Libya crisis: Key summit under way in Qatar

International air strikes have failed to break the military deadlock in Libya

International delegates are starting talks in Qatar on the conflict in Libya, amid calls for Nato to intensify its campaign there.

Rebels seeking to topple Col Gaddafi are making their first high-profile diplomatic appearance and will meet the newly formed "contact group" on Libya.

Ahead of the meeting, the French and British foreign ministers said Nato should be doing more in Libya.

But a Nato general said the alliance was doing a "great job".

The talks come amid a worsening humanitarian crisis in the rebel-held city of Misrata, where pro-Gaddafi forces have continued to launch fresh attacks.

The last rebel-held area in the west, Misrata has been under siege for more than six weeks, with rights groups warning of a shortage of food and medical supplies.

'Isolating the regime'

The "contact group" was formed at an international ministerial conference in London on 29 March and includes European powers, the US, allies from the Middle East and a number of international organisations.

On his way to its summit in Qatar, British Foreign Secretary William Hague noted that the military situation had gone back and forth, telling the BBC that more pressure - both political and military - could be necessary.

"What may appear at the moment a military deadlock is not a deadlock in the world of diplomacy and sanctions, the isolation of the regime, and I hope the recognition of many in the regime that it has no long-term future," he said.

Analysis

James Robbins Diplomatic correspondent, Qatar

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There are three main areas of discussion in Qatar. Firstly to intensify pressure on Col Gaddafi to leave office. Britain, France and others would like to see specific language in the documents from this meeting saying that he has to go. The last meeting in London merely said that he had lost legitimacy. Getting agreement on that could be quite difficult.

The second thing is to look further into Libya's future and give more active encouragement to political development by the opposition - so they can offer a more fleshed-out alternative to Col Gaddafi. The third thing is the possibility of setting up an international fund so countries can donate money directly to help support essential services in rebel-held cities.

Mr Hague said he could not predict when the operation would end but said that its air strikes had "saved thousands of lives".

France and Britain both want more Nato states to contribute combat aircraft to the mission in Libya, with French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe saying on Tuesday that Nato's efforts in Libya were so far "not enough".

"Nato must play its role fully. It wanted to take the lead in operations," he said.

Italian foreign ministry spokesman Maurizio Massari said ahead of the talks that "discussion about arming the rebels is definitely on the table".

Air strikes have so far failed to tip the military balance decisively against Col Gaddafi's regime.

Dutch Brig Gen Mark Van Uhm, head of Nato operations in Libya, said he felt Nato was doing well "with the assets we have".

The alliance had been successful in establishing a no-fly zone, protecting civilians and enforcing an arms embargo, he said.

Late on Tuesday, the coalition said its air strikes had destroyed five tanks near Misrata.

The Pentagon said Nato had not asked the US to increase its role in the mission.

The Libyan government on Tuesday repeated its condemnation of the West's "imperialist way of thinking".

Government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim said: "We are ready to fight if it's necessary. Not the Libyan army but every man and woman and every tribe in Libya."

He also dismissed summit hosts Qatar as "more of an oil corporation than a true nation".

Koussa's 'insights'

Earlier this week the rebels' Transitional National Council (TNC) rejected an African Union proposal for a ceasefire in Libya, because it did not provide for Col Gaddafi's immediate departure from power.

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William Hague on coalition air strikes

The plan included a call for an immediate end to hostilities, unhindered humanitarian aid, protection of foreign nationals, dialogue between opposing sides and an end to Nato air strikes.

The Transitional National Council, which attended on the sidelines of the London conference, has been invited to address the meeting in Qatar as it continues its campaign to gain international recognition as the voice of the Libyan people.

Council spokesman, Mahmud Shammam, said: "We want to move from the de facto recognition of the council to an internationally recognised legitimacy."

Among those also due to attend the talks will be former Libyan foreign minister Moussa Koussa, who fled to the UK late last month.

He is expected to meet the Qatari government on the sidelines of the talks and offer "insights" on the current situation in Libya, according to British officials.

Mr Koussa is a former head of Libyan intelligence and has been accused of being involved in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing.

A spokesman from the UK government said that Mr Koussa was "a free individual, who can travel to and from the UK as he wishes".

A Transitional National Council spokesman, Mustafa Gheriani, told Agence France-Presse that Mr Koussa was not connected to it "in any way or shape".

Egypt: Mubarak and sons detained amid corruption probe

Hosni Mubarak is said to have been refusing food and drink while in detention

Egypt's prosecutor general has ordered the detention of former President Hosni Mubarak, ahead of an investigation into corruption and abuse allegations.

