Politicians and media have been lying about Libya

T. Belman. One of the reasons we don’t really know the truth about Libya is because everyone is lying and spinning the story. Today I received two emails from Russian sources which tell a very different story. You can decide on what is true.

Libya and disinformation
23.03.2011
Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey, Pravda.Ru

Slip in covert operationals under cover of night, spark off an incident somehow, send in the mainstream media to spread the lies far and wide, start a bombing campaign to protect “unarmed” civilians and then help the suddenly heavily armed “civilians” to sweep to power. Then the oil companies move in…oh! And what about Libya’s gold reserves?

We have been over the Libya story again and again and with every day that passes, new information arises, such as the planned homage to be paid to Colonel Muammar Al-Qathafi later this month by the UNO for his excellent humanitarian record, tolerance of minorities, religious tolerance and human rights training for the police force.

We have explained how the same man turned the poorest country in the world into the most prosperous in Africa, we have explained how the country works – a Jamahiriya is a country run by the people, through people’s councils.

We have explained how this “uprising” started in Benghazi with a massacre of unarmed civilians (Al-Qathafi supporters) by the “rebels”, we have explained how Colonel Al-Qathafi dispatched one of his own sons to negotiate with the “rebels” to find out what it was that they wanted.

Then we find out that they had been receiving thousands of former Libyan flags from abroad (maybe they would like to go back to the human development indices of the time they were flown, the time of King Idris I, when Libya was the poorest nation on Earth), had been receiving uniforms and military gear… And suddenly these “unarmed civilians” morph into marauding gangs of heavily armed Islamist thugs, who refuse to reveal their real long-term agenda (an Islamist State on the gates of Europe?) and with whom the international community cavorts.

After the French (what was that about Sarkozy’s Presidential campaign and the financing? Isn’t someone going to…ER…investigate in France?) and the British (has Cameron yet told his people quite how much it costs to deploy a missile – 500.000 pounds a piece – or an aircraft – 200,000 pounds per aircraft per day, every day, while he closes down hospitals and schools and taxes his voters into endemic poverty?) now it is the turn of Ban Ki-Moon himself to mouth off about Libya without having bothered to find out what is going on.

Then after saying Colonel Al-Qathafi has “lost legitimacy” by attacking “civilians” (what civilians? The bearded wonders running around with heavy weaponry yelling Allahu akhbar?) he sends his envoy Abdel Elah Al Khatib to meet the “rebel leaders” in Tobruk. Why doesn’t he meet Colonel Al-Qathafi in Tripoli?

How could Colonel Al-Qathafi go from Knight in Shining Armour to Beast within two weeks? How come a report which had been drawn up after careful study and was about to be presented to the UNO on his excellent humanitarian record can suddenly be tossed into the bin? Who and what was behind the “rebellion”? Who has armed the “civilians”? Does anyone know “unarmed civilians” who roam around with anti-aircraft guns, tanks, armoured vehicles and heavy machine guns?

Then we discover that apart from having some of the purest crude oil reserves in the world, Libya ranks in the top 25 nations in terms of gold reserves, most of them conveniently inside the country, worth some 6 billion USD.

Now for international law. UN Resolution 1970 (2011) forbids the delivery of weaponry of any sort to any citizen in Libya. So who has been delivering weapons to the “unarmed civilians” and when? UN Resolution 1973 (2011) while allowing the use of force to protect “civilians” does not mention attacking conventional ground forces not engaged in battle to help “rebels” nor does it bear any mention whatsoever of aiding rebellious forces to gain power.

If, as has been reported, it is true that Egypt and the USA are responsible for shipping weapons to the Libyan “unarmed civilians” then both are in breach of UNSC Resolution 1970 (2011) and in which case, what is Mr. Ban Ki-Moon going to do about it? Nothing, probably. So much for his legacy. The UN Secretary-General who aided and abetted war crimes and a clear breach of UN law and did nothing? If the USA and Egypt can, as has been alleged, arm the “unarmed civilians”, then what is to stop someone else arming Al-Qathafi?43777.

It would be good for the international mainstream media to do more informing and less lying because any military action outside the remit of the Resolutions can constitute war crimes and leave Cameron, Obama and Sarkozy liable for trial as war criminals.

After the dust has settled down, after the lies and misinformation have been uncovered, there are going to be some very embarrassed governments and a handful of protagonists who jumped the gun for oil and gold and to bolster their flagging popularity at home, looking over their shoulders the rest of their lives.

And Colonel Muammar Al-Qathafi might then decide to spill the beans on the deals that have been signed over the years, use his influence in the African Union to freeze these international terrorists out of Africa and reschedule and renegotiate his oil contracts, favouring reasonable and responsible members of the international community over these murderous pariahs.
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An Open Letter to Colonel Ghaddafi
21.03.2011
Lisa Karpova, Pravda.Ru

43744.jpegAs you boldly and bravely stand in this time of trial, know that you are supported by people all over the globe. No matter how this terrible travesty turns out, I believe that both within your country and without, you have seen the genuine appreciation of people who recognise the good things you have done.

Rare is the leader who, with the tremendous advantages of power, uses that power to bring good to others as you have done.

What you need is concrete assistance besides words and expressions of support. It is hoped that those who are able to will come forward with such concrete assistance.

Globalist imperialist corporatism and fascism has brought this evil upon you and your country. There have been shocking displays of cowardice and greed that stood by and allowed this to happen.

