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Africa North

Clinton says 'Gaddafi's days are numbered'

2011-06-10

[Al Jazeera] Muammar

Qadaffy's days as leader of Libya are numbered, Hillary Clinton
... sometimes described as the Smartest Woman in the World and at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as Another Frederick T. Frelinghuysen ...
, the US secretary of state, has said at the International Contact Group [ICG] on Libya meeting in Abu Dhabi.

"Qadaffy's days are numbered. We are working with our international partners through the UN to plan for the inevitable: a post-Qadaffy Libya," Clinton said on Thursday.

Clinton also said talks were under way with people close to the Libyan leader and that there was "the potential" for a transition of power in Libya.

"There have been numerous and continuing discussions by people close to Qadaffy and we are aware that those discussions include, among other matters, the potential for a transition," she said.

She gave no further details on the talks, other than to say "there is not any clear way forward yet".

Financial pledge
Donors at the ICG meeting pledged more than $1.3bn to help support the National Transitional Council (NTC), the main body representing the Libyan rebels fighting against Qadaffy.

Italia and La Belle France offered a combined $1.02bn while Kuwait and Qatar promised a combined $280m to a fund set up to provide transparent assistance to the opposition.

Turkey has established a $100m fund to support the Libyan opposition government based in Benghazi, Ahmet Davutoglu, the Turkish foreign minister, said.

Clinton said "we are ready for the establishment of financial mechanism for the money to flow to the National Transitional Council".

The US secretary of state said while Washington would boost its humanitarian aid to all Libyans by $26.5m it was not offering any direct aid to the NTC.

This was despite Clinton acknowledging that the council "faces a serious budget shortfall'' and "needs our immediate financial assistance".

A US offical, speaking on condition of anonymity
... for fear of being murdered...
, said: "We understand the NTC's frustration but again the international community isn't going to let the TNC go under."

Washington said on Wednesday that the first shipment of Libyan oil sold by the council had been delivered to a US refinery and Clinton encouraged other nations to make similar purchases to help the Libyan people.

The Benghazi-based leadership has said it hopes to restart production of up to 100,000 barrels a day soon, without specifying a timeframe.

Posted by:Fred

#11 Without naming names, he blasted allies who are "willing and eager for American taxpayers to assume the growing security burden left by reductions in European defense budgets."

It's not just Europe. Many of our security dependents have done the same thing, including Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. The heartening thing is that our allies in the Persian Gulf, one of the biggest flashpoints of all, continue to keep up their defenses.

Posted by: Zhang Fei 2011-06-10 20:23

#10 Qaddafi, Gaddafi, Ghadafi, Gadhafi, Khadafy,
Khaddafi, Kadaffi, Qadafy, Kadafy, Qadaffi,...
All hundred and fifteen of their days are numbered.

Hillary wants to go to the World Bank? Our days are numbered. The World Bank is funded by its own borrowing and by 184 member countries in proportion to their wealth. We might be safe since much of our wealth has been looted internally already (sarc).

Posted by: JohnQC 2011-06-10 18:09

#9 It's a tautology. Her days are numbered, too.

Posted by: Shereter Poodle9774 2011-06-10 17:58

#8 Ever since I bought that calendar, my days have been numbered too.

Posted by: Dar 2011-06-10 16:36

#7 I agree that his days are numbered.

But as Jack O'Neil was fond of saying, it's a really, really big number...

Posted by: kelly 2011-06-10 15:46

#6 This was despite Clinton acknowledging that the council "faces a serious budget shortfall'' and "needs our immediate financial assistance".

This on the heels of an Inspector General's report that State says it can't take over operations in Iraq from the military because it "doesn't have the funds".

Posted by: Pappy 2011-06-10 13:47

#5 This was despite Clinton acknowledging that the council "faces a serious budget shortfall'' and "needs our immediate financial assistance". A US offical, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: "We understand the NTC's frustration but again the international community isn't going to let the TNC go under."

Apparently she doesn't get the American frustration with the Euroweenies. Gaddafi's days are numbered cuz the funding is--Bambi may only have until '12 to accomplish the US' complete implosion--hence the stepped up bombing using US assets:

Future U.S. political leaders - those for whom the Cold War was not the formative experience that it was for me - may not consider the return on America's investment in NATO worth the cost,"... Gates has made no secret of his frustration with NATO bureaucracy and the huge restrictions many European governments placed on their military participation in the Afghanistan war. He ruffled NATO feathers early in his tenure with a direct challenge to contribute more front-line troops that yielded few contributions. Even so, Gates' assessment Friday that NATO is falling down on its obligations and foisting too much of the hard work on the U.S. was unusually harsh and unvarnished. He said both of NATO's main military operations now -- Afghanistan and Libya -- point up weaknesses and failures within the alliance.

"The blunt reality is that there will be dwindling appetite and patience in the U.S. Congress -- and in the American body politic writ large -- to expend increasingly precious funds on behalf of nations that are apparently unwilling to devote the necessary resources or make the necessary changes to be serious and capable partners in their own defense," he said. Without naming names, he blasted allies who are "willing and eager for American taxpayers to assume the growing security burden left by reductions in European defense budgets."

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/06/10/gates-blasts-nato-questions-future-alliance/#ixzz1OsemClKK

Posted by: Lumpy Elmoluck5091 2011-06-10 09:58

#4 Didn't you get the "months, not years" memo?

Posted by: Matt 2011-06-10 09:07

#3 "weeks, not months" was ohhhh a couple months ago?

Posted by: Frank G 2011-06-10 08:56

#2 It is 19.

Posted by: Black Bart Shick7973 2011-06-10 08:37

#1 Well, I guess that closes this subject.

Posted by: gr(o)mgoru 2011-06-10 05:46

00:00