1. Libya, Syria and Middle East unrest - Wednesday 27 July 2011
2.Miracle of the Day - Cholesterol Cured by God
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Libya, Syria and Middle East unrest
• Britain expelled all eight remaining Libyan embassy staff in London to make way for representatives from the national transitional council (NTC) as the "sole governmental authority" of the country. Announcing the move foreign secretary William Hague said it reflected the "legitimacy, competence and success" of the NTC.
• A crowd of pro-rebel protesters welcomed the expulsion of the diplomats at a demonstration outside the London embassy, but were not allowed to replace the flag (see 2.23pm). The move is not a legal recognition of the NTC so it does not give it access to Libyan assets held in Britain (see 1.27pm).
• Hague said Tuesday's appearance on Libyan television of the Lockerbie bomber, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, showed what a "great mistake" the Scottish justice minister had made to release him in 2009. Video of the Megrahi's appearance can be seen here.
• The NTC's new representative in London has been named as Mahmoud Al-Nakou. In an article for the Guardian in February Nakou wrote: "Make no mistake, post-Gaddafi Libya will require a healthy link with western governments".
Syria
• At least eight people have been killed, including an 11-year-old child, after the army raided the town of Kanaker near Damascus (see 1.59pm).
• Syrian activists have begun a conference in Turkey to discuss what the protest movement does next (see 10.00am).
3.19pm: More than 100 civilians have been rescued by Libyan rebels after being kidnapped by pro-Gaddafi forces in Misrata, writes Chris Stephen in the besieged city.
Commanders said the rescue of families on Sunday was planned in co-ordination with Nato.
The captives were seized in the Ghiran district of Misrata on 24 April while fierce fighting raged in the city.
Art student Hawa Ahmed, 20, said she was woken that morning by government soldiers banging at her door.
"They told us we had 10 minutes to leave, we had no time to take anything," she said.
3.11pm: Hague's bullish statement on Libya was a gamble, writes Simon Tisdall.
e said concerns about Libyan student funding delayed the decision to expel the diplomats.
My colleague Lizzy Davies has been talking to a student from Tripoli who is studying at Leeds Met.
"I'm really glad to hear this news because we had the feeling that if the Libyan embassy was still under the control of the Libyan regime we would face financial problems in the future," the student said (he did not want to give his name for fear of reprisals).
He had been so worried about the student allowance disappearing that he had started trying to find a job. "I asked them to find me anything," he said.
If it funding had gone, he said, he could not have gone back to Libya under the current circumstances.
"So transforming control from the Libyan regime to the new government is very good news for us as students because we feel safe that our studying will continue."
2.23pm: Pro-rebel supporters outside the Libyan embassy have been told that they can't replace the Libyan flag .... at least for now, Peter Walker reports.
There's still an ever-changing collection of protesters outside the embassy, waving their rebel flags and chanting whenever a TV camera is pointed there way, but little in the way of action.
Some rebel supporters have, slightly cheekily, asked the police if they're allowed access to the first floor balcony to swap the Gaddafi-era all-green flag (left) still hanging there for their red, black and green version. Not yet, came the reply.
I just spoke to one man who confided that he makes sure he walks past the embassy most days so he can shout insults from a distance at the charges d'affaires.
1.59pm: Video from activists in Syria purports to show a dawn raid by the military on the Damascus suburb of Kanaker which killed at least eight people.
Reports of the death toll vary. An AFP report on Al-Arabiya claims that 11 were killed in the raid.
It quotes Ammar Qurabi, head of the National Organization for Human Rights, as saying:
"The security forces raided homes at dawn on Wednesday and during the operation 11 people were shot dead and more than 250 arrested."
The Local Co-ordination Committees of Syria have named eight of those killed, including an 11 year old child.
1.27pm: The expulsions are less significant than they appear, Channel 4 News' political editor Gary Gibbon points out.
It is "political recognition" but not legal recognition. So it doesn't open the door for Britain to hand over the hundreds of millions of pounds worth of assets the Gaddafi regime has in this country to the NTC – though that has been the ardent wish of the Government for some time.
