Libya crisis will not end in stalemate - William Hague Skip to main content

Libya crisis will not end in stalemate - William Hague

William Hague says no immunity deal has been made with ex-Libyan foreign minister Moussa Koussa.
The military intervention in Libya will not end in a stalemate, Foreign Secretary William Hague has said.
He said Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's regime had no future because it was isolated and "can't sell any oil".
Fighting has resumed in Libya, with rebel forces battling for control of the eastern oil town of Brega.
Earlier, a poll for BBC News suggested that two-thirds of people believed Britain's military involvement in Libya would go on for some time.
Of 2,000 people asked, 65% said the UK's involvement in Libya "will last for some time", while just 14% chose the option "will be over pretty quickly", and 20% did not know.
Coalition forces have been attacking targets in Libya for two weeks, under a UN resolution which authorises military strikes to protect civilians and enforce a no-fly zone.
The action followed protests against Col Gaddafi's 42-year-long rule, which began peacefully but soon escalated into violent confrontation.
Overnight, shelling resumed in Misrata, Libya's third biggest city and the last big rebel stronghold in the west, which has been besieged for weeks.
Asked on the Andrew Marr show on BBC1 about the danger of a military stalemate between pro-Gaddafi forces and rebels, William Hague said there was no future for Libya under its current leadership.
"Let's be clear, if the Libyan regime tries to hang on in this situation, they are internationally isolated, they can't sell any oil", he said.
"There is no future for Libya on that basis, and so I think even the prospect of stalemate should encourage people in Tripoli to think 'Well, Col Gaddafi has now got to go'."
'No large-scale ground force' Mr Hague denied a newspaper report that 600 Royal Marines were being prepared to go to Libya. He said those forces were, in fact, preparing for an exercise elsewhere.
Mr Hague added that it was "quite clear" there will be "no large-scale ground force placed in Libya".
He said that small groups of special forces could be used, as had been done previously to rescue British nationals stranded in the desert a few weeks ago.
The former Democratic US presidential candidate and Congressman Dennis Kucinich told Andrew Marr that the situation in Libya would become either a "stalemate or a bloodbath".
He claimed the US had exceeded the mandate provided by the United Nations "by not just going after Col Gaddafi's troops but providing cover for the rebels".
But the foreign secretary insisted the UN resolution was being followed "very closely".
He said neither the UK nor its allies had any plans to arm rebel groups, but he did not rule it out and said there was "a little bit of ambiguity in the UN resolutions" on the arms embargo.
"We are clear they apply to the whole of Libya but they also seem to give some scope, in certain circumstances, to help people to be able to defend themselves".
Moussa Koussa Prosecutors in Scotland want to speak to Moussa Koussa in connection with the Lockerbie bombing
But he insisted the discussion was "a bit academic".
Meanwhile, the former Libyan foreign minister, Moussa Koussa, is continuing to be questioned by intelligence and diplomatic officials in the UK.
He arrived on Wednesday saying he had fled from Col Gaddafi's regime, as he was no longer willing to represent it.
Mr Hague said Mr Koussa was not under arrest, but that he would not be offered any sort of immunity.
"There will be no immunity, he hasn't asked for that, there isn't a deal", he said.
"He chose to come to the United Kingdom of his own free will. That is a good thing that he has left this despotic, murderous regime, because it weakens that regime."
Scottish police and prosecutors want to talk to Mr Koussa about the 1988 Lockerbie bombing in which 270 people died, and they will meet Foreign Office officials on Monday for talks.
In the 1980s he was a leading member of the Libyan Bureau for External Security (the Mathaba) which has been linked to the Lockerbie attack.
Mr Hague said: "It's a good thing we're able to discuss with him the situation in Libya and the Middle East with, of course, all his experience of it."
"The Crown Office in Scotland want to talk to him about what has happened in the past, such as Lockerbie," he added. "That is not a bad thing either. we want more information about past events."
The online poll of 2,011 respondents was conducted by ICM on 30-31 March for Broadcasting House on BBC Radio 4.
RAF Tornado aircraft taking off British aircraft have been helping to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya for two weeks
Some 38% of people thought the UK and its allies were right to carry out air strikes, while 35% said it was the wrong decision.
A government spokesman said: "The decision on British military involvement in Libya was taken by the entire Cabinet, in consultation with the US, France, Arab states and other countries, and with UN backing. It has Parliament's strong support.
"The action is being undertaken to protect the civilian population in Libya. It is necessary, legal and right."
These figures contrast with a similar poll about the Iraq war in 2003, which suggested 53% backed military intervention.
In Iraq, the post-invasion bloodshed caused a dramatic drop in popularity for the action.
Analysts say support for the Libya action will depend on if and when leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi goes, the number of civilian casualties, and whether there are any British military deaths.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12948467

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Sri Bhaddanta Chandramani Mahathera

The Life Story of A Distinguished And Outstanding Bhikkhu The Most Venerable Saradawpharagree Sri Bhaddanta Chandramani Mahathera The Buddhist missionary Saradaw Ashin U Chandramani was endowed with great gifts and led a famous and long life. He was a very well known, distinguished and outstanding Bhikkhu Mahathera. While living in the Kushinagar Monastery, a place close to where the Lord Buddha had passed away to Nirvana, the Government of India had offered, and he had accepted, the highest, most honourable and respected title "Guru Guru MahaGuru". He became the first ever President of all Buddhists in India.A World Buddhist Conference took place in Kathmandu during the reign of King Mahindra of Nepal. The Conference was very well attended by over one hundred thousand Buddhists from various parts of the world and it was opened by King Mahindra himself. As requested by the King, Saradawpharagree blessed all the participants with the power of Triple Gems...

Thai penis whitening trend raises eyebrows

Image copyright LELUXHOSPITAL Image caption Authorities warn the procedure could be quite painful A supposed trend of penis whitening has captivated Thailand in recent days and left it asking if the country's beauty industry is taking things too far. Skin whitening is nothing new in many Asian countries, where darker skin is often associated with outdoor labour, therefore, being poorer. But even so, when a clip of a clinic's latest intriguing procedure was posted online, it quickly went viral. Thailand's health ministry has since issued a warning over the procedure. The BBC Thai service spoke to one patient who had undergone the treatment, who told them: "I wanted to feel more confident in my swimming briefs". The 30-year-old said his first session of several was two months ago, and he had since seen a definite change in the shade. 'What for?' The original Facebook post from the clinic offering the treatment, which uses lasers to break do...

Three Dead, Seven Injured by Artillery Shells in Two Incidents in Myanmar’s Mrauk-U

By MIN AUNG KHINE 2 December 2019 Sittwe, Rakhine State –Three Mrauk-U township residents died and four others were injured when an artillery shell struck their community in the Ale Zay quarter of Mrauk-U town on Monday afternoon after 4 p.m. A month-old girl, a 4-year-old boy and a 30-year-old woman died, according to Dr. Khin Maung Yin, the head of Mrauk-U hospital. He said, “A man and three other women were injured. One of the women sustained severe injures to her left leg and her right knee was dislocated. The injured will be operated on.” Details of what occurred were not yet known. A few hours earlier, three civilians were injured when an artillery shell fell on the village of Na Leik in Mrauk-U Township, Rakhine State, western Myanmar, on Monday at around 1 p.m., according to Yan Aung Pyin village-tract administrator U Sein Hla Aung. Two females, aged 13 and 27, and an 18-year-old male were injured in the incident, he said. Three people were hit by shrapnel and we have...