[THS] Libya: In The Push For Regime Change No One Listens As...

[The Harder Stuff in news and commentary]

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article27931.htm

In The Push For Regime Change No One Listens As

Libya Offers “Verifiable” Ceasefire, Elections

By Hasan Suroor

April 20, 2011 "The Hindu" -- LONDON: Libya's Foreign Minister Abdul Ati al-Obeidi
on Wednesday offered a “properly verifiable” ceasefire supervised by foreign
observers to pave the way for talks which could cover “any issue” including, he
implied, the future of Colonel Muammar Qadhafi.

He proposed a six-month transition period to be followed by elections under U.N.
supervision as proposed by the African Union.

The British government dismissed the offer saying. “We need actions, not words from
Qadhafi's regime.”

Mr. Obeidi's remarks in a BBC interview came as France and Italy, taking a cue from
Britain, announced they, too, would send teams of military officers to Libya to help
rebels fighting government forces — a move Mr. Obeidi said would “encourage” anti-
Qadhafi groups to “become more defiant” and hinder any peace initiative.

Critics warned that by sending military personnel to Libya, the Western alliance could
be in breach of the U.N. mandate which specifically prohibited “boots on the
ground”.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague claimed the military teams would not be
involved in any combat operations and provide only logistics and intelligence training
to rebel forces.

Mr. Obeidi called foreign military presence a “step backwards” and said ultimately it
would have to be a “Libyan solution”.

The British Foreign Office said there had been “several offers of ceasefires before
from this regime — at the same time as his forces continue flagrantly to shell cities
like Misrata and attack the Libyan people”.