Now let’s see what they do with their resolution….. Who is going to enforce it? Yesterday Saif Gadaffi gave the rebels in Bengazi a time line (deadline) of midnight last night to put down their arms. Bengazi is the 2nd largest city in Libya and the first city to be ‘liberated’ by the rebellion. The U.N. resolution today is in response to Quackdaffy’s military bearing down on Bengazi. They are attempting to head off the potential for a massive military attack against the city by pro-Quackdaffy forces. This is a breaking development and more will be announced soon. However, the question remains, now a “No-Fly” zone is approved who is going to enforce it? (AFP)– U.N. Security Council members agreed on a draft resolution that will impose a no-fly zone over Libya, diplomats in New York said. The measure passed a vote at 6:30pm EST. 10Yea – 0 Nay with 5 abstensions.
Earlier, American ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice told reporters that the UN may need to contemplate steps that go beyond the no-fly zone. Included in the language of the UN resolution are approvals for any other measures deemed needed to protect the citizenry of Libya against Quackdaffy. We’ll see exactly who is willing to bleed on Libyan soil. I would not expect to see too many EU troops willing to engage.
Daffy has already framed his position: Muammar Gaddafi has denounced backers of plans for a no-fly zone over his country and urged Libyans to take up arms and prepare to confront a possible invasion by Western powers. Addressing selected supporters late on Tuesday, Gaddafi called the rebels “rats” and denounced Western nations. “They want Libyan oil,” he said.
“France now raises its head and says that it will strike Libya,” Gaddafi told the gathering at his Bab al-Azizia fortified compound in central Tripoli on Tuesday. “Strike Libya?” he asked. “We’ll be the one who strikes you! We struck you in Algeria, in Vietnam. You want to strike us? Come and give it a try.” The speech was carried as world powers wrangled over a draft resolution on imposing a no-fly zone over Libya to prevent Gaddafi’s advancing forces from using their air superiority to take the rebel capital, Benghazi, in the east.
In the short, emotional speech, Gaddafi attacked Britain for calling for a no-fly zone. “What right do you have? Do we share borders? Are you our tutor?” he said. Libyans would fight to the death to defend their country, he said. He criticised the Arab League, which has backed a no-fly zone, saying it was “finished”, and the Gulf Co-operation Council, which he said had lost its legitimacy. “The Arab League is finished. There is no such thing as the Arab League,” Gaddafi said. “The Gulf Co-operation Council is finished. It’s actually the ‘Gulf Unco-operative Council’ … The Arab people however] remain.”
During his appearance, a crowd watching on a TV projection on a wall in Benghazi shouted curses and threw shoes at the image. As before, Gaddafi played down the scope of the conflict in his country. “They said thousands have died, but only 150 have died,” he said. Libyan state television aired calls for the opposition to stop fighting, apparently hoping to sway populations in the east away from support of the rebels. “Those who are asking you to put down your arms want peace for you, so please help them and stop shedding blood,” the broadcaster said. “Libya is for everyone and by everyone. So let God’s word be the highest and the word of evil be the lowest.”
There is growing concern on the streets of Benghazi; there is talk of spies and infiltrators, of sleeper cells loyal to leader Muammar Gaddafi waiting to be activated. Eastern Libya is awash with rumours and uncertainty. What happens here really depends on what happens in the battle zones less than 400km away. The mood of the opposition remains one of confidence. It may be that the rebellion is settling in for the long haul.