UPDATED: Hugo Chavez has beaten KMB to it
Al Jazeera reports that Muammar Gaddafi and Hugo Chavez have come up with a plan for ‘mediation’. A spokesman for the Venezuelan president told Reuters that Chavez had had a chat with Gaddafi about a ‘negotiated solution’ and the latter accepted.
The big question now is: between whom are they going to mediate? Let’s cut to Fox News.
Reuters reports that the chairman of the rebel National Libyan Council rejected proposed talks with Qaddafi. “No one has told us a thing about it and we are not interested anyway. We will never negotiate with him,” rebel spokesman Abdul Hafif Goga told The Guardian.
Another member of the committee told the U.K. paper that “talk of peace is far too late” because of the killings.
Perhaps The Times should ring Doctor Zero again and ask him whether he’s had a call from Chavez. “What, d’you mean they left you out? Gaddafi hasn’t insisted you’re part of the negotiating team?”
Chavez is knocking together an ‘international commission’ to go to Tripoli and sit at the table with Gaddafi and….no one. So far he ‘hopes’ that Brazil’s former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will lead the team.
A Libyan human rights group says 6,000 people have been killed since the conflict began.
UPDATE:
Sky News reports that Saif Al Islam Gaddafi has told Hugo Chavez ‘thanks but no thanks’.
He told Sky: “We have to say thank you … but we are able and capable enough to solve our issues by our own people … ourselves. There is no need for any foreign intervention.”
“…They are our friends, we respect them, we like them, but they are far away. They have no idea about Libya. Libya is in the Middle East and North Africa. Venezuela is in Central America. We appreciate this.”
Mela halli nduru ghal KMB, ghax dak qrib l-Afrika ta’ Fuq.
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I came across this last Sunday.
http://www.startribune.com/world/117014948.html
Wouldn’t a mediator need to be someone trusted by both sides (or at least not hated by any of the sides).
Is there anyone in Libya apart from Gaddafi and his marmalja that trusts Chavez?
Even KMB would have better chances.
I have my own ‘mediation’ plan.
1. Sieze ALL of Gaddafi’s assets, cash, properties and other investments, sell and/or realize on.
2 Put proceeds into one huge bank account (preferably Swiss)
3. Give Gaddafi a loaded pistol and lock him up in a dark room.
4. If no sound comes from the dark cell, then either he is given quick ‘how to’ instructions or a trip to a remote island surrounded by shark infested waters.
5. Get a legitimate Libyan government in place and advance the Gaddafi wealth as it requires to rebuild Libya and repatriate the refugees.
6. Give the masses who earn the equivalent of $2.00 a day a wage they can live on and let Gaddafi try to survive on wild berries and a few cockroaches.
7. Make double sure that he is well stocked with cases of Nescafe to last til the end of his miserable life.
8. For entertainment – send Joseph and his carnival floats on a one-way trip.
9. Allow him one letter a year to KMB.
10. Send him a picture of the Ukrainian nurse.
I have a better one.
1.Assassinate Gadaffi.
2.Save thousands of lives.
3. ???
4. Profit
Mifsud Bonnici is still in with a chance. There’s a vacancy for a ‘European’ on the mediation team. The trouble is, he’ll have to identify himself as one first and that might be against his CNi principles.
Just in:
The Libyan opposition has flatly rejected a mediation proposal by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to find a peaceful solution to the crisis in the country, a spokesman said.
That’s kind of stupid, me thinks.
They should have allowed Chavez to meet with Gaddafi. Then they would have had a chance to knock two **sholes with one shot.
Or, maybe they’ll go for my suggestion – move over KMB.
The international commission will include Kim Jong Il, Robert Mugabe, KMB, AST and Karmenu Vella, flown in on Gaddafi’s private jet (“Joseph Muscat sat here”).
The commission has to be chaired by somebody.
I propose Is-Salvatur tad-Dinja because his forte is constitutional nitnejjek matters.
It is understood that all expenses will be paid and that he is granted an honorarium of several million Libyan dinars/USD/Euro or whatever.
Otherwise he will opt to go back to Mater (gratis et amore) Dei.
I understand that is-Salvatur is donating the million euro paid to him for the inconvenience of having his sea view partially blocked by the power station at Delimara, to UNCHR.
Rumour is that he will leave the Gharix to the government in order to accommodate Gaddafi’s sons after their daddy becomes history.