For now, all the Attorney General feels comfortable authorising is the handing over of assets belonging to the oil company, Agoco, worth £91m to the Benghazi alternative government.
Are they sure that money will be spent by the NTC on civilian uses not arms (which would potentially put the UK in breach of UN resolutions)? Is the FCO happy for us to say it has "guarantees" that the money won't go to arms? The answer came that they'd prefer us to talk about having had "conversations" with the NTC.
1.18pm: Stephen Twigg, shadow foreign minister, welcomed the expulsion of the Libyan diplomats but urged the government to clarify what is being done to secure an end to the conflict.
The National Transitional Council has shown it is the body most able to represent the people of Libya and it is right it is acknowledged as such and that Gaddafi's diplomats be expelled from the UK.
The important thing now is clarity about post-conflict planning and working urgently for a political settlement.
1.14pm: Peter Walker describes the scene outside the embassy in a series of Twitter updates:
Handful of rebel flag-waving exiles celebrating at #libya embassy. One man told me he'd wait all day in case #gadaffi diplomats left
"We've waited 42 years for #gadaffi to go - what's a few hours?" he said. #libya
Spotted one man looking nervously through 2nd floor window at exiles and assorted press below #libya #gadaffi
Asked policeman on door if I could ring bell. 'I'm afraid the embassy aren't taking visitors today,' he said, v politely #libya
1.06pm: Meanwhile, in Syria activists claim the security forces killed eight people in the latest attempt crackdown on dissent.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says residents of the southern Kanaker suburb tried to stop the advancing troops by throwing stones and closing roads with burning tires.
The group says Wednesday's raid also wounded a number of people who are being treated in mosques. It says the raid occurred after electricity and telephones were cut off in the area.
(I should have mentioned in the last post, that this is Matthew Weaver taking over the reins again. Thanks Haroon).
12.56pm: A small group of pro-rebel exiles have been waving the independence flag and chanting for the cameras outside the Libyan embassy in Knightsbridge, Peter Walker reports.
One of the group told him they want to heckle the expelled diplomats as they leave. "It is not an angry crowd, there's quite a celebratory mood," Peter says.
But there has been no sign of diplomats hurriedly packing.
Hague's performance today appeared designed to dispel doubts about the wisdom and effectiveness of the government's strategy and convince his listeners that success was only a matter of time. He emphasised that he had the full support of the prime minister, David Cameron, in ordering the expulsions and pursuing the campaign. He also stressed Britain's leading role in organising the international response to the uprising that began in March.
All this leaves him very exposed if things don't go according to plan, or drag on indefinitely at ever greater cost. Hague admitted indirectly that Britain and its allies have no actual control over what happens next in Libya. That is ultimately up to the Libyan people, and their collective wishes are difficult to gauge ...
The success of the Libyan policy will consequently be measured, primarily, by what happens to Gaddafi. If he survives, crowing, to fight another day, Hague and others may not.
3.01pm: Activists claim sixteen tanks were involved in today's raid on the Damascus suburb or Kanaker.
12.53pm: The national transitional council leader, Mustafa Abdul Jalil has just been speaking in Benghazi and confirmed that Mahmoud Al-Nakou would be the council's new representative in the UK. Jalil said:
Al-Gaddafi and his followers are now the dissidents who defected from lawful authority.
We commend the international community for its support. We commend this move by the United Kingdom. It reflects the political scene inside the United Kingdom.
Jalil also called on Gaddafi "dissidents" to lay down their arms during Ramadan. He said the opposition did not wish to fight during the holy month but added:
Unless Gaddafi steps down and gives liberty and self-resolution to the people, we will will continue to fight more fiercely.
12.40pm: As Hague announced the expulsions, a handful of demonstrators arrived at the Libyan embassy and shouted angrily at the staff inside the building.
According to the Press Association, one man, who said he was from Misrata, shouted:
Get out rats. You murdered my brother-in-law. Thank you UK. Thank you USA.