Mr Mubarak, 82, is in hospital after reportedly suffering heart problems. His detention order will be in place for 15 days, state TV reported.

His sons Alaa and Gamal have also been detained amid allegations of corruption and violence, police say.

Mr Mubarak stood down in February after a popular uprising against his rule.

Since then, tens of thousands of protesters have staged weekly Friday protests in Cairo's Tahrir Square, demanding that he stand trial.

At least 360 people are thought to have been killed during the protests, as police opened fire and cracked down on the crowds. Rights groups say the figure is much higher.

There are also widespread allegations of corruption and abuse of power under Mr Mubarak's 30-year rule.

Sons pelted

"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," said a post on the prosecutor general's Facebook page on Wednesday.

Analysis

Yolande Knell BBC News, Cairo

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This is an exceptional turn of events in the Arab world. The prosecutor is trying to send a message that Mr Mubarak is not immune from prosecution.

However the general public is suspicious at the timing of his heart problems and worried that ill-health, combined with old age, could prevent him from being tried.

Adding to the speculation are medical sources quoted by Egyptian state television saying the 82-year-old refused to eat or drink for two days ahead of questioning.

The fact that Mr Mubarak's two sons are also in custody, like several of their close allies in the former government, has been welcomed.

The announcement came a day after Mr Mubarak had been admitted to hospital with heart problems, although reports indicated that he was well enough to undergo questioning.

The former Egyptian leader had been keeping a low profile in Sharm el-Sheikh, a Red Sea resort, after fleeing to his holiday villa there when he was overthrown.

Late on Tuesday, a crowd of about 2,000 people had gathered outside the hospital, demanding that the sons be arrested.

As a police van with drawn curtains took away the two brothers for questioning, the crowd pelted it with water bottles, stones and their flip-flops, the AP news agency reported.

On Wednesday morning the pair were transferred to Tora prison complex in Cairo, home to other fallen officials and and some of the country's most notorious political prisoners.

Speculation that the younger son, Gamal, was being groomed to take over from his father helped to galvanise Egypt's protest movement.

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Crackdown on Mubarak-era officials

On trial

• Habib al-Adly, interior minister

Referred to trial

• Ahmed al-Maghrabi, housing minister
• Ahmed Ezz, businessman and NDP official
• Rachid Mohamed Rachid, trade and industry minister

Detained pending investigation

• Hosni Mubarak and sons Alaa and Gamal
• Safwat Sherif, information minister
• Fathi Sorour, parliament speaker

Gamal, an investment banker, was a high-ranking member of President Mubarak's ruling party. His close associates were billionaires and held top positions in the ruling party and the government.

Mr Mubarak, along with his sons and their wives, have been banned from leaving the country. The family's assets have been frozen.

In a pre-recorded audio message on Sunday, he broke his silence of the last two months to say his reputation and that of his sons had been damaged and he would work to clear their names.

On Tuesday, Egyptian soldiers and police moved into Tahrir Square in Cairo and ended a sit-in by protesters demanding civilian rule and swifter prosecution of former officials.

A military council has been ruling Egypt since Mr Mubarak stepped down.

US lawmakers say timing bad for Egypt debt relief

AFP

Wed, 13/04/2011 - 03:18

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Washington--A high-level Egyptian delegation seeking debt relief from the United States will hear this week that Washington wants to help but must tend to its own financial struggles, lawmakers warned Tuesday.

Egypt's minister of international cooperation, Fayza Abul Naga, and other top officials were expected to meet with key US lawmakers starting Wednesday with debt relief expected to be a key topic, congressional officials said.

US lawmakers said belt-tightening in Washington will make it hard to forgive some of the $3.3 billion Cairo owes but stressed they hoped to find a way to help Egypt thrive after the ouster of longtime strongman Hosni Mubarak.

"You know what the climate is like here: It's very hard. We have to take a look at that and see if there is money," said Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat.

"But I think there's no question but that we would like to help Egypt. Egypt is very important and the United States has a strong national security interest in seeing that Egypt is stable, and people are able to have a form of government which give them certain basic rights," she told AFP.

Democratic Senator Bob Casey, who heads a key subcommittee with a focus on the Middle East, expressed support for a "conversation" about Egypt's aid needs. But, he added: "I'm not sure we're going to come to a firm conclusion."

The minister was due to discuss her concerns with US lawmakers at a briefing arranged by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Republican.

"Topics of discussion may include recent political and economic developments in Egypt, the ongoing political transition and US assistance programs for Egypt," said her spokesman, Brad Goehner.

