PoliticsLibya: German Foreign Minister: Declares rebels to be legit govt of Libya

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LosAngelesTimes (June14,2k11)

by Patrick J. McDonnell

The battlefronts 


of the Libyan Civil War



Editorial comment:  The lead news regarding Libya in past 24-hours has been the announcement by Germany's Foreign Minister, Guido Westerwelle, reportedly said during a visit that the opposition government based in Benghazi was the "legitimate representative of the Libyan people."  This move is possibly a case of tacit recognition, not formal recognition by the German state with an exchange of ambassadors.   I foresee more defactos, and more formal recognitions coming in due season.  I also note that other moves include a campaign to isolate Libya from its networks and supporters in Africa, both Arab and Black Africa.

-- Politicarp

Reporting from Tripoli, Libya — Clashes near the Libyan city of Port Brega left two dozen antigovernment fighters dead Monday in some of the fiercest battles in weeks along the front dividing rebels in the east and Moammar Kadafi's forces in the west.

The fighting also left 28 rebels wounded, said Dr. Suleiman Refadi, a surgeon at the general hospital in opposition-held Ajdabiya.



The front line between rebel and regime forces lies about halfway between Ajdabiya and Port Brega, the latter an important oil port where thousands of pro-Kadafi troops are said to be dug in.
The opposition has won territory in several pockets in the west, notably the port city of Misurata, just 120 miles east ofTripoli, the capital. But rebels trying to move on from Misurata have also suffered heavy losses in recent days. Some news agency reports Monday suggested Misurata-based rebels were advancing on the government-controlled town of Zlitan, the next objective on the road to Tripoli. 


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Government and rebel forces have also fought a back-and-forth battle for control of the so-called Berber highlands, which stretch to the Tunisian border southwest of Tripoli, Libya's capital.

The front in eastern Libya has remained mostly stable for almost three months despite occasional rebel thrusts toward the town and intense aerial bombardments by NATO. British and French attack helicopters have also struck loyalist positions in and around Port Brega in recent weeks.

Rebel commanders have been saying for weeks that an offensive was planned to take Port Brega and push farther west along the coast.

But regime troops have managed to hold out in Port Brega and effectively shell rebel positions to the east. Kadafi's forces are dug in amid residential and commercial structures, rebel commanders say.


-- LAT material posted by Politicarp
-- Read the entire article here