nobody ↑ :

Do I side with the UN Decision To help the Libyan people?
Yes I think the help was very much needed but Is Bombing Libya the answer?

Click to expand...

And what solution do you think is the best ?

The rebels are fighting against Gaddhafi. They wanted to bomb gaddhafi positions but they dont have artillery or aircraft. So they asked the UN to do it.

Yesterday i was watching a french documentary on the history of Gaddafi and it clearly explained how he gave oil plants to the USA back 10 years ago to have them on their side. Since then, libya oil is under US control

Nobody ↑ :

Leader Muammar Gaddafi on Wednesday threatened that Libya will replace western banks, oil firms and companies by others from China, India, Russia and Brazil. Speaking on Wdnesday on state television, Gaddafi claimed that Libya's oil fields and ports are "safe" and "under control." He spoke in the capital Tripoli as his forces were launching a counteroffensive on Wednesday against the rebel held eastern half of the country.

His forces battled government opponents for control of a key oil installation and airstrip on the Mediterranean coast.

Digging in his heels, a defiant Muammar Gaddafi refused to give up power and claimed that the anti regime protests were part of a conspiracy to grab the oil resources of Libya.

Gaddafi again blamed Al Qaeda for the challenge to his 41 year iron fisted rule, saying the objective was to control Libya's land and oil, and promised to fight to the last man and woman.

He denied that there have been any peaceful demonstrations since the uprising began in Libya on February 15 this year and challenged calls from home and abroad for him to step down, saying he has "no real power."

"Sleeper cells from Al Qaeda, its elements, infiltrated gradually ... They believe the world is theirs, they fight everywhere, the intelligence services know them by name," he told a ceremony of loyalists in the capital Tripoli.

"Suddenly it started in (the eastern town of) Al-Baida... The sleeping cell was told to attack the battalion ... and it took arms from police stations," said Gaddafi.

"The soldiers went home and left their battalion" while the Al Qaeda cells "took the weapons and control of the town."

"The women fled ... bullets were everywhere. It was the same situation in Benghazi," he said of the main eastern city under the control of the rebel forces.

"There are no peaceful demonstrations in Libya," he said. "If there were why are foreigners fleeing, the embassies closing in Tripoli, (oil company) employees fleeing from the desert?"

Turning to the oil industry, he said "these gangs made oil companies afraid, flee and stop production. Oil production is at its lowest." "The conspiracy has become clear," he said, claiming that the aim is to take control Libyan land and oil.

"This is impossible, impossible. We will fight to the end, to the last man, the last woman ... with God's help."

Libya has the largest oil reserves in Africa and is the continent's fourth largest producer, and Gaddafi said the "oilfields are safe and under control, but the foreign firms are afraid."

Gaddafi claimed that the people of the eastern city of Benghazi, which has played a key role in the rebellion, "have asked us to help them get rid from the armed gangs."

The ceremony was aired live shortly after rebels said they had repelled an attack by Gaddafi's forces in the eastern town of Brega on Wednesday, with witnesses reporting two civilians killed.

The event was to mark the anniversary of the launch of the People's Committees, according to the broadcaster. Reading from a prepared text, Gaddafi's speech was frequently interrupted by chants of support, which he praised.

One woman in a black robe and headscarf broke shouting "you are a sword that does not break. You are capable." Another person said: "Here is your leader, your beloved ... Here is the leader Muammar Gaddafi, the leader of victory and challenge, standing among his sons, steadfast, like our mountains, great like the greatness of our people."

Gaddafi criticised media reports about the resignations of senior officials from his regime including several military leaders and ambassadors abroad.

"The resignations from abroad, the statements from inside (Libya) ... don't believe them," he said. "As far as Libya is concerned ... nothing happened ... and it is strange that the world received news from correspondents and TV stations not present in Libya." "They dont want any real news from Libya," Gaddafi said, before adding that "there are no political prisoners in Libya at all."

"The Libyan people challenge ... even Muammar Gaddafi who has no power," said Gaddafi, who rose to power after overthrowing the monarchy in a 1969 coup.

