Keep in mind we are talking Tripoli , not Benghazi for this instability !
http://www.libyaherald.com/2013/05/08/militiamen-threatened-prime-minister/
Militiamen threatened Prime Minister
By Ahmed Elumami,
Tripoli, 8 May 2013:
It has emerged that militiamen tried to intimidate Prime Minister Ali Zeidan when he met and negotiated with them over the Political Isolation Law and the ministry sieges. He said today that they had brandished a grenade and a gun at him. He did not say when this happened.
”The rebels unlocked the grenade in front of me but no one was hurt because the grenade did not explode and it was taken quickly outside the Prime Ministry headquarters,” he stated today at a press conference.
He said that they also had put a gun on the table in front of him saying that they could easily use force against him.
Rejecting the use of it against the protesters, he said the sole exception would be if any Libyan was hurt by them.
On Tuesday, the gunmen handed leaflets in front of the Foreign Ministry demanding he resign because he had worked as diplomat during Qaddafi’s regime. In fact, the Political isolation Law does not requires all Qaddafi-era diplomats to be removed, only ambassadors. Zeidan was not an ambassador.
Responding to their call, he said that he would remain as in office until he was asked by the Congress to go. Being Prime Minister was not easy, he said, but what was going on in Libya “requires me to stay in my job to maintain stability as much as possible”.
The government, he said, wanted dialogue with the all the revolutionaries. The problem was, he believed, that large segments of Libyan society, including thethuwar, lacked a culture of dialogue. That had been shown by recent events.
http://www.libyaherald.com/2013/05/08/i-will-not-use-force-zeidan/
I will not use force: Zeidan
- Prime Minister Ali Zeidan at today’s press conference said that his government would not use force (photo: Sami Zaptia).
By Sami Zaptia.
Tripoli, 8 May 2013:
At this evening’s press conference, Prime Minister Ali Zeidan said that he had received many calls from foreign ministers and leaders who expressed their concern for Libya and the Libyan situation over the last week.
However, he noted that “all nations” stressed their support for Libya and for legitimacy, its legitimate government, GNC and institutions.
He nevertheless stressed that his government “would not use force” against civilians or the revolutionaries/thuwar. He hinted that that was a preoccupation of governments passed.
Zeidan stressed that governments and individuals “come and go” and that permanence is for the “state, public and life”.
Zeidan made clear that he was not clinging on to power and that he was staying on only out of “duty” and public service and that he would be the first to leave his position if he felt he was not serving the public interest or that the majority of GNC members were not supporting him.
http://www.libyaherald.com/2013/05/08/joint-force-clears-56-tripoli-sites-of-gunmen/
Joint force clears 56 Tripoli sites of gunmen
By Umar Khan.
Tripoli, 8 May 2013:
The Joint Security Force commonly known as the ‘Quaa Mushtarika’ reports it has cleared irregular brigades from 56 buildings across Tripoli. The militiamen evicted belonged not only to groups from the capital but from towns such as Kikla, Zintan and Ghariyan.
The force, a joint initiative of Ministries of Interior and Defence, was formed six weeks ago.
The Joint Force says it is still waiting for authorisation from the Attorney General to clear a further 15 buildings in the capital’s Garghour district but that the authorities have so far declined, citing sensitivities because of the brigades involved.
Its head of public relations, Esam Naas, told the Libya Herald that it is well equipped and ready to work in difficult situations but needs support from the government.
Formed on 15 March by the two ministries and then endoresed by the General National Congress, it has some 2,000 men selected from the army and the Supreme Security Commitee. Commanded by an army officer, Colonel Fitouri Ghuraebi, it also has 300 vehicles and 21 armed personnel carriers.
Naas claims that all the buildings were cleared without a single bullet fired. “The first thing we do is to get a legal notice to evict them. We contact the Attorney General or his deputy to get the warrant. It is illegal for any unit to stay in a building without the permission of (Interior) Ministry. We give them 72 hours’ notice to leave the building. Once it is under our control, we hand it back to the state.”
