Clinton on Libya: No decision on arming rebels yet

From NBC's Jason Seher
Addressing the media at the London Conference on Libya, Secretary of State Clinton today said the United States has not ruled out arming Libyan rebel forces. While she admitted the Obama administration has not made any decision about arming rebels or providing any arms transfers yet, she said U.N. Security Council Resolution 1973 would allow the United States to do just that in the near future.

Clinton said, "It is our interpretation that 1973 amended or overwrote the absolute prohibition of arms to anyone in Libya, so that there could be a legitimate transfer of arms if a country were to do that."

She continued, stating: "It's obvious to everyone that Khaddafy has lost the legitimacy to lead. So he must go."

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Joe in Albany

Can you say "mission creep"??

Sure you can.

This is going to get ugly.

3 votes

#1 - Tue Mar 29, 2011 2:04 PM EDT

True American-2367375Deleted

dangerfield

I love this role-reversal stuff...goes to show the true nature of most "rooters" here

Complicated issues reduced to the who and not the what or why.

One side always rooting for failure...

5 votes

#3 - Tue Mar 29, 2011 2:31 PM EDT

Pat, Boston, MA

REBELS SEEK TRIAL, NOT EXILE

March 29, 2011: AN international meeting on the Libya conflict should decide to put Muammar Gaddafi on trial for crimes against humanity and not offer him exile, says a spokesman for the country's rebel government.

"He must be charged for crimes against the Libyan people," Shamsiddin Abdulmolah told AFP today.

"This is non-negotiable."

The head of the rebel's "emergency relief committee", Mahmud Jibril, was attending the meeting in London to set out the positions of the Transitional National Council (TNC), Abdulmolah said.

The London conference was bringing together representatives of more than 35 countries, including seven Arab states.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague called for Gaddafi to face the International Criminal Court but refused to rule out the possibility of offering the Libyan leader a safe corridor out of the country.

Hague's comments came amid reports that a possible exile plan could be discussed at the meeting which was being held as Libya's rebels were facing tough resistance from the regime's forces about 100 kilometres east of Gaddafi's home town of Sirte.

The fighting stalled a fast-moving push westwards by the rebels, who on the weekend drove out from their eastern stronghold of Benghazi to seize vast swathes of eastern Libya in the wake of coalition airstrikes that have severely depleted Gaddafi's heavy weaponry.

Abdulmolah said the TNC was preparing an official statement on its views of what the London conference should achieve, and that would be communicated shortly.

But he stressed that the rebels would not permit any compromise on two points: the prosecution of Gaddafi, his sons and his aides; and the resolve that Libya should be a united, sovereign state with Tripoli as its capital - and not a country divided between a pro-Gaddafi west and a pro-rebel east.

Britain was seeking to have Gaddafi brought before the International Criminal Court (ICC), although Hague did not rule out exile as an option.

Spain also raised exile as a possibility, given that no ICC charges had yet been laid against Gaddafi.

The Libyan leader, though, was being investigated for his orders to bloodily repress the opposition to his 41-year rule that sprang up on February 15.

France and Qatar have already recognised the TNC as the sole legitimate representative body for all Libyans.

Abdulmolah said he expected other countries - especially Arab ones - to follow suit.

The US announced today that it was sending an American diplomat, Chris Stevens, to Benghazi "quite soon" to liaise with the rebels but to not as yet offer official recognition.

Yesterday US President Barack Obama made it clear he wanted Gaddafi gone, but said trying to do so militarily could "splinter" the coalition attacking the Libyan dictator's forces from the air.

http://foreign.peacefmonline.com/news/201103/148763.php

3 votes

#4 - Tue Mar 29, 2011 2:51 PM EDT

maggie-965735

Wouldn't it be wise to "dither" just a little until we are sure just exactly who the rebels are? I am not well educated but I would wait until I was sure of intent before handing someone a loaded gun. Mrs. Clinton said today that they are still getting to know who the rebels are.