A last-minute deal reached Friday to fund the US government to October 1 includes $1.3 billion in military assistance for Egypt and $250 million in aid to help the country build strong, transparent and democratic institutions.

The measure, which faces a vote in the Senate and House of Representatives late this week, also requires US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to report in 45 days on Egypt's progress towards replacing military rule with a democracy.

Senator Richard Lugar, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said it was "doubtful" lawmakers would approve debt relief for Egypt before parliamentary elections in September, the first since Mubarak's fall.

"Most members will say we would like to see the formation of a government, people to bear responsibility for the debt or for the budget of Egypt," he said.

The Egyptian delegation was expected to meet with more key lawmakers on Thursday, according to the specialized publication Congressional Quarterly, which first reported the visit.

"Clearly Egypt is a cornerstone in that part of the world, and our relationship with them is very important," said Senator James Risch, the top Republican on Casey's subcommittee.

"Having said that, we've got our own debt problems here, and I doubt that China's going to forgive any part of our debt, but I'll listen to their arguments."

All eyes on Doha as Libya contact group meets

AFP

Wed, 13/04/2011 - 10:10

Photographed by AFP

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Benghazi -- The focus of the Libyan conflict will shift to the Gulf state of Qatar on Wednesday, with the rebel shadow government being given the chance to address an international contact group.

Libya's former foreign minister Mussa Kussa will be present in Doha but rebels made it clear he would not be representing them in any way at talks ahead of the meeting.

An African Union peace plan for Libya was in tatters after rebels stuck to their demand that Muammer Qadhafi step down and NATO came under pressure to drop more bombs on the strongman's forces.

The Libyan opposition's Transitional National Council will address the contact group, an invitation which marks another step in the armed rebel group's gradual march towards international recognition as an alternative voice for Libya's people.

In London on 29 March, the TNC was not permitted to attend the plenary session of an international ministerial conference on the crisis, although its envoys held bilateral talks with several world powers on the sidelines.

But French foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said: "Not only will they be there, but -- and this should be checked with the Qataris -- unlike London, where they were on the sidelines, they will appear before the contact group."

Since London, with Qadhafi continuing to defy NATO air strikes and with mounting calls for him to quit, the opposition council has gained support and recognition, notably from France, Italy and Qatar.

Valero said France would welcome the group playing a bigger role at the Wednesday meeting of around 20 countries, at foreign minister level, and international bodies.

Speaking in Doha, rebel spokesman Mahmud Shammam said "we want to move from the de facto recognition of the council to an internationally recognized legitimacy."

The rebels were keen to distance themselves from former foreign minister Kussa.

"He's not connected to (the) Transitional National Council in any way or shape," media liaison official Mustafa Gheriani told AFP.

The British Foreign Office said Kussa was leaving Britain on Tuesday to travel to Qatar for talks ahead of the meeting.

The African Union peace plan looked to be dead in the water after rebels dismissed a ceasefire out of hand.

Having managed to secure Qadhafi's agreement to a truce, the AU delegation encountered resistance from the rebel leadership in Benghazi, who argued that the initiative was obsolete and insisted Qadhafi be forced to quit.

"Due to a political demand set as a precondition by the Transitional National Council to launching urgent talks on the implementation of a truce, it was not possible at this stage to reach an agreement on the key issue of a cessation of hostilities," an AU statement said.

In Benghazi, rebel leader Mustafa Abdul Jalil said the African initiative did not go far enough.

"From the first day the demand of our people has been the ouster of Qadhafi and the fall of his regime," he said.

"Qadhafi and his sons must leave immediately if they want to be safe...Any initiative that does not include the people's demand, the popular demand, essential demand, we cannot possibly recognize."

The rebels also doubted Qadhafi would adhere to a truce.

"The world has seen these offers of ceasefires before and within 15 minutes (Qadhafi) starts shooting again," TNC spokesman Shamsiddin Abdulmolah said.

With outgunned rebel forces making little headway in their bid to oust Qadhafi's regime, British Foreign Secretary William Hague urged NATO allies to intensify military operations in Libya.

"We must maintain and intensify our efforts in NATO, that is why the United Kingdom has in the last week supplied additional aircraft capable of striking ground targets threatening the civilian population of Libya," Hague said.

"Of course it would be welcome if other countries also do the same," he said in Luxembourg before a meeting of EU foreign ministers. "There is always more to do."

Thousands of lives had been saved thanks to air strikes that were launched by Western powers on 19 March. These prevented Qadhafi's forces from storming Benghazi, Libya's second largest city, three weeks ago, Hague said.