Referring to the standoff in Garghour, Naas said that negotiations took place in Suq Al Juma between brigades and the Joint Forces with help from a number of influential and respected leaders but it was not clear when the brigades would leave. “The Attorney General refused to give us the permission to clear those buildings. We went to the Minister of Interior and then the Prime Minister but we still don’t have the permission.”
He also made the point that many troubles in Libya are related to security and that the situation would not be normal until there was work for people. “Investment and the restarting of projects are directly related to security and it won’t be secure until you authorise the forces,” he claimed. “We are well equipped but we don’t have authorisation from the (Interior) Minister to enforce the law. But if we get little help from the Ministry, we can totally secure Tripoli.”
Naas said that despite many promises they were not being supported by the Interior Ministry. “They have set aside a budget for the initiative but the reality is that we are not even getting paid. Almost 1,500 men are working without money till now.”
According to Naas, several assurances had been given by the Finance Ministry but nothing concrete transpired.
“There is some disconnect here. The Minister of Interior told us many times that he had approved it but it is still being processed by the Finance Ministry. How are we supposed to work in these conditions? Many of us here are spending from our very own pockets.”
http://news.antiwar.com/2013/05/07/libya-dm-resigns-then-returns-and-fires-army-chief/
Libya DM Resigns, Then Returns and Fires Army Chief
Barghathi Resigned Over Ministries Being Surrounded
by Jason Ditz, May 07, 2013
Libyan Defense Minister Mohammed al-Barghathi resigned earlier today, issuing a statement through the state news agency citing the “policy of force used by armed groups” in Tripoli, including several ministries being surrounded by militias.
The resignation didn’t last long, only a matter of hours later the prime minister’s office announced that Barghathi had unresigned and would return to work. Prime Minister Zeidan says they will resolve the ministries siege peacefully.
This announcement of Barghathi’s unresignation also came with another announcement – Army Chief of Staff Gen. Yusef al-Mangoush has been sacked and will be replaced by the end of the month.
The militias in Tripoli are demanding Zeidan’s resignation, and with the military struggling to break out of the rebel militia mindset there appears to be little the government can do about it. The ouster of Mangoush may suggest a shift toward a more aggressive centralizer aimed at uniting the military, which might also set the stage for a new round of fighting with militias.
http://www.libyaherald.com/2013/05/07/congress-agrees-to-appoint-a-new-chief-of-staff/
Congress agrees to appoint a new Chief of Staff
By Ahmed Elumami.
Tripoli, 7 May 2013:
The General National Congress voted this morning to look at appointing a new Chief of Staff in a month’s time. According to GNC spokesman Omar Hemidan, they cited the poor performance in rebuilding the army by the current Chief of Staff, Major-General Yousef Mangoush.
The spokesman denied, however, that Mangoush had resigned following the decision.
Eighty one out of 130 Congress members voted for the move, giving a month to the Defence Ministry to provide them with suitable alternative names who, they said, had to be well qualified for the post as well as meet the Political Isolation Law rules. Additionally, candidates should have been not involved in Qaddafi’s 1969 coup, not to be less than 35 years old, or a member of any political party or movement.
Nonetheless, Congress did open the door to Mangoush remaining in office, according to Hemidan. The Chief of Staff would will stay in post and run the military until 7 June, he said. At that point Congress would meet to either replace him or vote him into office once again. However, the general view is that, as a senior officer in the Qaddafi regime, Mangoush would anyway be barred from office under the Political Isolation Law. Article 1, Clause 7, lists military commanders during the Qaddafi era as being disbarred from future office. Mangoush was a colonel until 1999 when he retired.
http://www.libyaherald.com/2013/05/07/new-law-will-exclude-half-a-million-libyans-mahmoud-jibril/
New law will exclude half a million Libyans: Mahmoud Jibril
By Hadi Fornaji.
Jibril says Isolation Law “unprecedented”
Tripoli 7 May 2013:
Thanks to the Political Isolation Law, half a million Libyans will be excluded from state jobs and public life, former Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril has claimed.
