Libya contact group meets in Qatar

Rebels tell world leaders that Gaddafi's exit is the only way out of crisis as arming them becomes a contentious point. Last Modified: 13 Apr 2011 10:04 Video

Libyan rebels seeking international recognition told world powers at a meeting in the Qatari capital Doha that Muammar Gaddafi's removal from power is the only way out of their country's deepening crisis as allies disagreed on whether to arm the rebels. Wednesday's conference of the "International Contact Group on Libya" is expected to focus on the future of Libya after an African Union attempt to broker a peace deal between rebel groups and Gaddafi collapsed. On the eve of the meeting, a spokesman for the rebel Transitional National Council (TNC) said it will accept nothing short of the removal of Gaddafi and his sons from the country. Mahmud Shammam, whose group seeks international recognition as the legitimate government of Libya, also stressed: "We want to move from the de facto recognition of the council to an internationally-recognised legitimacy." Opposition officials also hope to convince the international community to lift sanctions on eastern Libya. This would free up money in Libyan bank accounts abroad and allow banks in eastern Libya to obtain foreign currency and transfer payments to banks overseas, in order to import basic commodities and other goods. Shammam said the contact group is comprised of high-level international diplomats, and was set up at a conference in London last month. Arming the rebels As allies scramble to finalise a strategy to deal with the crisis, arming the rebels became a flashpoint. Italy wants the international community to consider arming Libyan rebels under the UN resolution authorising the use of all means to defend civilians, the Italian foreign ministry spokesman said. "The discussion about arming the rebels is definitely on the table ... to defend themselves," Italy's Maurizio Massari said on the sidelines of the meeting in Doha. Click here to follow our Libya live blog "The UN resolution ... does not forbid arming" the rebels fighting Gaddafi's forces, he told reporters, while adding that a decision was unlikely to be taken at the meeting in the Qatari capital. "We need to provide the rebels all possible defensive means," he said, singling out communication and intelligence equipment. However, in an apparent rift between EU partners on Libya, Steven Vanackere, the Belgian Foreign Minister said his country was opposed to the idea. "The UN resolution speaks about protecting civilians, not arming them," he said. The Libyan government has dismissed the talks and Qatar's role in the ongoing conflict. "We are very hopeful that the American people and the American government will not buy into the Qatari lies and Qatari schemes," a spokesman of the Libyan regime told reporters in Tripoli on Tuesday. "Qatar is hardly a partner of any kind. It's more of an oil corporation than a true nation," the spokesman said. Among those expected to come to the Doha talks is Moussa Koussa, Libya's former foreign minister, who fled to Britain last month after he defected. He has reportedly arrived in Qatar to meet Libyan rebels. Koussa, a long-time top aide to Gaddafi, will not formally participate in the meeting but is expected to hold talks on the sidelines, British sources said. "He's not connected to (the rebel) Transitional National Council in any way or shape," Mustafa Gheriani, a media liaison official of the rebels, said. Gheriani added that he was personally surprised to learn that Koussa was leaving Britain to attend the Qatar talks, and suggested that British officials should explain why he was going and in what capacity. 'Free individual' Koussa, the most prominent Libyan government defector, sought refuge in Britain on March 30. A friend said he quit in protest at attacks on civilians by Gaddafi''s forces. The former spy chief was questioned by Scottish police over the 1988 Lockerbie airliner bombing, which killed 270 people, but the British government said he was now free to travel. Click here for more on our special coverage "We understand he is travelling today to Doha to meet with the Qatar government and a range of Libyan representatives to offer insight in advance of the contact group meeting," a Foreign Office spokesman said. No Gaddafi representatives are expected to attend. "Moussa Koussa is a free individual who can travel to and from the United Kingdom as he wishes," the spokesman said. British government sources said they expected Koussa to return to Britain after his talks, although others questioned the wisdom of letting him leave. "It is very important that our country doesn't become a transit lounge for alleged war criminals," Robert Halfon, a Conservative member of parliament, told BBC radio. "We have to give a signal to the rest of the world that we cannot tolerate this." Koussa may be looking to see if he can play a role in the rebel movement fighting Gaddafi, according to some reports. Koussa is believed to be no longer under the supervision of British security agencies who had questioned him at a secret location after his defection to Britain. In his first public statement since arriving in Britain, Koussa told the BBC on Monday his country could become "a new Somalia" unless all sides involved in the conflict stopped it from descending into civil war.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

