Libyan government troops advance on oil town

RAS LANUF, Libya— Government troops seeking to dislodge rebels from Libya’s coast advanced on an oil town on Monday amid accelerating humanitarian efforts to prevent worsening civilian suffering and a mass refugee exodus.

The United Nations and the European Union are dispatching fact-finding missions to the north African nation, where reports by residents of attacks on civilians by security forces have triggered a war crimes probe and provoked global outrage.

The resilience of Muammar Gaddafi’s troops in the face of protests which started in mid-February and their ability to counter-attack on a key coastal road has raised the prospect that this OPEC nation is heading for months of bloodshed.

“It’s clear the government feels a sense of momentum on its side,” said military analyst Shashank Joshi, an associate fellow at Britain’s Royal United Services Institute.

“Government forces have more mobility than the rebels thanks to airlift and a decent amount of road transport. “That’s blunted by the fact that we are seeing extremely poor fighting skills by government forces, and reasonably competent fighting by the rebels.”

The rebels have called for U.N.-backed air strikes against what they say are African mercenaries used by Col. Gaddafi to suppress an uprising against his 41-year-old strongman rule.

The government says it is fighting against al-Qaeda terrorists and maintains that its security forces have targeted only armed individuals attacking state institutions and depots.

Witnesses said government forces advanced on the rebel-held oil port of Ras Lanuf 600 kilometres east of Tripoli in a counter-attack that forced residents to flee and rebels to hide their weapons in the desert.

The army was moving down the strategic Mediterranean coastal road east of the recaptured town of Bin Jawad, heading towards Ras Lanuf which is about 60 kilometres away and which has a major oil complex, witnesses told Reuters.

“I went to Bin Jawad and about 20 kilometres beforehand I saw Gaddafi forces, a large truck and army vehicles, and a fighter jet, they were coming slowly in this direction,” Ahmed al-Araibi, a driver, told Reuters.

“I saw army trucks ahead, I was about 20 km away (from Bin Jawad),” said Khalifa Saad, another driver. While another witness said there were several trucks heading to Ras Lanuf.

Residents of Ras Lanuf, fearing assault by army forces, were leaving in cars laden with belongings on Monday and rebels said they had moved weapons into the desert for safekeeping.

As the rival combatants prepared to resume battle, the authorities launched an appeal to the rebels in the east for dialogue, in the clearest overture yet to their opponents.

Jadallah Azous Al-Talhi, a Libyan prime minister in the 1980s who is originally from eastern Libya, appeared on state television reading an address to elders in Benghazi.

He asked them to“give a chance to national dialogue to resolve this crisis, to help stop the bloodshed, and not give a chance to foreigners to come and capture our country again.”

In the West, after what residents said was fierce fighting on Sunday with artillery, rockets and mortar bombs, rebel forces announced they had fought off Col. Gaddafi’s forces in the towns of Zawiyah, to the immediate west of Tripoli, and Misrata to the east.

If rebel soldiers were able to push their fitful advance westwards, Misrata could be a stepping stone to reaching the capital, Tripoli, Col. Gaddafi’s principal powerbase.

As the conflict escalated in Libya, U.S. crude oil rose to a 2-1/2-year high on Monday.

U.S. crude for April rose as much as $1.90 to $106.32 a barrel, the highest price since September 2008, heightening concerns that high energy prices may derail the global economic recovery. The U.S. government reiterated that it could tap its strategic oil reserves to safeguard economic growth. The U.N. chief on Sunday demanded an end to“indiscriminate” attacks against civilians in Libya and warned Tripoli anyone who violates international law will be brought to justice.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon spoke with Libyan Foreign Minister Musa Kusa on Sunday and told him that Tripoli must“uphold their responsibility to protect the country’s citizens and to heed the Libyan people’s legitimate aspirations.”

