Another ceasefire – this is getting repetitive
Published:
March 20, 2011 at 7:59pm
Perhaps Bagdadi is going to be allowed out of his bunker for a couple of minutes to give his friend at the Auberge de Castille another tinkle with a request for monitoring.
If so, I trust some minion has now been given strict instructions to respond with “The prime minister is unable to take your call, nor is he in a position to return it.”
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This cease-fire declaration, statement from the ‘African Ministry’ and the whatever 30-word-long committee of whatever that just took place are typical tactics to try and confuse the West, rally Arab support and, in general, launch a pile of BS to the media.
Ignore it & flatten military assests.
That is what they are tring to avoid, as a second wave of pre-strike reconnaissance jets were met with trace fire just under an hour ago.
Daphne: During the first phases of WWII, the British government had very serious concerns in relation to the espionage rings run in Britain by sympathisers of the Axis powers. One of the best known posters had a message which ran something like ‘careless talk costs lives’.
If only we were a tad more careful in what we said or did.
In other words, we should suspend democracy in Malta (expression courtesy of KMB) until the sun sets on Odyssey Dawn. And while at it, shut down the BBC, CNN and the rest.
Your point being?
Informed source? About what exactly?
Now it is more important than ever that Gaddafi is killed. If not he will surely take revenge. After demonizing Al Qaeda I’m sure he won’t mind joining them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyImRfRk4M8
Yeh , it’s catchy.
There will certainly be a ceasefire-when the allies whoop their arse.
The Gonzi-Gadaffi rapport seems to be built on the fallacy that the Libyan regime is our ally. Perhaps that is why Gonzi answers the phone when Bagdadi calls (although not when Olmert phones from Israel).
History has shown that the Libyan regime was never Malta’s ally but a foreign power with a devious leader who wanted to influence Malta’s destiny, notably by curbing our ability to explore our continental shelf’s hydrocarbons, e.g. threatening oil companies which wanted to drill in our Medina Bank.
Yet, we have a PM who maintains contact with Gadaffi’s people, thereby defying the spirit of the UN’s and EU’s intentional isolation of Libya while tacitly approving Gadaffi’s underhand and devious tactics, such as the Libyan ‘ceasefire’, a request to observe which the Maltese government said it would “examine”, later saying that it would be up to the UN to decide.
No wonder the PM looked depressed during that press conference. His conscience, and his willingness to maintain the Gonzi-Gadaffi rapport, were in earnest opposition.
Hence the confused arguments from the PM and his foreign minister. Sad to see a virtous man allied with pure evil. Confutatis maledictis.
We are Maltese, we take no shit!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IP6BGQbwrkg
Just watched some footage on Euronews of all the artillery being moved around in a base in Sicilly . Oh my God – imagine even attempting that in Luqa.
Citing the recent evacuation that military planes were in Malta is a non starter. Malta airport did not even have enough fuel bowsers , and an extra one was flown in by the RAF .
Re Trapani Airport . Trapani was primarily a military airport , and some years ago it was decided to have a separate independent area for low cost flights (Ryanair) , so it’s not the case that Italy offered a civilian airport for military use . All the 7 bases Italy offered are existing military bases.
You seem to have stopped criticising Berlusconi , because Italy is now very much part of the coalition , notwithstanding its very close economic ties with Libya.
[Daphne – David, when did this become about the airport? When the prime minister woke up this morning and decided to use that as an excuse after never mentioning it before and sheltering behind neutrality instead? ‘Base’ doesn’t only mean ‘airbase’. Military support doesn’t only mean a runway. This is not about what we can offer, but about our categorical refusal to join in in any shape, manner or form, using all manner of excuses, none of which make any sense. What the prime minister said, effectively – and the foreign minister was far more specific – is that even if we had a military airport, we would not allowed it to be “used to launch an attack on another country.” Do you agree with that, or is your only objection logistic: that the civilian airport can’t cope?]
David, I am not a military expert and I take it neither are you. This is not about the technical aspects of how Malta can be useful; I would leave those to the AFM and their foreign colleagues.
This is about the political willingness to be part of the UN-backed coalition defending the Libyan people.
That – and only that – is the decision government should have taken. They would have then left it up to the experts to decide what would be our role and how we could help.
“I would leave those to the AFM and their foreign colleagues”
Antoine, do you seriously believe that detailed decisions on our contribution could be taken without considering the wider implications? That is the politician’s job. All decisions must be taken by politicians based on advice given to them by the technical people.
At least commentators on this blog are now realising that military aircraft and civil aviation do not mix.
[Daphne – They’re mixing at Trapani. They mix when they have to. They are only kept separate when there is the luxury of space and choice. They mix at Malta International Airport. ]
What happened to all the “zghar, izda kbar” chest-beating which drove us to join the EU?
David S
Perhaps we couldn’t be of much practical use to the coalition, BUT we could still have offered what we could, or at the very least not refused even before being asked. That’s what makes us look so bad now.
Second ‘ceasefire’ also not honoured as anti-aircraft fire still seen and heard over Tripoli.
Instead of a ceasefire one can read “I can’t take any more of this punching so I want to stop the fight”.
Gaddafi acts like a schoolyard bully who picks fights with weak victims but avoids challenges with strong opponents.
Every time I read or see a speech by the Gaddafis I notice the amount of threats, some of them veiled, which they utter.
They deserve to be bombed for another two days, and those who are ready to stay with them know the risks they are taking.
[Daphne – His ministers are locked up, John. They couldn’t leave even if they wanted to.]
WE SURRENDER should be the term instead of ceasefire. One cannot trust someone who doesn’t keep his word.
About that ceasefire…
“there is evidence in Musrata and Zintan right now, tanks trying to get into Musrata”
– comment from someone in Libya.
Update from a related source:
“Check Misrata, no food, no water, no electricity. As for air, I think thats the only thing they did not succeed to prevent from the people.”
Surely you cannot be sorry for Gaddafi’s ministers and family because they are locked in with him?
They are worse than he is as they do not have the excuse of insanity. They have made their bed and now must lie in it.
CAIRO, March 21, 2011 (AFP) – Around 50 demonstrators loyal to Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi surrounded UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Cairo’s Tahrir Square Monday, forcing him to retreat into the adjacent Arab League headquarters, an AFP correspondent reported.
Libyan Solidarity Movement in Malta on Monday, March 21, 2011 at 1:03am
“Mohamed Libya:
I’ve just received a call from a friend confirming the following from Misurata;
Two civilian buses loaded with armed personnel dressed as civilians have entered Misurata (ca. 60 peple) accompanied by 11 tanks and are positioned at the main hospital in Misurata (close the Time Square). The hospital has been out of service for 4 years. T…he tanks are positioned at the front garden of the hospital.
Gaddafi today announced that he’s going to arm the public to go out and clean the cities from the revolutionary. It seems that he wants to create a massacre in Misurata tomorrow, which he will go back and say it was the Libyan people who went to kill these rats (he refers to Libyans as Rats).
A massacre is about to happen in Misurata if the international coalition doesn’t wipe them out today.
Remember over 80 people have been killed yesterday in Misurata by snipers.
We need to get the news out to stop the massacre from happening.”