Contact upgrades Libyan rebel NATO depend on cell phones, Skype - Bloomberg

Portable radios of the United States and the United Kingdom trainers can fill a gap in threatening communications who had the Libya and their foreign allies rebels relying on cell phones, Skype and a U.S. military attaché were evacuated to the Germany.

The failure of the patchwork approach has become fatally clear within days of the Treaty Organization North Atlantic took command of the air war carried out by the United States. On 8 April, the coalition confirmed that its air strikes the previous day had struck wrong tanks requisitioned by the rebels, who, until then, had used only of pickup trucks. The Associated Press said at least five dead and 20 injured.

The incident "friendly fire" raised the issue of communications with the rebels at the top of a packed agenda for a coalition trying to protect Libyan civilians without too involved with disparate groups, seeking to oust leader Mu'ammar al-Gaddafi.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced yesterday of $ 25 million for Transitional Council acting National opposition, including the radio not secure. Improving communications is the first priority for aid, according to an official informed on the plan who spoke the condition of anonymity.

Clinton had warned the alliance better when she spoke to fellow Foreign Ministers at a NATO meeting in Berlin last week.

"NATO should communicate and cooperate with the opposition as necessary to advance our goals" by resolution of the Security Council of the United Nations authorizing operations, Clinton said.

The rare and sometimes entirely absent communications illustrate the Libyan ad hoc nature of the rebel forces, composed of local tribes most often defend their own community work as a unified whole. It may also reflect the scepticism of the military commanders of coalition lead a mission politically driven that they have resisted the departure.

"There is certainly a tension within the administration,", said Marina Ottaway, Director of program Middle East at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington policy group. The division is between organizations as "between a moral imperative to do something on a horrible, as situation evidenced of the statements coming out of the State Department and the reality of an escalation of our participation."

The coalition this week entered its second month of the air campaign, originally commissioned by the United States and handed over to NATO, effective April 1. Qathafi rebel military push has forced the rebels to retreat from some areas and has them fighting to maintain the besieged port of Misrata city.

NATO forces have encountered more difficulty to defend civilians from the air as Qathafi troops began using the same kind of civilian vehicles that rebels and infiltrating cities such as Misrata with snipers.

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates and senior military officials warned political leaders before the start of the operation that enforce a no-fly zone on the Libya and try to protect civilians would be more complicated that many seem to believe. Gates called "loose talk on some of these military options."

After the start of the air campaign, the commanders of the United States and NATO had only rudimentary communications with the rebel leaders as a first step, then even Clinton met twice principal member of the rebel Council, Mahmood Jibril and sent a Special Envoy at the base of the rebels in the eastern city of Benghazi.

"I am not aware of any communication between the military and the rebel,"Geoff Morrell, a spokesman for the Department of Defense of the United States, said to reporters at the Pentagon April 5. ".

The rebels were dispersed and were mostly defend or support for their own cities, without any unified command, two American military authorities said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. To the United States and then leadership of NATO do not know who was in charge and even cellular telephones were rare, one of the officials said.

In a typical scenario, the rebels would deploy across a desert landscape in pickup trucks loaded with machine guns to face the forces of Qathafi, relying on a single leader with a cell phone, the official said. When a call advising on the location of the enemy has prompted the leader to turn away, the rest will follow.

Military attaché who was evacuated from the Embassy of the United States in Tripoli has tried to use its contacts in Libya to reach the rebels, the official said.

The coalition also relied on French and British officials who had links more historically, make contact with the rebels via Internet, regular mail and Skype Technologies SA PC to PC phone service, the military leader said.

Communications sparse enough so that it became more difficult for the NATO aircraft to distinguish Qathafi forces rebels and civilians. Again, criticism dismissed commanders coalition that they were not trying hard enough to establish reliable contact with the rebels, even after the strike April 7.

"For us, it is not seeking to protect civilians in what persuasion, to improve communications with the rebel forces," Rear Admiral Russell Harding, of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, the Deputy Commander of the NATO mission, told reporters on 8 April at the headquarters of the operation to NaplesItalie.

In recent weeks, the rebels have become better equipped, the military official U.S. said. They have set up a headquarters and NATO can connect to the location by phone.

The coalition members were hand-carried in cellular phones and technology satellite communications, and special forces provided by countries other than the United States contributed to exchange information, the official said.

The Ministry of defence in the United Kingdom, this week said about 20 members of the British army who served in Iraq and in Afghanistan are deployed to provide advice to the rebels, including communications.

The opposition based in Benghazi needs more support because it was not an established organization, Clinton said yesterday at the State Department.

"These are mainly of students, business people, lawyers, doctors, professors, who have moved very bravely to defend their communities and to call to put an end to the regime in Libya," she said.

To contact the reporters on this story: Viola Gienger in Washington at vgienger@bloomberg.net. Nicole Gaouette in Washington to ngaouette@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mark Silva in msilva34@bloomberg.net

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Rebel Libya requested a loan of $ 2 billion, allies ponder next steps

April 14, 2011, 6: 41 pm EDT by Maher Chmaytelli, Robert Tuttle, and Caroline Alexander

(Updates with report of an attack on rebels in the ninth paragraph.) EXTRA and put to learn more about the disorders in the region.)