Ban appointed former Foreign Minister of Jordan, Abdelilah Al-Khatib, as a special envoy to Libya“to undertake urgent consultations with the authorities in Tripoli and in the region on the immediate humanitarian situation,” Ban’s press office said. Gaddafi, in a French newspaper interview released on Sunday, said he was embroiled in a fight against terrorism and expressed dismay at theabsence of support from abroad. “I am surprised that nobody understands that this is a fight against terrorism,” the longtime autocrat of the North African oil-producing state told the Journal du Dimanche in excerpts of an interview due to be published later on Sunday. “Our security services cooperate. We have helped you a lot these past few years. So why is it that when we are in a fight against terrorism here in Libya no one helps us in return?”

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Sunday that what he called a UK diplomatic team that had been seized in the eastern city of Benghazi had now left Libya.

The Sunday Times earlier reported a British Special Air Service (SAS) unit had been captured during a secret diplomatic mission to make contact with opposition leaders backfired.

“They (the rebel army) did capture some British special forces. They could not ascertain if they were friends or foes. For our safety we are holding them and we expect this situation to be resolved soon,” a rebel source in Benghazi said earlier.

RUSI analyst Joshi said the episode might offer a propaganda boost for Gaddafi, who was likely to portray it as evidence that the revolt was foreign-inspired rather than indigenous.

© Thomson Reuters 2011

Source

Britain, France push Libyan no fly zone: 'There is a feeling of urgency now'

UNITED NATIONS— Britain and France could put a resolution to the UN Security Council this week demanding a no-fly zone over Libya to counter Muammar Gaddafi's offensive against rebels, diplomats said.

While the conflict is intensifying, the UN body is braced for a new diplomatic tussle over military action. Britain’s foreign minister has insisted that there must “a clear legal basis” for the zone and set other conditions.

“You should expect something on Libya this week,” one UN diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity. “There is a feeling of urgency now.”

“There are elements of a text ready which can be distributed to the council. It could well be this week,” said a diplomat from another council nation.

“It depends if there are triggers on the ground. If there are gross human rights violations or mercenaries are brought in.”

Britain and France have made the most aggressive calls among western powers for a no-fly zone to hamper Col. Gaddafi’s offensive. The United States has said it is studying the possibility while warning of the major military operation it would entail.

The UN Security Council unanimously passed sanctions against the Gaddafi regime and ordered a crimes against humanity investigation on February 26. Any new move toward military action is likely to face tough resistance from China, Russia and other members of the 15 however.

Britain’s Foreign Secretary William Hague said the Libyan rebels had “explicitly” asked for action to prevent Col. Gaddafi’s air attacks but that “many conditions should be attached” to any no-fly zone.

“At the UN Security Council we are working closely with partners on a contingency basis on elements of a resolution on a no-fly zone, making clear the need for regional support, a clear trigger for such a resolution and an appropriate legal basis,” Mr. Hague told the British parliament.

“There should be a demonstrable need that the whole world can see, there must be a clear legal basis for such a no-fly zone and there must be clear support from the region, from the Middle East region, from the North African region as well as from the people of Libya themselves,” he said.

“I think those are the necessary conditions for such a no-fly zone to be created.”

Arab League secretary general Amr Mussa supported a no-fly zone when he spoke to French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe in Cairo on Sunday, French foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said in Paris.

“Mr. Musa confirmed the support of the Arab League for a no-fly zone,” Mr. Valero said.

The strong support from Arab and African nations helped sway Russia, China and others behind the assets freeze and travel ban against Col. Gaddafi and 15 other members of his family and regime.

Russia and China, which traditionally oppose military sanctions, may resist stronger measures so soon after the last vote, diplomats and experts said.

Russia, China, Britain, France and the United States are permanent members of the Security Council who can veto any resolution.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov last week called the no-fly zones “superfluous” and said international powers should concentrate on the existing sanctions.

China’s foreign ministry also indicated last week that the Beijing government was cool to military action.

India, which is also a member of the Security Council, has also indicated opposition to no-fly zones, though diplomats said it could be swayed if the Libya fighting worsens.

