EQUIPO NIZKOR |
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26Aug11
Libyan conflict far from being over
Libya's National Transitional Council has moved from Benghazi to Tripoli. Opposition members say that from now on, all political guidance will be provided from the official capital, which the rebel army would never be able to occupy without NATO assistance. This sensational statement may expose the alliance's reputation to risk and is fraught with major political complications within the coalition, experts claim.
Colonel Fadlallah Harun, the official spokesman for the NTC's armed force, said, in particular, that NATO's role was generally limited to forming battle groups to be secretly redeployed to Tripoli. Another evidence of the alliance's ground presence in Libya was established by British and French journalists. Such a scenario was rather predictable, according to deputy director of the Institute for African Studies Leonid Fituni.
"Three weeks ago, NATO claimed to be acting in compliance with the UN Security Council's resolution banning it from direct interference in the conflict. Today we see that all conventions were discarded and NATO got involved in Libya's confrontation as a third party, the rebel's ally. This was obvious even before the assault of Tripoli when NATO instructors began to appear in the opposition ranks. Thus, Tripoli was attacked not so much by Libyan rebels as members of NATO security services disguised as Arabs. It was them who cleared the way for the opposition to enter a direct fight against Gaddafi troops. If the US now joins the search for the Colonel, this will mean an open phase of the ground operation," Leonid Fituni said.
Despite the National Transitional Council's official statements, video and photo evidence, NATO leaders keep insisting that its activity does not run counter to the UNSC's mandate. On August 23rd, its spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said NATO had no troops on the ground and was not going to ever fall back on their help.
Such a course of events may have a negative impact on the Alliance itself. Experts say a number of UN Security Council's member states are likely to express their condemnation over the situation soon. If it fails to prevent a split within its own ranks, NATO will be suspended from the power transfer process in Libya, which will inevitably demoralize the opposition, Leonid Fituni goes on to say.
"The opposition proclaimed that it had seized power. However, the absence of a common enemy during any revolution leads to the sides' getting into an argument as to who was right and who was wrong. Eventually, a moment will come when one of the groups proves to be stronger than the others and starts sorting things out in its own way," Leonid Fituni concluded.
According to some experts, both NATO and Libyan rebels drove themselves into a trap when occupying Tripoli. First of all, Gaddafi's whereabouts and capacity are still unknown, with his followers still controlling a number of the capital's districts. Analysts say Tripoli's surrender could have only been a tactical move. Secondly, the NTC acknowledged the day before that it cannot put an end to marauding within its army, which may provoke a feedback from local residents who are still considered loyal to Muammar Gaddafi. In other words, the conflict in Libya is far from being over and may even linger for a long time in view of the new circumstances.
[Source: By Chernitsa Polina, The Voice of Russia, Moscow, 26Aug11]
 | This document has been published on 24Oct11 by the Equipo Nizkor and Derechos Human Rights. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. |