12.35pm: Hello, this is Haroon Siddique taking over from Matthew for a short while.
While William Hague's statement today has been welcomed by Libyan opposition supporters not all British MPs are happy about it. The left wing Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn claims it is proof that the Nato operation is moving away from its original objective - to protect Libyan civilians from Gaddafi. He tweeted:
Government recognition of NTC in Libya suggests it was and is a war for regime change - latest moves suggest deper civil war.
12.05pm: Here's Hague's full statement.
11.53am: Mahmoud Al-Nakou is rumoured to be the new Libyan ambassador to London.
In an article for the Guardian in February Nakou wrote:
Hundreds of thousands of Libyans have studied and lived in the UK, Europe and the US in the decades since oil was discovered, and those highly educated individuals yearn for a productive, co-operative and collaborative relationship with the west. Make no mistake, post-Gaddafi Libya will require a healthy link with western governments and companies to benefit from their technology, skills and expertise, while the west needs our immense natural and mineral riches.
11.45am: Nick Watt has more details on the expelled diplomats:
Libyan charge d'affaires plus eight diplomats expelled. Charge given three days. Others asked to leave over summer #libya
Nick and Haroon Siddique's news story on the expulsions is here.
11.38am: Here are some of the key passages from Hague's statement:
The Libyan people can be assured that we will remain on their sides for as long as it takes.
The prime minister and I have decided that the UK recognises and will deal with the NTC as the sole governmental authority in Libya. This decision reflects the NTC's increasing legitimacy, competence and success, in reaching out to Libyan's across the country.
We summoned the Libyan charge d'affaires here to the Foreign Office this morning and informed him that he and other regime diplomats from the Gaddafi regime must now leave the UK. We no longer recognise them as members of the Libyan government.
We are inviting the NTC to appoint a new Libyan diplomatic envoy to take over the Libyan embassy in London.
The UK continues to explore how to unfreeze assets to support the NTC. At the request of the Arabian Gulf oil company - a Libyan oil company - the UK is ready to make available £91m of the company's assets in the UK.
11.17am: Hague denied that there was a "back-channel" for Gaddafi to stay in Libya in return for ceding power. He also repeated that the campaign will continue for as long as necessary. There is no time table for ending the campaign, he said.
"The pressure on Gaddafi is increasing all the time. We are not setting a timetable," he said.
11.08am: Hague says the expulsion is a political statement of intent to Libya.
He said Britain would have expelled diplomats earlier but had to first ensure that Libyan students living in the UK would continue to receive funds.
On the appearance of Megrahi at that rally, Hague said it confirmed the "mistake" of the Scottish government decision to release him two years.
On a possible political settlement to the conflict he said Britain supports the work of the UN envoy. Hague repeated that Gaddafi's fate is a matter for the Libyan people. "The best solution involves Gaddafi leaving Libya ... but it is not one we can guarantee," he said.
11.02am: Hague says Britain now regards the NTC as the sole authority for Libya.
"We will deal with the NTC on the same basis as other governments around the world," he said. He also confirmed the expulsion of Gaddafi's remaining diplomats from London and the invitation to the NTC to form an embassy.
10.56am: The expulsion of the Libyan diplomats, which is in line with the conclusions of the international contact group, is a rare step for Britain which normally recognises states and not governments, writes Nick Watt.
At the start of the conflict Britain declined to follow the example of the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, who recognised the council as the legitimate government of Libya.
A foreign office source explained the change of heart. "We dragged in the charge d'affaires. He and his colleagues are now packing their bags.
"We now regard the NTC as the legitimate expression of the Libyan people. We have invited them to set up shop and represent the Libyan people with full diplomatic status. This is the next obvious step in showing our support for the NTC."
10.52am: Six of the expelled Libyan diplomats are being named as: Khaled Benshaban, Tarek Al-Obide, Mokhtar Elamin, Hasan Toumi, Fathi S.M. Hariba, and Taher Shawesh.
