Gaddafi a hunted man, sons captured

A Russian presidential special envoy for Africa, Mikhail Margelov, warned that the toppling of Tripoli by NATO in support of rebels opposed to Muammar Gaddafi’s rule “does not mean the settlement of the crisis in Libya”.
“The crisis in Libya is political. Therefore, it is impossible to settle it by only military means: the military success does not mean the political success,” Margelov said, as quoted by Itar-Tass.

Margelov, however, warned that it was too early to celebrate.
The experience of revolutions tells us it is “more difficult to retain power than to seize it,” he added.

But the coming months will almost certainly see a scramble for power and influence between desperate rebel elements and foreign states and firms for control and access to the country and its oil wealth.
With Gaddafi appearing set to fall, South Africa yesterday said it backs an African Union roadmap that calls for a transitional Libyan government, the drafting of a new constitution, and Libya’s first-ever democratic elections.

But South Africa, together with Nigeria and Gabon, voted in favour of the 1973 UN resolution imposing a no-fly zone to protect civilians.
The resolution has however, been abused by NATO to oust Gaddafi.
Observers say it is NATO which has toppled Gaddafi owing to its persistent strikes that degraded his troops’ capacity to resist, paving way for rebels to take control of Libya.

Through Saturday, NATO had flown 7 459 strike missions, or sorties, attacking thousands of targets, from individual rocket launchers to major military headquarters.
The cumulative effect not only destroyed Libya’s military infrastructure, but also greatly diminished the ability of Colonel Gadda-fi’s commanders to control forces, leaving even committed fighting units unable to move, resupply or co-ordinate operations.

Heads of state who are part of the AU Contact Group on Libya plan to meet on Thursday in Ethiopia’s capital.
The AU Peace and Security Council will meet there the following day.
Libyan rebels, with heavy aerial support from NATO fighter jets, entered Tripoli on Sunday.

Two days after their irregular armies launched pincer thrusts into Tripoli in tandem with an uprising in the city, Gaddafi’s tanks and sharpshooters appeared to hold only small areas, including his Bab al-Aziziya headquarters compound.
Civilians – who mobbed the streets on Sunday – stayed indoors as machinegun fire and explosions punctuated some of the heaviest fighting of the Arab Spring uprisings.

A US official said there was no evidence Gaddafi had fled the country.
Meanwhile, Russia is urging the international community to refrain from interfering further in Libya’s internal affairs in the wake of the latest developments in the North African state.
“In the context of the latest events, we are urging all states to strictly abide by UN Security Council Resolutions 1970 and 1973, to refrain from interference in Libya’s internal affairs and to assist in protecting the civilian population,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement circulated yesterday.

The statement went on to stress the importance of “restraint and responsibility” in the advent of such events in the future.
“One of the main lessons of the Libyan conflict is that it has confirmed an apparent truth, namely that if a civil feud occurs in a sovereign state, all members of the international community should respond with maximum restraint and responsibility to what happens there, in strict compliance with the letter and spirit of the UN Charter and resolutions,” the ministry said.

Margelov went on to stress that the ultimate success of any peace settlement between the warring factions depended upon unity in the Libyan opposition.
“Today’s task is to hold difficult, multilateral talks between all segments of the Libyan elite, which include Gaddafi’s former supporters, the rebels themselves, representatives of the royal family and all émigré Libyan affiliations,” Margelov, who has made several visits to the region, including to Libya, told reporters.
“The world community needs a democratic and predictable Libya. Thus, different opposition forces in Libya should unite in order to ensure peace in the region,” the Russian envoy stressed.

“The geostrategic role of Libya in the Mediterranean region, the country’s mineral resources and its special relationship with European countries impose responsibility on winners,” he pointed out.
Meanwhile, according to Konstantin Kosachev, chairman of the State Duma International Affairs Committee, Russia will no longer be able to compete with the NATO countries on equal terms in the distribution of Libyan oil projects.

“I am absolutely certain that the economic reasons – particularly those which concern energy resources – played a crucial role in forming the position of the Western countries and NATO on Libya,” he said in an interview with RT.
China said yesterday that it “respects the Libyan people’s choice”.

The future Libyan government, which gained support from the NATO members, “will now be very grateful to them, and in distributing contracts to rebuild the Libyan economy, will give priority to the NATO countries,” he said.

“Neither China, nor Russia, nor South Africa or any other country, which did not participate in this “humanitarian operation,” will be able to compete with the NATO countries on equal terms.” — Xinhua-Reuters-AFP-AP-New York Times-Guardian-RT.