Jibril, who was once Qaddafi’s Planning Minister, seems certain to fall within the ambit of the legislation passed by the GNC on Sunday, and therefore faces a ten-year ban from political office and government jobs.
The law even prevents those deemed to have been close to the fallen regime from being part of any civil society associations.
“ We participated in the overthrowing of Qaddafi,” Jibril told Al-Arabiya TV, “ but the law says we must go. But I say that I have performed my part in the 17 February Revolution and no isolation law is able to erase that from history.”
Political proscription, should, he said be based on what individuals had done rather than the jobs they had held.
Jibril said that legislation as sweeping as the Political Isolation Law was unprecedented in any country. He also deplored the presence of militias besieging government ministries before the GNC took its vote. “The law was passed under duress and force of arms,” he said, adding “Libya needs to approve the isolation law, but not now”.
He was also critical of the deal-making among different political groupings, which had preceded Sunday’s vote.
He said that the new law will affect GNC president Mohamed Magarief but ruled out the chance that it would also impact on the position of Prime Minister, Ali Zeidan.
Jibril said that, unlike other liberal Libyan leaders, he had chosen not to stay quiet. “My goal is to send a message to the Libyan youth of the coalition, that the battle to rebuild Libya has just started, and will not end by excluding Mahmoud Jibril ”.
http://www.libyaherald.com/2013/05/07/barghathi-asked-by-zeidan-and-army-to-stay-withdraws-resignation/
Barghathi asked by Zeidan and army to stay, withdraws resignation
By Ahmed Elumami.
Mohamed Barghathi (left) with Chief of Staff Yousef Manghoush whom Congress decided today to replace (Photo: thanks to www.news.cn)
Tripoli, 7 May 2013:
Mohamed Bargahthi has withdrawn his resignation as Defence Minister following calls by the Prime Minister and military leaders to remain in office.
He resigned earlier today over the sieges of the Foreign and Justice Ministries by militiamen. He called their actions “an assault on democracy”
A statement from the Prime Minister’s office read: “The resignation has not been formally given to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister has asked the Defence Minister to withdraw it and he has confirmed that he will continue his work and expressed his understanding of the present circumstances in the country.”
In a statement issued this afternoon, Libya’s military leaders had called on the Prime Minister and members of Congress to refuse Barghathi’s resignation in order “to protect the unity of the armed forces and the stability of the country”.
Presenting their views at a press conference at the offices of Congress, the head of air defences, Brigadier-General Juma Hussein El-Abani, said that Barghathi was needed in place to help protect Libya “in the present exceptional circumstances and the security threats from outside Libya”.
There are questions as to whether Barghathi would have to be replaced in any event because of the Political Isolation Law.
Officials report Barghathi exhausted by today’s chain of events.
Militias in charge of Libya - watch and learn as this is the Syrian solution if the West and GCC have their way......
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/07/us-libya-politics-idUSBRE9460BW20130507
(Reuters) - Libya's defense minister resigned on Tuesday in protest at a siege by gunmen of two government ministries that he denounced as an assault on democracy almost two years after the fall of dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
He was the first cabinet minister to quit in a crisis over the siege, which armed groups refused to lift even after parliament bowed on Sunday to their main demand by banning from government posts any senior official who served under Gaddafi.
"I will never be able to accept that politics (can) be practiced by the power of weapons ... This is an assault against the democracy I have sworn to protect," Defense Minister Mohammed al-Bargathi said.
Members of parliament in Libya, plagued by armed disorder since Gaddafi's demise, say the new legislation could be applied to around 40 of 200 deputies and could also unseat the prime minister, who some protesters demand should quit immediately.
Diplomats fear that parliament, in agreeing to vote under duress, could effectively embolden the powerful armed groups that fought to topple Gaddafi and are now more visible in Libya than state security forces, and that the sweeping terms of the vote could cripple the government's ability to function.