LIBTRIP, the Twitter account of a group of activists based in London, claims there are only six diplomats at the embassy.
10.44am: Interesting:
Sky's Tim Marshall tweets:
Sky Sources. Some Libyan staff expelled from London embassy say they will go to Benghazi because they support rebels.
10.40am: The Guardian's Nicholas Watt confirms that the NTC will be invited to establish a London embassy.
William Hague: Libyan charge d'affaire and all embassy staff to be expelled. NTC to be invited to establish embassy #libya
Nick will be covering Hague's press conference which is due to start in the next 20 minutes. Both Sky News and BBC will be taking a live feed.
10.28am: More than 30 members of Libya contact group, including Britain and the US, agreed to recognise the NTC [national transitional council] as the legitimate authority in Libya earlier this month.
PA has this on the expulsion of the Gaddafi's diplomats:
It is understood that eight representatives of Muammar Gaddafi's regime are still staffing the Libyan Embassy in London's Knightsbridge, more than four months after Britain joined international air strikes.
The Libyan charge d'affaires was today being summoned to the Foreign Office to be told he and his staff must leave the UK.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We can confirm that the Libyan charge d'affaires has been called to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and is being informed that he and the remaining Libyan diplomats in the UK are expelled."
Unconfirmed reports suggest that the embassy building may be offered to the opposition Transitional National Council in a mark of its increasing recognition as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people.
Foreign Secretary William Hague is expected to give further details of the move in a press conference later this morning.
10.22am: All Libya's remaining diplomats in the UK are being expelled, the Foreign Office has confirmed to PA.
Sky News foreign affairs editor Tim Marshall claims this will allow the National Transitional Council to put its representatives in the embassy.
He tweets:
UK expelling all remaining 8 Libyan Embassy staff. Will allow NTC to replace them Official recognition of NTC as representing Libya.
Libyan Charge d'affairs is now in with Foreign Office Permanent Under Sec being given the news he is being expelled.
10.09am: William Hague's press conference on Libya is due to start at 11am. It is unclear at this stage why he has called it.
But Sky News claims that UK is to expel Libyan embassy staff.
On Monday Hague suggested that Britain was prepared allow Gaddafi to stay in Libya in return for ceding power.
He said: "Obviously him leaving Libya itself would be the best way of showing the Libyan people that they no longer have to live in fear of Gaddafi. But as I have said all along, this is ultimately a question for Libyans to determine."
On Tuesday Hague's officials insisted that the government's had not changed its stance on Libya.
10.00am: Syrian activists are meeting in Turkey for what they claim is the first meeting of its kind since the uprising began, AFP reports.
Bahiya Mardini, who heads the Cairo-based Arab Free Speech Committee, said the Istanbul meeting will focus on "developing the coordination between activists and working groups of the revolution".
Wissam Tarif, founder of the human rights group Insan, is providing a Twitter commentary on the meeting. His updates are included in the Guardian's Middle East Twitter network (see right), but here's a selection from meeting:
In Istanbul at The Syrian Activists Network meeting. More than 200 amazing young Syrian activists. Training not speeches. Good! #Syria
Germ Sema Abd Rabu introducing the program. She called herself a germ! Al Assad keeps making mistakes and they mock him now. #Syria
Mouath Al Sebai talking key point about future Syria: tolerance, civil society, democracy, pluralism and a civil state. #Syria
Dr Emad: People want Political Programs not individuals. A vision not opposition groups disputing. #Syria
9.28am: Welcome to Middle East Live. Libya looks set to be the main focus today after the Lockerbie bomber appeared at a pro-Gaddafi rally last night and Britain's foreign secretary William Hague is due to give press briefing on the conflict. Here's a run-down of the latest developments.
Libya
• Libyan state television has broadcast footage showing Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the Lockerbie bomber, at a gathering in support of Muammar Gaddafi. Megrahi appeared to be frail and was sitting in a wheelchair almost two years after his release from a Scottish prison.
• ITN has this footage of Megrahi's appearance at the rally.