"When the People's Committees issue something, it becomes law and is implemented for all Libyans. No one can declare war or peace unless the People's Committees decide," the Libyan leader said. "Muammar has no real power to surrender."

Gaddafi urged the international community to establish a commission of inquiry into the estimated deaths of more than 1,000 people killed in the unrest by his forces. "We urge the world, the United Nations, to see where the people were killed, to send a fact-finding team to investigate."

He also lashed out a moves by several countries to freeze Libyan assets. "The assets are the assets of the Libyan nation" and they have "no right" to seize them. "I am the asset of Libya, not the American dollar."

Gaddafi remains entrenched in Tripoli in the west of the oil rich North African country.

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ungovernable · Mar 22, 2011

2005:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4219623.stm

Nobody ↑ :

US oil companies return to Libya
Oil refinery
US companies have been out of Libya for two decades
US oil companies have been awarded most of the contracts on offer at the first open licence auction in Libya.

Companies like Occidental and Chevron Texaco will return to Libya for the first time in more than 20 years.

European oil and gas companies were not awarded any of the licences to explore 127,000 sq km (51,000 sq miles).

Libya - which has Africa's largest oil reserves - is seeking massive foreign investment now that sanctions against Tripoli have been lifted.

Libya produces 1.6m barrels per day at present, but hopes to raise this to 2.1m bpd by the end of the decade.

The latest government licensing programme attracted more than 120 oil companies worldwide but only 63 pre-qualified for the bidding round.

A crowd of 300 black-tied international businessmen waited for the envelopes to be opened and their bids examined and compared before Libya's national oil company announced the winners of each bloc, reports the BBC's Rana Jawad from Tripoli.

In his opening remarks, Libyan Prime Minister Shukri Ghanim said both the government and the oil companies must be carry on business honestly.

"Transparency does not mean it should be on our side alone," he said. "It must also be the obligation on the side of the companies that they should be transparent."

US knowledge

Occidental, in conjunction with different consortiums, had a total of nine successful bids.

The overall result came as no surprise to the chairman of Libya's national oil company, Abdul al-Badri, who said local knowledge had paid off.

"Maybe Occi they know the country, they know the basins that they bid," he said.

"As you can see, some of the blocs they bid very high because maybe they don't have geological information; and some of the blocs they bid very low because they have some technical information."

Occidental acquired five licences bidding alone, and another in conjunction with the Australian company, Woodside Petroleum Ltd.

ChevronTexaco will explore the Marzouk basin south of Tripoli, with Amerada Hess being the other US company to win a licence. India Ltd and India Corp won the bid for the Syrte region.

Canada's Verenex Energy Inc, Algeria's Sonatrach, Medco Energy International of Indonesia, United Arab Emirates' Liwa and Brazil's Petrobras were also successful.

The notable losers in this auction round were the European oil and gas companies who went home with nothing.

Mr al-Badri said another 40 blocks would be offered at a second auction next month.

Click to expand...

Libya isn't the new Irak. Libya government was under control of USA while Irak government was not.

JoeyV · Mar 22, 2011

Very Interesting and good Points Ungov.
So what Do you think will happen to Libya When This is all over?

ungovernable · Mar 22, 2011

I seriously don't know, only time will tell, and it will be decisive to see if the UN can really work the way it is supposed to work. We haven't seen a war for a "real reason" since a very long time, so we will see if the UN can start wars to destroy dictatorships comitting crimes against humanity or if they can only achieve wars for oil and other economical interests.

I just hope this won't turn into an occupation war and they will just give the air support the rebels were asking for. After Gaddhafi is gone they have no more reasons to interfere in libyan affairs...

Bakica · Mar 22, 2011

JoeyV said:

Very Interesting and good Points Ungov.
So what Do you think will happen to Libya When This is all over?

Click to expand...

I REALLY don't want to be an ass, but why do you write some words with capital letter and some not ?

Anyway, U.S. decreased the number of troops ( or should I call it air support) in Libya. What does France have to do with it ? I mean, they really have no profit right ? Maybe the people realized Libya needs help hmm...

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