On Monday a spokesman for parliament conceded that the siege of the ministries was out of the government's hands and that it would be up to the militiamen now to leave as promised.
http://www.libyaherald.com/2013/05/06/victorious-militiamen-want-zeidan-out/
Victorious militiamen want Zeidan out
Protestors marching on Sunday in support of the Political isolation Law
By Umar Khan.
Tripoli, 6 May 2013:
Having tasted victory with the passing of the Political Isolation Law, militiamen who have been blockading ministries and protesting in favour of it for the last week are now concentrating on trying to remove Prime Minister Ali Zeidan from office.
The Political Isolation Law was passed yesterday by the General National Congress (GNC) after days of intense negotiations between different blocs within the GNC. Congress members voted overwhelmingly in favour of the final draft, which bars former regime figures from holding any leadership positions in state bodies and organisations for the next ten years.
Its approval was hailed by Wesam Ahmeida, the chairman of Supreme Revolutionaries Committee (SRC) as “an excellent moment in our revolution”. The SRC comprises 280 members from brigades all over Libya.
However, a member of the committee that has been coordinating the sieges of the ministries to pressurise Congress into approving the law announced that only 70 percent of the demands had been met with its passing.
Executive officer of the SRC, Muhammed Shaaban, told the Libya Herald that the militiamen would only leave the ministries when Zeidan leaves office. “We will not leave the ministries until he [Zeidan] leaves or if the GNC assures us that he will leave within a month, as per the isolation law.”
He added that the GNC was given two demands by the militiamen. “We are protesting about the inclusion of Qaddafi remnants in the new system that is stopping Libya from progress. We only had two demands; one has been completed and now they only have to remove Zeidan.”
The removal of Zeidan’s government was one of the demands of the revolutionaries’ in their negotiations with it last week, but the main focus then was on the Political isolation Law.
Ahmeida confirmed to the Libya Herald that negotiations had been taking place with government but there had been no breakthrough. “We told them [the government] we don’t want to negotiate. Prime Minister Zeidan has lost trust and we will not accept him. Our negotiations have broken down because this is our only demand.”
Yesterday an estimated three thousand demonstrators were present in Martyrs Square as the voting took place. They later marched towards the GNC building, four kilometres away. Protestors were carrying coffins with pictures of those who died for the revolution and shouted “The martyrs blood will not go in vain”. The numbers increased significantly en route to the GNC reaching around six thousand including 200 women and children.
The demonstrators then went back to Martyrs Square to celebrate the decision on isolation law where sweets were being distributed by the organisers.
There were calls by many the protestors for Zeidan to step down. Some believed, erroneously that the Isolation law would oblige him to do so. But not all those celebrating the Isolation Law wanted him to go. When a vehicle with anti-Zeidan stickers drove alongside the march, one demonstrator said: “I thought we were only here for the Political Isolation Law.”
http://www.libyaherald.com/2013/05/06/foreign-ministry-blockaded-again/
Foreign Ministry blockaded again
By Tom Westcott and Seraj Essul.
Tripoli, 6 May 2013:
Despite the passing of the Political Isolation Law yesterday, militiamen have again blockaded the ministry of Foreign Affairs today, partially closing a road.
Yesterday, outside the Foreign Ministry, the gun-mounted technicals were not obviously present and protestors told the Libya Herald that they had started leaving at 9 am.
“They have all gone home,” one man said. “They started gathering at 9 am and now each katiba has gone home to their own city.” He added that the militiamen were from all over Libya.
“There are no guns here, we are peaceful,” another said.
However, the Libya Herald could see at least eight technicals parked behind the gates in another area of Foreign Ministry. Militiamen around the entrance appeared to resent press presence.
This morning these technicals had been driven out of hiding to, once again, surround the ministry. It is understood that the protestors, who previously insisted that they would leave if the Political Isolation Law was passed, now want Prime Minister Ali Zeidan removed from office.
Employees of the ministry returning to work today after a week’s absence found both the road and the ministry closed.
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