_
• Parties to the crisis in Libya remain deeply divided on how to reach a political solution the United Nations envoy Abdul Ilah Al-Khatib said after visits to Benghazi and Tripoli. His spokesman said: "The Special Envoy said it is clear from the discussions in Tripoli today and in Benghazi yesterday with representatives of the Libyan Transitional National Council, that both sides remain far apart on reaching agreement on a political solution,"
• The international criminal court has dismissed suggestions by Britain and France that Gaddafi could be allowed to remain in Libya as part of negotiated deal to remove him from power, insisting that a new government would be obliged to arrest the dictator under warrants issued by the court. "He has to be arrested," said Florence Olara, spokeswoman for the court's chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo.
• The failure of Nato's military campaign will force the coalition to offer more concessions to Gaddafi, according to a Guardian editorial:
Strip away the concession that Mr Hague and his French counterpart Alain Juppé appeared to make, and Nato is still left demanding that the colonel fall on his sword as a precondition for a ceasefire and national reconciliation talks. Unless the economic and military pressure on Gaddafi inside Tripoli really is intense – and if so he is doing a good job of hiding it – this is make-believe. The U-turn Britain, France and the US have just performed is unlikely to be the last.
• It is time to tempt Gaddafi out, not blast him out, argues the Guardian's veteran foreign correspondent Jonathan Steele.
Having shifted on Gaddafi's future the next step for France and Britain should be to persuade their rebel allies to accept the principle of an immediate ceasefire. Then give the word to the UN negotiator and let him work on getting a response from the government side. Ramadan provides the incentive for an all-round military pause. With persistence it might even take permanent root.
Syria
• Shimon Peres, the president of Israel, called on Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad to resign. In his first news conference for Arab media the former Israeli prime minister paid tribute to Syrian demonstrators, who he said "are fighting for peace and who want to live like human beings".
• Syrian opposition groups say targeted assassinations of protest leaders and mass arrests signal a tactic change by the Syrian state in attempts to stamp out dissent ahead of an anticipated escalation in nightly demonstrations during Ramadan, Lebanon's Daily Star reports.
Egypt
• The trial next week of the ousted president Hosni Mubarak comes at a dangerous moment, writes Jeffrey Fleishman for the LA Times
But any move that appears to allow Mubarak to slip from justice is sure to provoke an outraged backlash from Egyptians who regard their former leader as a tyrant. They want him called to account for filling jails with political opponents and running a government that enriched tycoons and friends in the ruling party …
But the prevailing view is that the reports of poor health are a ruse, with Egyptians believing his ailments, including reports that he has stomach cancer, slips in and out of comas and refuses to eat, are theatrics to save him from prison. Many are skeptical that Mubarak and former Interior Minister Habib Adli, who is also charged with the murder of protesters, will be tried beginning Aug. 3. The holy month of Ramadan begins next week, and some say Mubarak's lawyer will announce a new health crisis in the hours before the judge is to take the bench.
• Potential presidential hopeful Mohamed ElBaradei called for a broad-based coalition, that would include the Muslim Brotherhood, to contest the parliamentary elections. The former UN weapons inspector wants to ensure parliament fairly represents many of the new parties, dominated by younger activists, according to the Egyptian daily al-Masry al-Youm.
He said:
We don't have the luxury today to enter into fierce competition between the different streams, especially when we are building the house from the start … At this stage, there must be a parliament that represents all Egyptian forces.
• The telecommunication group Vodafone is to meet human rights campaigners to discuss how it can prevent its networks being hijacked by repressive regimes after it was forced to send out pro-government messages by the Egyptian government during the uprising.
Bahrain
Hundreds of people in Bahrain have been reinstated to their jobs after being sacked when they took part in a demonstrations earlier this year. The kingdom's Labour minister said 564 had been reinstated, according to Trade Arabia. Earlier this month Human Rights Watch called on the Bahrain government to reinstate more than 2,000 workers who were sacked after taking part in pro-democracy protests in March.
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