As a citizen of the world, I am outraged. I am furious. We are looking into the face of true evil when we observe what they are currently trying to do to Libya. Breaking “news” messages now make one cringe in anticipation of what horror they may have visited upon your country.

More and more eyes have been opened by this blatant, shameless display of lies and brute force. And one thing is clear, during the last world war at least those who committed those acts of brute force were truthful about their intentions and not pretentious moralisers.

Your country went from the poorest in the world when you took power, to the one with the best standard of living in Africa. Your citizens enjoy free health care, education, housing, interest free loans, free land for those who want to pursue farming.

You undertook a huge, expensive and bold project to extract water from underneath the desert and transport it for the use of your citizens and now they want to steal it from you. I wonder who is always crying about needing water?

In terms of Human Development Indices today and income/standard of living, your country is the most prosperous in the continent. You have been the voice of the Pan-African movement.

How dare anyone accuse you of stealing from your people.

People in Africa are not supposed to live as well as they do in Libya. The empire wants to be sure to keep those in the under developed world just where they are and so they have decided to return your country back to the stone age, the status it was in before you changed things.

They do not want Africa united and independent. They do not want a successful socialist system. They do not want the practice of usury to be shown for what it is, something that must be done away with and has no part in a human society.

The empire was utterly shocked at the support you have from your people. They were enraged that you were able to rally the support needed to turn back the terrorist effort to destabilise your country and that their efforts had failed.

Humanity and decency demand that you prevail. Basic human decency is horrified, enraged and repulsed by big, strong bully countries attacking weaker ones. Your victory will be the victory of humanity. The strong must not be able to rob from those who are weaker. This horror must end now.

As a great leader, this worldwide revolution ready to arise can use your leadership.
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Libya: What the media is hiding
02.03.2011

by Miguel Urbano Rodrigues

Two weeks have elapsed since the first demonstrations in Benghazi and Tripoli. The disinformation campaign about Libya has sown confusion in the world. First a certainty: the analogies with events in Tunisia and Egypt are misplaced. These rebellions contributed obviously to depoliticize street protests in both neighboring countries, but the peculiar Libyan process has characteristics inseparable from the conspiring strategy of imperialism and what can be defined as the metamorphosis of a leader.

Muammar Gaddafi, unlike Ben Ali and Hosni Mubarak, took an anti-imperialist position when he seized power in 1969. A puppet monarchy was abolished, and for decades he has practised a policy of independence, beginning with the nationalisation of oil. He has practised a strategy that promoted economic development and reduced egregious social inequality.

Libya joined with countries and movements that fought against imperialism and Zionism. Gaddafi founded universities and industries, a flourishing agriculture emerged from the desert sands, hundreds of thousands of citizens for the first time had a right to decent housing.

The bombing of Tripoli and Benghazi in l986 by the U.S. Air Force showed that the Reagan White House identified the Libyan leader as an enemy to beat. Heavy sanctions were applied to the country.

Since the second Gulf War, Gaddafi turned 180 degrees. Libya was subjected to IMF demands, dozens of companies were privatised and the country was opened to major international oil companies.

Washington came to see Gadhafi as a leader to dialogue with. He was received with special honours in Europe; fabulous contracts were signed with the governments of Sarkozy, Berlusconi and Brown. But when price increases in major Libyan cities sparked a wave of discontent, imperialism seized the opportunity. They concluded that it was time to get rid of Gaddafi, an always uncomfortable leader.

The riots in Tunisia and Egypt, protests in Bahrain and Yemen have created very favorable conditions to instigate demonstrations in Libya. It was no accident that Benghazi emerged as the hub of the rebellion. Major transnational oil companies operate in Cyrenaica, the ends of pipelines and gas pipelines are located there.

The National Front for the Salvation of Libya, an organization financed by the CIA, was activated. It is instructive that it was the city to see the rapid emergence in the streets of the old monarchy flag and portraits of the late King Idris, the tribal chief Senussi crowned by England after the expulsion of the Italians. A “prince” Senussi suddenly appeared to give interviews.

The solidarity of the major media in the U.S. and the European Union with the rioting of terrorists in Libya was obviously hypocritical. The Wall Street Journal, a publication for big worldwide finance, did not hesitate to suggest in an editorial (February 23) that “the U.S. and Europe should “help ‘Libyans’ overthrow the regime of Gaddafi.”

Obama, in expectation, was silent on Libya for six days. On the seventh, he condemned the violence and called for sanctions. It followed an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council and an expected package of sanctions.

Many progressive Latin American leaders admitted there is an imminent military intervention of NATO. This initiative would be dangerous and stupid, and would produce a negative effect in the Arab world, reinforcing the latent anti-imperialist sentiment in the masses.

The marketing campaign underway of major international media expands the organizers of the rebellion as heroes while they present Gaddafi as a killer and paranoid. The coming days and tomorrow are unpredictable in Libya, the third largest oil producer in Africa, a country whose wealth is now largely falling into the hands of imperialism.

However, the air strikes that western corporate media claim took place on February 22 over Benghazi and Tripoli, which were widely reported by the likes of the BBC and Al Jazeera, with hands wringing and crocodile tears flowing…were not registered by the Russian military chiefs examining the images coming in from satellites.

The satellite pictures show that, “nothing of that sort has been going on on the ground.” states Irina Galushko, adding that there is also no evidence from footage shot by television cameras which suggests that any airborne attacks took place. So there you go, lies from beginning to end.

Lisa Karpova

Pravda.Ru