The council is to be briefed on the turmoil in North Africa on Tuesday from UN under secretary general B. Lynn Pascoe.

Source

Spending up in areas where Tories vowed to tighten belts: watchdog

OTTAWA— The federal government is letting spending climb in key areas where the Conservatives promised to tighten their belts, says Parliament’s budget watchdog.

The government recently revealed its overall spending is projected to fall $10.4 billion this fiscal year, a drop of four per cent from the previous year. But the government’s administrative and personnel costs are expected to continue to rise, Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page said in a report released Tuesday.

Page’s office dug into the government’s so-called main estimates, which break down Ottawa’s spending plans for 2011-12.

The Conservatives pledged in their last budget to review the administrative costs incurred by federal departments and agencies. The results are supposed to be laid out in the next budget, which is due March 22. The review is part of the government’s plan to return to a balanced budget by 2016.

Page found the cost of“internal services” — spending on communications, human resources, information technology and financial management — are projected to increase $235 million.

The government also froze the operating budgets of departments in last year’s budget.

But Page notes personnel costs are expected to rise one per cent this year.

He suggests members of Parliament“may wish to seek further details” about whether the government’s planned savings can be realized, given that personnel costs are still rising.

Some reports on the government’s estimates focused on the impact of the Conservatives’ stimulus-spending program winding down this spring.

But Page points out only two of the 10 biggest changes in departmental spending can be attributed to the end of the massive stimulus package.

Postmedia News

Source

Wisconsin assemby puts final seal on anti-union bill

MADISON, Wis.— Wisconsin lawmakers, after three weeks of angry protests, gave final approval on Thursday to Republican Governor Scott Walker’s plan to curb the union rights of public workers.

Walker promised to quickly sign the bill into law, ending a three-week Wisconsin standoff that ignited a national political struggle over efforts by several budget-strapped state governments to rein in the rights of unions.

Protesters inside the state Capitol in Madison shouted“Shame! Shame!” as the Republican-led State Assembly approved the bill on a 53-42 vote after three hours of debate. All but four Republicans voted to approve the plan.

Wisconsin’s Republican-led Senate had outflanked Democrats’ boycott to pass the heart of Walker’s plan on Wednesday night, sending it to the assembly. Democrats promised there would be a political price to pay for the action.

Challenges to the bargaining rights of state and local workers are also being weighed in Indiana, Ohio, Idaho, Tennessee, Kansas and several more states— some of which saw Republicans sweep to victory in November.

The confrontation with unions could be the biggest challenge to labor since then President Ronald Reagan fired striking air traffic controllers nearly 30 years ago.

Republicans say the measures are needed to gain control of deficit-ridden budgets. Democrats and their union backers say Republicans are ramming through union-busting proposals.

Some 10,000 protesters surrounded the Capitol building during the debate, with a large crowd gathering underneath Walker’s window noisily accompanied by drums.

Capitol police briefly closed the building and hauled away some protesters— amid chants of “This is Our House” — which postponed the start of the assembly’s debate for a short time.

“It’s still like the first day of the protests here,” said Karin Kinsley, 52. “Energetic. Hopeful. Crowded. Loud.”

The AFL-CIO called for its members to rally on Thursday in support of public sector workers, saying Senate Republicans and Walker had exercised“the nuclear option to ram through their bill attacking Wisconsin’s working families in the dark of night.”

In Indiana, more than 8,000 workers converged on the statehouse to protest legislation Democrats say targets public school teachers and others, including a provision that public employees would not have to pay unions dues. Democratic House members have left the state to prevent votes on the bills.

STAKES ARE HIGH

The stakes are high for labor. More than a third of U.S. public employees such as teachers, police and civil service workers belong to unions while only 6.9 percent of private sector workers are unionized. Union membership has been on the decline for decades and fell last year to 11.9 percent of U.S. workers from 12.3 percent.

Action to weaken unions, who are traditionally a Democratic constituency and key source of the party’s campaign funds, would threaten prospects for Democrats including President Barack Obama’s re-election in November 2012.

