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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Iran: Mediation: A deal brokered by Brazil and Turkey fails, 'Big Powers' sanction Ayatollahland

Brazil brokers a swap deal between Iran and Turkey regarding enriched uranium (nuclear grade) for use in a key Turkish medical project, but meantime the slow grind of Big-Power diplomacy reaches agreement on draft resolution to be presented for a vote at the UN Security Council. Reuters via Yahoo! News offers this May18,2k10 dispatch, "Big powers agree on Iran sanctions draft":

The United States handed the U.N. Security Council a draft resolution on Tuesday that would expand U.N. sanctions against Iran by hitting its banking and other industries for refusing to halt nuclear enrichment.

The 10-page draft, agreed by the United States, Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia after months of negotiations, also calls for international inspection of vessels suspected of carrying cargo related to Iran's nuclear or missile programs.

The Security Council draft restricts Iran's international expansion of banking for nuclear-war purposes, and it specifically names the Revolutionary Guard's activities, alerting the world to the latter's insidious if clandestine manoeverings.