Crisis in Libya EU Agrees on Sanctions as Evacuations Gather Pace

Crisis in Libya
EU Agrees on Sanctions as Evacuations Gather Pace

As thousands of foreigners desperately try to escape the bloodshed in Libya, the international community is considering how to react to the crisis. The European Union has now agreed to a package of sanctions against the regime of dictator Moammar Gadhafi, while the UN and NATO are both contemplating action.

The European Union is finally set to take action on Libya. With the violence in the strife-torn country showing no signs of abating, EU members have agreed on a package of sanctions against Moammar Gadhafi's regime. They include a weapons embargo and a ban on the export of goods which could be used to repress the Libyan people. There will also be a freeze on assets belonging to Gadhafi and his family, who will also be the subject of entry bans. It is expected that the formal decision to approve the sanctions will be taken early next week.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle (FDP) had earlier promised a swift resolution on sanctions. "The time for appeals has passed, now there will be action," he announced after talks with his Italian and Moroccan counterparts, Franco Frattini and Fassi Fihri, in Berlin. Westerwelle also refused to rule out further sanctions, although he dismissed reports of plans for military intervention in Libya.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton had said earlier on Friday that the bloc needed to consider sanctions to achieve a halt to the bloodshed. "For the EU it's time to consider what we call restrictive measures ... to ensure we put as much pressure as possible to try and stop the violence in Libya and see the country move forward," Ashton said.

Speaking at the start of a meeting of EU defense ministers, Ashton said that there had been no discussions so far on any "military actions around Libya" and that the EU was looking to the lead of the UN Security Council in the crisis.

French Foreign Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said France and the UK will press the Security Council for sanctions against Libya and a war crimes investigation by the International Criminal Court. "There is a French-English project ... we have asked for a resolution on a total arms embargo, sanctions and asking the ICC to proceed over crimes against humanity," Alliot-Marie told France Info radio. The measures could include financial sanctions and travel bans, she said.

The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, joined the calls for the Libyan dictator to step down. "Mr Gadhafi must leave," he told a news conference with his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul. "Regarding a military intervention ... France would consider any initiative of this type with extreme caution and reserve," he said.

A Crisis in the Neighborhood

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen called an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss the situation in Libya. Rasmussen was due to return to Brussels from a visit in Budapest on Friday for the meeting. He described the deteriorating situation in Libya as "a crisis in our immediate neighborhood," and said that although there were no plans for military intervention, the resources were in place.

"It's a bit premature to go into specifics but it's well-known that NATO has assets that can be used in a situation like this," he said. "NATO can act as an enabler and coordinator if and when individual member states want to take action."

The United States said it was looking at all options, including the enforcement of a no-fly zone over Libya, and did not rule out military action.

There were some calls for immediate action, however. The UN's top human rights official said reports of mass killings in Libya should spur the international community to "step in vigorously" to end the crackdown against anti-government protesters in the North African country. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said, "the crackdown in Libya of peaceful demonstrations is escalating alarmingly with reported mass killings, arbitrary arrests, detention and torture of protestors."

But even as the West is trying to arrive at a common position with regards to the violence in Libya, governments in both the US and Europe are doing what they can to evacuate their citizens from the troubled country. British Defense Secretary Liam Fox on Friday said Britain had been discussing with the NATO leadership how better to coordinate efforts to get people from a number of different countries out of Libya over the next few days.

Fleeing the Chaos

In Brussels, senior officials said the EU was weighing up a range of options to evacuate more than 5,000 Europeans, many of them oil company employees, and said one possibility was a military humanitarian intervention force. A British warship left Libya on Friday carrying more than 200 evacuees. The HMS Cumberland left Benghazi with Britons, French and Canadians on board. The German navy has sent three ships to the waters off Libya in an effort to evacuate the 160 Germans left in the country.

Hundreds of foreigners, including scores of US citizens, had been stuck in Libya for the last several days as high seas prevented departure. On Friday, however, the ferry carrying 300 passengers, of who half are Americans, according to the US State Department, was finally able to leave for Malta.

Tens of thousands of other foreigners are likewise trying to flee the chaos in Libya, with thousands of Turks and Chinese scrambling aboard ships sent to evacuate them. Guest workers from neighboring countries such as Egypt and Tunisia have likewise been pouring across the borders out of Libya.

Greece had to overcome serious hurdles to obtain landing clearance to evacuate 230 Greeks from Libya to Athens early Friday. "It was total chaos on every level, and quite troubling for the people involved. But we got our people out," said Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Dimitris Dollis, who traveled to Libya to coordinate the effort. "It took us three days just to get clearance to land (in Tripoli and two regional airports). It's difficult to get permission when no one is running the country."

Turkey has so far evacuated nearly 8,000 of its 25,000 to 30,000 citizens in Libya, most of who work on construction projects, while thousands of Chinese are also fleeing the country. China announced it was sending a navy ship to protect its citizens during the evacuation, while Indonesia said it was also preparing to help its people leave the country.

dsk -- with wire reports

'Europe Must Issue a Credible Threat to Libya'

What future awaits Libya? Several Western leaders hope it is one without dictator Moammar Gadhafi. But the unpredictable autocrat is still clinging to power in Tripoli even as he has lost control of several other cities. German commentators argue it may be time for a European intervention.

The end of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's dictatorship is nigh. That, at least, was the wish of French Defense Minister Alain Juppe on Thursday. "I hope wholeheartedly that Gadhafi is living his last moments as leader," Juppe said in an interview on French radio.

