NATO have just begun their fourth-straight day of negotiations to determine whether and how NATO can assume command of the military intervention against Gaddafi.


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No agreement over Nato command: Britain and France will display a united front in their...


Britain and France will display a united front in their offensive against Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's regime when EU leaders meet later today.

However, their latest summit in Brussels comes after three fraught days of talks at Nato headquarters, which have failed to resolve deep rifts over operational and political strategy for running the no-fly zone.

Late last night, Nato ambassadors gave up a third attempt to agree who should lead on-going military operations.

bfbs.com

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Libya rebels coordinating with West on air assault


Leaders of the opposition national council, in Benghazi and in Europe, are helping allied commanders identify targets for strikes. Allied officials walk a fine line as the U.N. mandate bars them from actively helping the rebels in their goal to oust Moammar Kadafi.

latimes.com

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Libya is NOT in a civil war. #Gaddafi troops are foreign mercenaries.


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Sanctions in 72 hours: How the U.S. pulled off a major freeze of Libyan assets


The Treasury Department team had been working nonstop on a plan to freeze Libyan assets in U.S. banks, hoping they might snare $100 million or more and prevent Moammar Gaddafi from tapping it as he unleashed deadly attacks against protesters who wanted him gone.

washingtonpost.com

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Allied air strikes secure Misrata for rebels


Nearly 12 hours of allied air strikes have broken the Libyan regime's five-day bloody assault on the key rebel-held town of Misrata.

Residents said the aerial bombardment destroyed tanks and artillery and sent many of Muammar Gaddafi's forces fleeing from Misrata, ending a siege and attack by the regime that cost nearly 100 lives from random shelling, snipers and bitter street fighting.

guardian.co.uk

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Libya's biggest tribe joins march of reconciliation to Benghazi


Bani Walid looks like any Libyan town with its breezeblock houses, unpaved streets and giant posters of Muammar Gaddafi. But it is famous for resisting Italian colonialism and as the centre of the country's biggest tribe, which is now anxious to be seen as a loyal pillar of the regime.

With more than a million members, Warfalla live all over Libya, including in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi. The tribe's geographical distribution means it is well-placed to help heal bitter divisions by joining a peaceful "green march" to the eastern city to promote reconciliation and avoid the Korea-style partition of the country many fear.

Libya's biggest tribe joins march of reconciliation to Benghazi

guardian.co.uk

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Sites libyafeb17.com and feb17.info were hacked.


Folders were deleted. Thank God the webmasters had recent backups. Back online now.

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Syria's Revolt: How Graffiti Stirred an Uprising


The words have been repeated from Tunisia to Egypt, from Yemen to Bahrain. "The people want the regime to fall" — the mantra of revolution. And so, last week, after 15 kids wrote those words on a wall in the agricultural town of Dara'a in southern Syria, the local governor decided to come down hard. The young people — all under 17 — were thrown in jail. The punishment stunned the town and, suddenly, Syria — so confidently authoritarian — got its first strong taste of rebellion in what is called the Arab Spring.

time.com Deaths as Syrian forces 'storm mosque'

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Clinton On Libya: Gaddafi Is 'Game Playing' But Could Be Looking For Exit Strategy


Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, speaking with ABC's Diane Sawyer, said that Gaddafi was engaged in "theater" and "game playing," but that he might be looking for an exit strategy.

After claiming that allies have allegedly been reaching out on Gaddafi's behalf, Clinton acknowledged that a lot of the Libyan leader's actions were "theater." However, she then added that "some of it, we think, is exploring. You know, what are my options, where could I go, what could I do. And we would encourage that."

huffingtonpost.com

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Battles rage for control of Libyan towns


Libya has witnessed more intense fighting as forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi, the country's embattled but defiant leader, continue to attack rebel positions across the North African state.

Undaunted by air strikes launched by coalition warplanes aimed at enforcing a no-fly zone, pro-Gaddafi forces have pressed ahead with their assaults on the towns of Misurata, Ajdabiya and Zintan in the past 24 hours.

aljazeera.net

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Nigeria lashes at world's focus on Libya while Ivory Coast burns


Nigeria, which has led a campaign to force out Ivory Coast's strongman, on Monday lashed out at "contradictions" by world powers focusing attention on Libya while the West African nation is burning.

Foreign Minister Odein Ajumogobia charged the international community with watching while hundreds of people were murdered in Ivory Coast since the disputed November 28 election.

afp

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