Japan hopes to minimise nuclear fears

With the level of nuclear crisis raised to the maximum, Japanese government has to focus on maintaining public trust. Last Modified: 13 Apr 2011 06:29

Edano and comedian Shizu-chan eat produce in Fukushima in a bid to show that foods grown in the area are safe [AFP] With the nuclear crisis at the earthquake-damaged Daiichi plant in Fukushima being upgraded to a level 7 - on par with the Chernobyl nuclear disaster - the Japanese government moved on the defensive. Naoto Kan, the country's prime minister, held a press conference early Tuesday afternoon, trying to assure the public that the amount of radiation leaking from the unstable plant, where workers have been struggling to cool fuel rods and failing to contain radioactive water, is decreasing. Then, later on the same day, the man many consider to be the government's front man for the crisis, Yukio Edano, the Japanese chief cabinet secretary, held a second press conference. "The upgrade was not due to a new emergency," said Edano. "It is based on the latest analysis of data for the international nuclear event scale." Edano on Monday vehemently denied that fear of leaking radiation had prompted his family to leave the country. The Japan Times newspaper reported that according to rumours, Edano's wife and twin kindergarten-age sons had flown overseas, but vehemently denied those rumours. "I have not been telling the people of Japan and those in Tokyo that there is something for them to be worried about and that goes for my family as well," Edano said in a press conference on Monday. Mistrust of government Still, despite the denials, there is a sense among the Japanese public that they're not being presented with all of the facts. Al Jazeera's Harry Fawcett, reporting from Tokyo, said that the Japanese government has had to repeatedly state that it "has not been suppressing any information, they haven't been hiding anything". Fawcett said that Edano, who has been holding news conferences on an almost daily basis, specifically addressed the international media on Tuesday, when the questions focused on the elevated crisis level. "He said it was just an analysis of the data, that more radiation than initially thought had been pumped out of the plant or had been spewed out of the plant and that's why the event level had been raised to its maximum," said Fawcett. But our correspondent said Edano insisted that there was "no new emergency, and ... there was no need for any new measures and people shouldn't be in any way more worried that the situation was worse now than it was before." And that, said Fawcett, was a "difficult message to sell to people who are extremely concerned about what's happening at that plant." The Fukushima Daiichi plant, operated by the Tokyo Electric Power Co, was badly damaged by the March 11 earthquake, which also resulted in a tsunami. So far, over 13,000 people have been confirmed dead, over 14,000 are missing and about 140,000 are still in emergency evacuation centres.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

Yemen violence claims more lives

Five people killed in Sanaa and two more in the southern city of Aden as protesters push for president's ouster. Last Modified: 13 Apr 2011 09:55

Protesters have rejected a Gulf Co-operation Council mediation initiative as it gives Saleh immunity [AFP] At least five people have been killed in the Yemeni capital Sanaa as forces loyal to a defected army general and pro-government fighters clashed, Al Jazeera's correspondents have said. Two more people were killed on Wednesday in the southern city of Aden in clashes between security forces and anti-regime demonstrators, who are pushing for the ouster of long-serving president Ali Abdullah Saleh. The defected general, Ali Mohsen, a kinsman of Saleh who has thrown his weight behind the opposition and whose military units are protecting protesters in Sanaa, has welcomed a mediation proposal by the six-nation Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) to end the unrest. But on Tuesday tens of thousands of Yemenis staged protests against the proposal, with many saying it offers Saleh, in power since 1978, an immunity from prosecution. Protesters in Yemen have for months been calling for Saleh to step down over the country's lack of freedoms and extreme poverty. Up to 100 people have been killed in the unrest which shows no sign of subsiding. The mediation proposal calls on Saleh to transfer power to his deputy, but gives no specific timeframe for him to leave office. It also includes immunity from prosecution for Saleh and his family. "The initiative does not clearly mention the immediate departure of the head of the regime and it did not touch on the fate of his relatives who are at the top military and security agencies that continue killing the peaceful protesters," the anti-government Civil Alliance of the Youth Revolution said in a statement. The alliance, which includes 30 youth groups, said the GCC proposal was an attempt to abort the revolution. Saleh has accepted the Gulf framework as long as it's carried out "constitutionally," but state media had initially suggested the government would reject it.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

