Gaddafi's ambassador talks of unity, while his boss lays siege to people inside a mosque
After sitting there listening to the Gaddafi’s ambassador’s rubbish this morning and then toddling off to report it obsequiously, timesofmalta.com has now reported this. In the interests of proper journalism, they should immediately rewrite the ‘ambassador’ story to include all relevant information and not just his banal remarks and excuses.
And then perhaps they could ring Tonio Borg and ask him whether we are still close friends with Gaddafi, and if not, what do we plan to do about it.
Army units and militiamen loyal to Muammar Gaddafi have struck back against protesters, attacking a mosque where many had taken refuge and opening fire on others protecting a local airport.
A resident near the airport reported piles of bodies left behind and a “swamp of blood.”
The assaults aimed to push back a rebellion that has moved closer to Gaddafi’s bastion in the capital, Tripoli.
The revolt has already split off much of the eastern half of Libya.
In the latest blow to the Libyan leader, a cousin who is one of his closest aides, Ahmed Gadhaf al-Dam, announced that he has defected to Egypt in protest against the regime’s bloody crackdown against the uprising, denouncing what he called “grave violations to human rights and human and international laws”.
In the city of Zawiya, 30 miles west of Tripoli, an army unit attacked a mosque where protesters had been camping inside and in an area outside for several days, a witness said.
The soldiers opened fire with automatic weapons and hit the mosque’s minaret with anti-aircraft missiles, he said. Some of the young men among the protesters had hunting rifles.
He said there were casualties, but could not give exact figures. He said a day earlier an envoy from Gaddafi had come to the city and warned protesters, “Either leave or you will see a massacre.” Zawiya is a key city near an oil port and refineries.
“What is happening is horrible, those who attacked us are not the mercenaries; they are sons of our country,” he said, sobbing. After the assault, thousands massed in the city’s main Martyrs Square, shouting “leave, leave,” in reference to Gaddafi, he said.
“People came to send a clear message: we are not afraid of death or your bullets,” he said. “This regime will regret it. History will not forgive them.”
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“As in all insurgencies, the government has the right to take what action necessary to quell the insurgents,” says Libyan ambassador Saadun Suayeh, attributing the unrest in Eastern Libyato ‘foreign operatives with ties to Al Qaeda
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/’
What’s with the Star Trek uniform?
He is all set to be beamed up to the Starship by Scottie
This reminds me of the days of the not so distant past when our Socialist politicians used to blame “a few hotheads” for the persistent violence on fellow Maltese citizens.
“They give them pills at night, they put hallucinatory pills in their drinks, their milk, their coffee, their Nescafe.” -Col. M. Gaddafi.
Well someone’s been taking hallucinatory pills, but it’s not the youth my friend.
Nescafe? Is this guy serious?
At least he didn’t say “in their Foster Clark’s jelly”.
Nescafe is an important brand of Nestle, a Swiss based corporation – hence the dig.
The neutrality clause was added to our constitution before the May 1987 election by the MLP/PL government otherwise the “fair” election clause would not have been inserted.
Nearly 24 years have passed and we should seriously start thinking of amending our constitution first by deleting the neutrality clause. The world has changed since 1987, there is only one super-power (with China catching up), we are members of the EU and I would not be surprised if Dom Mintoff insisted on including the neutrality clause at the behest of Gaddafi.
Let us remember that the only definite electoral promise from Joseph Muscat is to pull Malta out of Partnership for Peace and the European Defence Agency.
timesofmalta.com reveals Maltese prejudice and lack of comprehension, once more:
“francesca camilleri
I am very sorry about the situation in libya, and am watching everything very closely. I understand these people have a right to express themselves and that they are very worried about their families. however ..
They are going a little but too far now going to the airport and all. if u saw the last part of the fotage, the qisom boloh, they seem to be having a good time screaming and shouting . This small group of approx 15 people are probably unemployed individuals with nothing better to do in their day!”
I’ve been watching the news unfold via various social media channels. I’ve put together a list of the top five resources for real-time news from within Libya. Some of these Twitter feeds update every few seconds. http://bit.ly/fRA4MF
an expert in diplomacy on timesofmalta.com:
“D. Xerri
Would like to ask a simple question – Gheddafi`s son has already threatened to sabotage / burn the oil wells in Libya – Malta should do the biggest pressure for this NOT to Happen – were just 100 miles away ! Are The Maltese Authorities taking this consideration seriously ?
