Oh dear. I think we’re slightly confused here. In Bosnia you had the whole of UNPROFOR on the ground.

If you mean Kosovo, then the Serbs never considered the negotiating table before they had the entire might of NATO’s Rapid Reaction Corps sitting on Kosovo’s border, with engines revved up. Because a no-fly zone means fuck all, and achieves very little in military terms.

Milosevic accepted peace conditions on 3rd June 1999. Even before the occupation of Pristina, on 12th June, you had Norwegian and British special forces fighting alongside KLA rebels (or terrorists. That is what it came to in Kosovo) and coordinating air support.

I really can’t understand all the enthusiasm for a no-fly zone if it isn’t backed by equal enthusiasm for a ground invasion.

Funny you should mention the kitchen, because that’s exactly where Lawrence Gonzi gave his first interview to the media as prime minister.

With the present seemingly unstoppable march of Gaddafi’s troops, one can understand the pessimistic view of things. It is now a matter of time before Gaddafi marches on to Benghazi and time is of real essence here.

Not sure what will come first, if it’ll be Gaddafi retaking Benghazi or the start of the no-fly zone action, however I tend to believe Gaddafi will get there first. The no-fly zone is of little use really, even if it starts tomorrow.

The Yanks did it for years in Southern No-Fly Zone in Iraq and Saddam still continued to run the country and decimate the Kurds and all opposition. By the look of things, it will be a swift military action on Tripoli in the next couple of months. Remember that in Bosnia not one soldier set foot on the ground, and yet Milosovich gave up and died in solitary confinement in a European jail anyway.

Angus, we pick on Maltese politicians because they are OUR politicians. Because they like to think that they know us personally. Because some of us do know them personally. Because we (ok, I) have seen up close what blatant liars some of them can be.

My sentiments exactly, and that’s how I feel about Sarkozy’s hasty decision to recognize the Benghazi administration.

Why we keep on picking at Maltese politicians is truly beyond me. By the same token, I wonder what the Americans should be saying about Obama’s position (or lack thereof) or whether he should have already gone in and blasted Gaddafi with or without UN approval.

Not that it hasn’t been done before! Yet we expect our PM or the Minister of Foreign Affairs to be in the forefront threatening to do it alone with two pilotless Mirages, two rescue helicopters, and four patrol boats. How ridiculous!

What about NATO, UN, EU? At least the Arab states have agreed to a no-fly zone, so what is keeping the rest of the world from taking the lead and do something before the last resistor is executed? If Gaddafi wins, does that mean that sanctions will be lifted and everything reverts to business as usual, legitimizing all that up to now we are labeling as illegitimate?

One thing I have noticed, that while the killing in Libya continues, the world Press has found other stories to sensationalize while the Libyan tragedy has been put on the back burners.

Is a Libyan life worth any less than, say, a Japanese one?

I hope that some smart Alec will not interpret this as a slight on the Japanese tragedy still unfolding.

Do you think we would have to refund all childrens’ allowances paid under Labour if we were to demand that Gaddafi returns to us those medals?

You even demolished the comfort-seeking “but others have sold him weapons” excuse.

Now I’ve been hearing lots of disheartened comments about Gaddafi crushing the revolt and coming back. But we HAVE crossed the Rubicon. When the EU declared that Gaddafi must go. When France and the UK, in their joint letter, said that he must be tried by an international court. When France sent an ambassador to Benghazi. That is why gestures aren’t meaningless.

Silvio Loporto: typical Maltese mentality. You will never be a leader. And check your spelling before posting; it will make you look less of an incompetent.