Egypt detains Mubarak and sons

Top prosecutor says ex-leader and two sons will be held for 15 days pending a probe into abuse of authority and graft. Last Modified: 13 Apr 2011 06:46 Video

Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's former president, has been detained along with his two powerful sons pending investigations into accusations of corruption and abuse of authority, the prosecutor general has said. Hours after the former leader was hospitalised as he was questioned, a statement from the prosecutor's office, posted on Facebook early on Wednesday, announced the detention of the three men. "The prosecutor general orders the detention of former President Hosni Mubarak and his sons Gamal and Alaa for 15 days pending investigation after the prosecutor general presented them with the current state of its ongoing investigations," it read. It said the ongoing investigation was into allegations of corruption, the wasting of public money, and the abuse of position for personal gain. Mubarak's sons Gamal and Alaa were driven away in a police van with drawn curtains as an angry crowd of 2,000 people pelted the car with water bottles, stones and their flip-flops, a sign of disrespect in the Arab world. "Brothers, whatever you wanted, you have got ... 15 days," said Major-General Mohammed el-Khatib, the head of provincial security in the South Sinai. Gamal, Mubarak's younger son, was a senior official in the ruling party and was widely seen as being groomed to succeed his father before popular protests brought down the regime. His increasing role in the government over the last decade and the belief that he might succeed his father helped galvanise Egypt's protest movement. Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr, reporting from Cairo, said that Mubarak's sons have already been questioned for two days at a courthouse near Sharm el-Sheikh. They arrived in Cairo on Wednesday morning and were taken to a prison where they are expected to be detained for the duration of the investigation. At least 800 people are estimated to have been killed during the protests as police opened fire on the crowds. Authorities are now investigating government officials for their role in ordering the violence. Gamal is also believed to be the architect of Egypt's privatisation programme and economic liberalisation, which has brought in billions in foreign investment but has also widened the gap between rich and poor. Many of his close associates were billionaires and held senior positions in the ruling party and the government. There are allegations that they used their positions for personal gain. Mubarak hospitalised Earlier on Tuesday, Mubarak had been questioned in hospital by prosecutors at the Red Sea town of Sharm el-Sheikh, where he has been staying since he was ousted from power by a popular uprising on February 11. Mubarak, 82, was taken to an intensive care unit after suffering heart problems when he was being questioned during an investigation, state television reported. It did not give further details about his health or about the investigation. Asked if Mubarak was in good health, Mohammed Fathallah, the hospital's director, replied: "Somewhat." Our correspondent in Cairo said that doctors have now announced that Mubarak is reported to be unwell, but in stable condition. Khodr said that many people believe that Mubarak's illness was a ruse to escape prosecution, with many implicating the military in the rumoured plot. "A lot of Egyptians, particularly in Tahrir Square, said this is just ridiculous, this is a lie, it's a game ... they even accuse the army - the new rulers in this country in the interim phase - of actually orchestrating this to find some way out so Mubarak won't be prosecuted," said Khodr. News of the investigations, she said, will "ease tensions", especially at a time when the army is being viewed with some suspicion by the public, who, as of late have been "questioning the motives and actions of the army, especially since the army has been detaining hundreds of activists". Egyptian security officials told the AP news agency that Mubarak arrived under heavy police protection at the hospital, which was picketed on Tuesday by pro-democracy activists. Al Jazeera's Jamal Elshayyal, reporting from Sharm el-Sheikh, said that state security personnel and riot police continued to surround the hospital, where a small number of protesters were gathering on Wednesday morning, although the situation remained calm.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

Egypt blogger sentence slammed as 'serious setback'

HRW: Egypt blogger sentence 'severe', imposed by military tribunal after 'unfair trial'.