What is being done by the UN, EU and the US for this horrible scenario NOT TO TAKE PLACE ?”
Daphne
Jekk trid taghmel il-gid uza dal-blog tieghek biex tibda kampanja ha nnehhu mill-kostituzzjoni taghna il-klawsola ridikol tan-newtralita.
Issa c-cans kif in-nies inkwetati dwar il-Libya. Dawn l-avvenimenti juru kemm n-newtralita ta’ Malta bla sens.
Naqbel, n-arci-naqbel!
Il-proposta tieghi: Innehhu l-klawsola ridikola. Ma napplikawx ghal NATO membership (ghax expensive immens) IZDA nibaghtu kontingent ta’ nofs tuzzana mill-AFM fl-Afghanistan ha nuru li m’ahniex ABZ. Imqar biex jinnokulaw it-tfal Afgani (kif jaghmlu s-South Korea). Inkella jekk irridu nuru bajd ta’ veru, nibaghtu EOD contingent ghall-UXO. Ghandna livell ta’ expertise eccellenti.
Unless the UN, EU, AU and Arab League decide on military intervention, there will be more deaths until Gaddafi himself dies. Every day that passes not only takes innocent lives but complicates matters.
Gaddafi is gaining time and at this point it is he himself who may be looking forward to carving Libya in two so that he may buffer himself on one side.
‘Re-write’ the piece Daphne? They can barely write!
The police chief in Benghazi, Ali Mahmud Huwaydi, has resigned in response to what he describes as the excessive use of force against protesters, al-Jazeera reports. It adds that the police chief now wants to join the protesters.
There are a lot of Maltese people who haven’t slept much this week worrying about their bold investments in Libya. For obvious reasons no tourist in the foreseeable future plans to visit Libya’s newly built resorts.
It is also a safe bet that no one will be rushing to buy Libya’s real estate by the Mediterranean sea. Sadly, those who did are looking at a dead investment, at least for the foreseeable future.
People seem unwilling to understand that investments in anything other than a fully democratic state can never be safe, even if they look ‘safe for now’.
from wikipedia:
The air strike killed 45 Libyan soldiers and government officials, and 15 civilians. Forewarned by a telephone call from Malta’s Prime Minister, Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, that unauthorized aircraft were flying over Maltese airspace heading south towards Tripoli, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his family rushed out of their residence in the Bab al-Azizia compound moments before the bombs dropped. Gaddafi escaped injury but his 15-month-old adopted daughter Hanna was killed, and two of his sons were injured
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Libya
Daphne, kemm ghandek ragun fuq ir-reporters Maltin . Meta Miss Farrugia ghamlet il press conference fuq it-tarag tal -Qorti wara li fethet il-libell kontra tieghek, kieku xi hadd saqsiha mistoqsija wahda. Forsi xi hadd imissu saqsiha ghaliex qed tippretendi li il-kas jinstemha b’ urgenza .
Az Zawiya – Has Tonio Borg been there recently?
I was not present at today’s press conference and neither were you. However reports in the Maltese media state that foreign journalists were present.
[Daphne – Really? Which ones?]
Maybe Gavin Hewitt forn the BBC is in Malta? http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/gavinhewitt/2011/02/libyan_evacuation_scramble.html
[Daphne – I asked who was at the Libyan ambassador’s press conference, and not who is in Malta.]
Well I assume the foreign journalists present at the press conference where already in Malta. Maybe someone present at the press conference can give more information who they were or for whom they were reporting.
The presence of foreign journalists is stated in this report at http://www.l-orizzont.com/news.asp?newsitemid=70531
A Reuters correspondent was present as the large microphone in the photo appears to be that of Reuters http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/libyan-ambassador-to-stay-on-state-is-right-in-quelling-insurgents
[Daphne – Exactly what is your problem, apart from the fact that you’re either Jacques Rene Zammit or somebody on the same network? L-orizzont tells us today that the situation in Tripoli is “normal”. Reuters has until now been using a Maltese stringer.]
I think you failed to understand my point.
For the record my name is not and has never been Jacques, my second name is not and has never been Rene and my surname is not and has never been Zammit.
[Daphne – Ah, but you’re on the same network. Never mind.]
Did anybody notice whether the Libyan ambassador was pissing in his pants?