Britain, too, is counting the days until Gadhafi steps down. "It has to be said that the odds are stacking heavily against him and I think it will be important for all of us internationally over the coming days to increase the pressure on a regime which by all accounts is now committing serious offenses," Foreign Secretary William Hague said in an interview with the BBC. He also issued a clear warning: "We will be looking for ways to hold to account people who are responsible for these things and they should bear that in mind before they order any more of them."

Still, Gadhafi on Thursday showed no signs of giving in to the mass protests which have gripped Libya for over a week. While large parts of north-eastern Libya appear to no longer be under government control, the regime is still trying to beat back demonstrators in cities closer to the capital Tripoli. According to an Associated Press report, forces loyal to Gadhafi fired anti-aircraft missiles and machine guns on a mosque in the town of Zawiya, 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of Tripoli, where demonstrators had holed up.

A witness told the AP said that casualties were heavy in the attack, but could not provide an exact number. "The youth have no means to defend themselves but hunting rifles and their determination, while the army has anti-aircraft missiles and automatic weapons," the witness said.

'The Whole World Is Watching'

Thursday also saw reports that the town of Zuara, 120 kilometers west of Tripoli, is now in the hands of anti-government militias. Egyptian workers fleeing Libya into neighboring Tunisia said that the police and military had vacated the town.

The Libyan government urged protesters on Thursday to surrender their weapons and offered a "lucrative monetary reward" to anyone who informs on those fighting against the government. The statement, issued by the Libyan People's Committee for General Security, reads: "The committee calls on citizens to cooperate and inform on those who led on the youth or supplied them with money, equipment or intoxicating substances and hallucinatory pills."

Several European governments are looking into options at their disposal to put an end to the ongoing violence in Libya. US President Barack Obama likewise said on Wednesday that his government was pursuing a "full range of options" to pressure Gadhafi into stopping the attacks on demonstrators. He dispatched Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday to Geneva for international talks on putting a stop to the government-backed violence. "This is not simply a concern of the United States," Obama said. "The whole world is watching."

German commentators argue on Thursday that it is time for Europe to take action.

The center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes:

"The time for indecision has passed. In Libya, Moammar Gadhafi is waging war against his own people. At the beginning of the week, the European Union demanded that he refrain from violence and engage in peaceful dialogue with the opposition. In light of the ongoing fighting in Libyan cities and the deluded appearances made by Gadhafi, it is time for Europe to stop playing the role of gentle admonisher. It can no longer be expected that the man will resign, now that he is seeking a martyr's death on the rubble of his country and the graves of his people. Even sanctions -- such as travel bans or the freezing of assets -- wouldn't be enough."

"Europe must do two things: First, there must be a clear signal against Gadhafi and against despotism. Though sanctions may be of little help, they send a strong signal. And they must be applied immediately. Secondly, Europe must issue a credible threat. The best thing would be a coalition with the Arab League, Egypt and the African Union -- a coalition which, outfitted with an United Nations mandate, could militarily re-establish peace in Libya.... Even just the preparation of an international mission could be enough to make it superfluous."

"There is one thing, however, that Europe should avoid no matter wait: waiting. A Libya that breaks apart and erupts in civil war could destabilize the entire region. Since the Balkan wars, the value of early intervention has been clear to Europe. Back then, Europe missed its opportunity. That error should not be repeated in North Africa."

The conservative daily Die Welt writes:

"The United Nations has so far only made appeals instead of passing a mandate. It would be difficult to find a Security Council majority for such a mandate -- the naysayers are well known: Russia and China. But what about the United States? The global power has enough problems on other fronts. And Europe? There has been no lack of soft power, warm words and hot air. But it hasn't been enough for effective crisis management. The hardware is lacking as well. At least the European Union gathered the courage to stop all weapons deliveries to Libya which had been, hard as it is to believe, reliably delivered until now.... But what about sanctions? Threats of military operations?"

"The danger is in delay. One doesn't have to think immediately about the war against Serbia -- or Iraq and Afghanistan. But given the situation in Libya, the delight at the uprising and the continued courage of the Libyan people is mixed with fear that hesitation could help plunge the country into civil war. Nothing has yet been decided. But what is happening on the far shore of the Mediterranean is the opportunity of a century. After Tunisia and Egypt, Libya too is deciding on the future of the Arab world. The Europeans know the feeling -- it was one they experienced at first hand 20 years ago. But they seem to have forgotten."

The left-leaning daily Die Tageszeitung writes:

"Libya's future is completely open. Will the dictator be able to cling to power and crush the opposition with brutal violence? Or, if Gadhafi indeed steps down, what comes after him? In the case of Libya, there are many more open questions than was the case in Egypt."

"As in Egypt, demonstrators in Libya are demanding the resignation of their dictator, free elections and an end to corruption. But in Libya, political parties are forbidden -- the only party-like organizations are the revolutionary committees, which are loyal to the regime."

"In Egypt under deposed President Hosni Mubarak, there were three opposition parties which were officially recognized and there was the Muslim Brotherhood, officially banned but unofficially tolerated. There were also several loose opposition groups as well as civil organizations ranging from environmental groups to women's rights groups. In Libya, this foundation of civil society is missing completely. Because Libya is one of the most oppressive countries in the world, the organized and fragmented opposition is almost exclusively to be found abroad."

-- Charles Hawley