Some protesters spent the night in the capitol in spite of a judge’s ruling they must clear out — as the state Senate stripped out the financial elements of Walker’s proposal. The move allowed a vote without missing Democrats, who had fled the state to deny Republicans in the chamber a quorum.

Walker has insisted the limits are needed to help the state’s cash-poor municipalities deal with a projected $1.27 billion drop in aid over the next two years from the state. Wisconsin is struggling to close its own $3.6 billion budget gap.

In a separate maneuver, Wisconsin officials hope to delay for a month a March 15 deadline to restructure some outstanding bonds that the governor says would save $165 million.

“We have shown we can have passionate debate. We are civil in the state of Wisconsin. We respect the law,” Walker said, but he expressed concerns about outside influences coming into the state to create disturbances.

“The intensity of the protests are making it difficult to even get around into the Capitol,” said Senate Democrat Jim Holperin, who was returning to his home state from Illinois. It was unclear when the other Democrats would return.

Democratic House Minority Leader Peter Barca said the Republicans’ actions the past few weeks had created “a stain so deep it may never be clean.”

Democrats promised to fight on, and they are looking to the courts for relief. Barca filed a complaint that Republicans violated public meeting laws.

© 2011 Thomson Reuters

Source

Link to sex offender puts heat on Prince Andrew

LONDON— The royal family is supposed to burnish Britain’s image but Prince Andrew has generated quite a different buzz by consorting with a convicted U.S. paedophile and allegedly having contacts with the Libyan leader’s family.

“Prince of Sleaze” ran a headline in Monday’s Daily Mirror over a story about the 50-year-old prince, who is fourth in line to the throne and is Britain’s roving trade ambassador.

“Andrew: I won’t quit over my pervert pal,” the Sun added.

It’s a long way from the gushing coverage the British media has dished out for Andrew’s nephew Prince William and his fiancee Kate Middleton, ahead of their wedding next month.

Instead, the newspapers have printed photographs of Andrew cavorting on yachts or sunbathing surrounded by topless women, and dubbed him“Airmiles Andy” for his use of publicly funded travel.

Andrew, who divorced his former wife Sarah Ferguson in 1996, has had a difficult relationship with the media for years, but not like this.

Nicknamed the“playboy prince” for his lifestyle, Andrew is in hot water over his friendship with New York financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was jailed in 2008 for child sex offences.

His alleged links to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s son Saif al-Islam and the son of Tunisia’s ousted president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali also have come under media scrutiny.

The revelations have led to calls for Andrew, the second son of Queen Elizabeth, to be axed as a special representative for a government body promoting British businesses abroad, a role he has held since 2001.

Lawmaker Chris Bryant, a member of the opposition Labour Party, said the government should get rid of Andrew immediately.

“I think the government is making a big mistake here...,” he told BBC radio. “They should be absolutely clear — we are going to dispense with his services.”

A royal source said the prince had met Saif Gaddafi twice, and they were not friends, and that Andrew accepted he had been unwise to have associated with Epstein since his conviction.

“There’s no accusation he’s done anything wrong and there’s been no suggestion of any impropriety on his part because there has been none at all,” the source told Reuters.

“You won’t be seeing him and Mr. Epstein in a photograph again,” the source added.

A spokesman for Prime Minister David Cameron said he had full confidence in the prince.

“We fully support Prince Andrew in his role as trade envoy ... we think he does an important job, he makes an important contribution and we are not reviewing that role,” he said.

But government sources have told the media any further revelations would make the prince’s position untenable.

Business Secretary Vince Cable admitted there would be“conversations” about Andrew’s future, but said it would be up to the prince to resign as he was a volunteer not a political appointee to be appointed or fired.

“I don’t know what he’s done or hasn’t done. There’s a lot of speculative stories about him,” Mr. Cable told BBC radio.

“It is down to him to judge the position he wants to be in. Obviously there are conversations which will take place with him about what he’s to do in future.”

© Thomson Reuters 2011

Source