Middle East Online

'Do not seem to have evolved since Hosni Mubarak's fall' CAIRO - Human Rights Watch on Tuesday condemned an Egyptian military court's sentencing of a blogger as "a serious setback to freedom of expression" in post-Mubarak Egypt. Maikel Nabil was sentenced on Sunday to three years in prison on charges of insulting the military in a blog post. "The sentence is not only severe, but it was imposed by a military tribunal after an unfair trial," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) assumed power on February 11 after weeks of anti-regime protests forced president Hosni Mubarak to step down. The verdict is likely to cause concern among Egypt's large network of bloggers who had hoped Mubarak's overthrow in a popular uprising would usher in a new era of freedom of expression. Since SCAF took power, "the military has arrested at least 200 protesters and tried scores of them before military courts," HRW said. "State institutions, including the military, should never consider themselves above criticism," Stork said. "It is only through a public airing of abuses and full accountability measures that Egypt can hope to transition away from past human rights violations," he said. On Monday, Reporters Without Borders condemned the ruling, saying Nabil had become "the new government's first prisoner of conscience." "The methods used by the Egyptian military do not seem to have evolved since Hosni Mubarak's fall," the group's secretary general Jean-Francois Julliard said.

Israeli foreign minister talks live... from the toilet

Israel's Lieberman heard flushing toilet in middle of radio interview discussing Gaza tensions.

Middle East Online

Should he be 'relieved' from his diplomatic duties? JERUSALEM - Israeli officials often conduct radio interviews at home, but listeners got an unexpected insight into just where their foreign minister was when he punctuated his comments with a toilet flush. Israeli news site Ynet.com reported Tuesday that the unusual soundtrack to foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman's interview came as he was addressing the issue of a flare-up of violence with Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. During the Monday interview, the controversial head of the ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beitenu made reference to the group, telling the public radio station: "We know who we're dealing with." And then apparently flushed the toilet. Lieberman's Yisrael Beitenu is the third biggest party in the Israeli Knesset, with 15 seats in the 120-seat house. A recent poll showed the party could snap up two more seats if elections were held today. The foreign minister has frequently found himself in the headlines for his sometimes undiplomatic language, and is also facing the prospect of being indicted for corruption.

Mubarak summoned for questioning over embezzlement, death of protesters

Egypt Interior Minister Mansour el-Essawy says Mubarak will give testimony on accusations directed against him at a court on the eastern outskirts of Cairo, according to state-run al-Ahram newspaper.

By Reuters

Egypt's former President Hosni Mubarak received a summons to appear before a Cairo court for questioning and special security is being arranged, state-run al-Ahram newspaper quoted the interior minister as saying.

The public prosecutor issued the summons on Sunday as part of probes into the killing of protesters and the embezzlement of public funds, but the ousted president said allegations of wrongdoing levelled against him were lies.

	Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak rubs his eyes, March 5, 2004.
	Photo by: Reuters

The minister, Mansour el-Essawy, said Mubarak would give testimony on accusations directed against him at a court on the eastern outskirts of Cairo, Al-Ahram reported, without saying when he would appear or what the accusations were.

Essawy said he did not know what Mubarak's reply to the summons had been, the newspaper said on Tuesday.

Mubarak's sons Alaa and Gamal have also been summoned for questioning.

Several countries froze assets of Mubarak's family and some of their associates after he was forced from office by a wave of public uprising and dissent at corruption among the political elite.

Mubarak has been staying at his residence in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh since he was toppled from power on Feb. 11, and he and his family have been banned from travelling while state prosecutors investigate complaints against them.

Justice Minister Mohamed al-Guindy said an Egyptian delegation would travel to a number of foreign countries within days seeking to make an inventory of Mubarak's assets abroad, al-Ahram said.

The minister said Mubarak had agreed to provide to investigators a power of attorney over his bank accounts and assets.