"A huge amount has been achieved in Libya but clearly there is more to be done," he said. "Of course, to have any viable, peaceful future for Libya, Colonel Qadhafi needs to leave."

His comments came just hours after his French counterpart, Alain Juppe, had said France's NATO allies were not pulling their weight in Libya and their forces should do more to help destroy Qadhafi's heavy weaponry.

"NATO must fully play its role, and it is not doing so sufficiently," the minister told France Info radio, adding that France would bring the matter up with EU ministers on Tuesday and with NATO in Berlin on Thursday.

France which, with Britain and the United States, led the drive for air strikes, was sceptical about handing political control of the operation to the Western alliance.

On the ground, there were reports that rebels and Qadhafi forces have again clashed in the mountainous western region around Zintan.

And in Luxembourg, TNC official Ali al-Isawi said Kadhafi's troop had killed 10,000 people since the rebellion broke out in mid-February, with another 30,000 wounded and 20,000 missing.

There is no way to independently confirm those figures.

Meanwhile, Qadhafi's son, Saif al-Islam, acknowledged that it was time for "new blood" in Libya, but said talk of his father stepping down was "ridiculous."

"The Libyan guide (Qadhafi) does not want to control everything. He is at an advanced age. We would like to bring a new elite of young people onto the scene to lead the country and direct local affairs," he told France's BFM TV.

"We need new blood -- that is what we want for the future -- but talk of the guide leaving is truly ridiculous," he added.

US criticizes Egyptian sentencing of blogger

AP

Wed, 13/04/2011 - 03:12

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Washington--The US is criticizing Egypt's military council after a tribunal convicted a blogger of insulting the army and sentenced him to three years in prison.

The military court's verdict against 26-year-old Maikel Nabil is raising fears the army is blocking greater freedom of expression and political reform. Nabil carried reports of abuses by the military and accused it of remaining loyal to ousted President Hosni Mubarak.

State Department spokesman Mark Toner says the US is "deeply concerned" about Nabil's sentencing.

He said Egypt experiencing a "rocky time" in its transition from decades of autocracy.

And he called Tuesday for Egypt's government to allow greater freedom of expression, saying this is not the kind of progress the US is looking for.

ElBaradei campaign draws 10,000 volunteers in first week

Ibtisam taalab

Wed, 13/04/2011 - 11:54

Photographed by Ahmed Almasry

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Egyptian reform advocate Mohamed ElBaradei's presidential campaign announced on Tuesday that 10,000 volunteers have joined its ranks.

Campaign organizers released a statement saying volunteers hailed from several Egyptian provinces as well as Arab, African and other foreign states.

The campaign for ElBaradei, the former International Atomic Energy Agency Director, officially kicked off one week ago.

It declared, through ElBaradei’s Facebook page, that it would accept another batch of volunteers in coordination with the first group that joined last week.

The pro-ElBaradei campaign began its activities in Assiut by refuting false accusations against the reform advocate concerning his ties to the US.

Mubarak and sons detained for 15 days pending investigation

Arabic Edition

DPA

Wed, 13/04/2011 - 11:15

Photographed by Amr Abdalla

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Egypt's attorney general has ordered former President Hosni Mubarak and his sons to 15 days of detention pending investigation into murder and corruption allegations.

While Mubarak remains in the hospital after experiencing a heart attack on Tuesday, doctors have confirmed it is safe to resume questioning. His sons on Wednesday morning were transferred by military aircraft to Tora Prison, where other figures from the former regime are also being detained.

The ousted president is accused of involvement in approving the murder of protesters, manipulating public funds, abusing power and profiteering. His sons face allegations related to corruption.

Several media outlets including the Associated Press, Al Jazeera and the state-run Nile News confirmed Attorney General Abdel Meguid Mahmoud's orders.

The decision marks the first time a former Egyptian president has been detained for investigation, and it comes several days after the protests that toppled Mubarak regained momentum with calls for Mubarak and his sons to be arrested.

Alaa and Gamal Mubarak arrived at Tora Prison at 6 am Wednesday after being questioned at an investigations office in South Sinai. Sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm they were dressed in white prison uniforms and handcuffed after their arrival.

The location of Mubarak's detention has not been confirmed.

On Sunday, Mahmoud summoned Mubarak for questioning shortly after a pre-recorded audio statement by the former president aired on the Saudi satellite channel Al-Arabiya. In the statement, Mubarak defended himself against accusations that he has illegitimate assets abroad.

Egypt's public prosecution explained on its Facebook page that according to the Interior Ministry, transferring the Mubaraks to Cairo for questioning would be insecure, so they will intead be questioned outside the city.