He willed his body for medical research (after he passes on) but apparently was rejected with an explanation that “we already know what’s inside” – ungrateful bunch!
Instead,some MLP stalwards are trying to get hold of a 16 x 20 picture of him suitably framed and preferably mounted with Christmas lights still in good condition. It (they) will be auctioned off and proceeds will go towards humanitarian funds in aid of hospitals in Libya.
Speaking of auctions, I wonder whatever happened to his famous pipas he used to pose with when trying to look important. They would fetch a few euro cents.
Someone told me the other day that KMB is the executor of Dom’s estate at a pre-negotiated fee consisting of the medal of freedom which Gaddafi gave Dom and which was accepted by KMB on his behalf.
I have just heard Brian Hansford on One saying that all the Libyans are asking for is ” jinghalaq l-ispazju tal-ajru “.
He said it with that kind of tone which clearly says that he does not know what that actually means.
Like it is something so simple.
I do very much if he knows the meaning of “no fly zone”.
Dak il-bozza tal-elf. You should have heard him at the very beginning of the programme. He said something along these lines: I have to say this but the British only said thank you in parliament.
They should have been more concrete and told us how they are going to help us. Not to mention the ex-ambassador who stopped short of saying that we should kiss the PL’s feet for not creating any problems for the government. Couldn’t care to watch any longer.
So Gadaffi welcomes Chavez’s mediation – but Saif? In an interview with Lisa Holland, Saif says ” thanks for the offer, but no thanks.” We can solve our own problems.
http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFLDE7222DT20110303
Gadaffi’s fans seems to be concentrated in south America and the Malta Labour Party. Now Daniel Ortega, president of Nicaragua, has defended Gaddafi, saying that “a ferocious campaign” has been mounted against him. He reiterated “the Nicaraguan people’s” solidarity with Libya and Gaddafi.
Ah, another reliable source of street drugs – Nicaragua.
Is Gaddafi mixing up Al Qaeda with Ortega?
Time for KMB to set him straight.
They’ve also offered him somewhere to hide:
http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=210453
Itis indeed a pity that people of a comparatively young age do not interest themselves in the history of the 20th century. Is it possible that the Hitler/Chamberlain debacle has been forgotten?
Is it possible that only a few remember Churchill’s reaction to the “Peace in our time” statement on the airstrip when Chamberlain waved his “agreement” with Hitler on emerging from the plane?
Is it posssible that there are people who think and feel that appeasement with people like Gaddafi is remotely possible?
My idea is: get all those expatriates who want to get out of Libya; then go for him – call his bluff. If he is well organized (as he said) he would not have called in the mercenaries and the desert tribes; he wouldn’t have given arms to the ordinary man-in-the street. Think.
KMB and Chavez miss the most essential point. Mediation between two parties can take place when there is something to negotiate, when there is room for give and take.
In Libya’s case this is simply absent. Gaddafi cannot live with a democratic nation and free citizens. And vice versa.
Lou, I think the point is beyond that. If we live in a free and civilised world, then there is nothing to mediate and negotiate with terrorists and criminals.
Ezatt, dan hu l-principju. Medjazzjoni ma tista’ ssir qatt fil-Libja ghaliex il-ksur tad-drittijiet fundamentali ma jistghux jigu medjati.
U dan li missu qal John Dalli. Imma mid-dehra hawn min ihares biss lejn dak li jmiss il-but.
Jista’ xi hadd ifisser ezatt xi tfisser ‘no-fly zone’?
2011, thanks for agreeing with me in principle.
Now, let me give you an amateurish definition of a no-fly zone. Its a zone which is carefully covered up so that the flies do not sit on it.
I just realized that Beaker (a Muppet) was modelled after KMB.
Beaker is the hapless assistant to Dr. Bunsen Honeydew.
Dr. Honeydew’s experiments and inventions always seem to go awry, and Beaker is their perpetual victim, but he always comes back for more
http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Beaker
Visual comparison:
http://c138.r38.cf3.rackcdn.com/20110303–082000-loc_06.jpg
http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090107224406/muppet/images/f/f1/Bunsenbeakerpaperclips.jpg
The more stuff I found about the Muppets the more I started to suspect that it is actually a big joke about Maltese politics.
http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Gonzo_and_the_Giant_Chicken