April 14 (Bloomberg)--Libyan rebels want to borrow at least $ 2 billion to buy food, medicines, fuel and perhaps weapons as their foreign allies of the need to do more to help prevail over the forces of Muammar Kadhafi.Les members of the so-called Libyan contact said in a statement to the Qatar that they can create a "temporary financial mechanism" to fund the rebels using Libyan Government assets frozen abroad.Short-term loans are "an option on the table that we discussed" at the meeting of the Qatar, Ali Tarhoni, Minister of finance acting Transitional National Council, said in an interview in Benghazi. The loan, which can be for as long as two years, could be repaid when the Libyan assets are frozen, Tarhoni said. The reserves of the Central Bank of Benghazi rebels may be not enough to cover the needs of import for a month, he said.The contact group, which includes the United States, the United Kingdom, the France and other countries providing military support, agreed at the meeting that "Qathafi and his regime had lost all legitimacy and it should leave power, allowing the Libyan people to determine their own future"according to a statement issued yesterday after the meeting of Doha.Qatari"." "Prime Minister Hamad bin Jasim Al-Thani said that his country would" be in "provision of military equipment to the rebels." In London, Prime Minister David Cameron told the BBC that the United Kingdom would provide body armor.Franco-British CommitmentLibya was effectively divided in two since the beginning of the conflict in two months, a division that has helped the thrust of the price of oil up to 25 percent. Crude for may delivery fell 0.2% to $106.85 US per barrel at 6 a.m. in New York. He has reached one year of 2 1/2 high of $112.79 a barrel on April 8. Libya has large reserves of oil in Africa. Qatar confirmed April 12 that he sells on behalf of the opposition Libyan oil and supplies energy products to Benghazi.NATO air strikes against the military of Qathafi since March 19 have not stopped artillery attacks and snipers on cities like Misrata, in the West of the country, or enabled the rebels to take and hold permanently cities strategic such as the port of Ras Lanuf.Eight oil rebels were killed in an attack by the Government near Misratatelevision Al Jazeera reported today.No Let-UpCameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, which met in Paris yesterday, reiterated their commitment to evict Qathafi and claim no let-up in the air attacks, according to a French official, who spoke on the condition that he is not identified. Leaders agreed that arming rebels would not violate the embargo of the United Nations, said the official.There are divisions between the countries of NATO on ways for democracy in Libya, while the allies are United around this objective, Minister for Foreign Affairs French Alain Juppe told journalists in Berlin today.Foreign Minister Abdul-Ati al-Obeidi the Libya said that Qathafi seeks a political solution to the war along the lines of proposed African Union this week, involving a withdrawal of troops from civilian areas, in accordance with his Cypriot counterpart Markos Kyprianou, which met today to Obeidi in Nicosia. The Libya Government will cooperate with the European Union and international organizations on care supplies, said Obeidi, according to rebel Kyprianou.The dismissed the African plan because it do not start of Qathafi .the specify ' NATO Foreign Ministersincluding the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, meet today in Berlin to consider what other measures could be taken by the alliance, which had been hampered in its effort to stop the assault on Misrata. ' Area ' Qathafi protected in Misrata may constitute war crimes, Clinton said yesterday. She gave no indication of what additional measures NATO can take to stop it.Provisional Government of rebels appeal to the United Nations to declare an "internationally protected zone" Misrata and help prevent the "massacre of men, women and children" in the besieged city. "" He is fighting underway and electricity and water have been cut throughout the city ", making it difficult to distribute aid reaching Misrata by sea, Abdulhamid Elmadani, Secretary General of the Libyan Red Cross, said in an interview yesterday in Benghazi. He said that the other three Western Libyan cities, with about 15,000 people in each, are in even worse straits that they do not have the port which allows shipments to reach Misrata .more that 1,000 people were killed and "several thousand" wounded in Misrata headquarters for six weeks, according to Suleiman Fortia, a spokesman for the Council of the rebels.

-With the help of Viola Gienger in Washington, white of Gatt in London, Stelios Orphanides Nicosia, Maria Petrakis in Athens and Gregory Viscusi in Paris. Editors: Terry Atlas, Ben Holland, Louis Meixler.

To contact the reporters on this story: Robert Tuttle in Doha, rtuttle@bloomberg.net; Caroline Alexander in London at calexander1@bloomberg.net. Maher Chmaytelli of Benghazi at mchmaytelli@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Andrew j. Barden at barden@bloomberg.net

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Why rebel the Libya do not trust the African Union - time

A protester holds a sign, as demonstrated by a crowd in anger but Pacific outside the Tibesty hotel where an African Union delegation was meeting with the leaders of the opposition, in Benghazi on April 11, 2011.

An African delegation on a mission to end the conflict for seven weeks in Libya received a hostile reception in the capital of Benghazi Monday rebels. "" No Gaddafi, no wires! "."hundreds of demonstrators shouted as they invade the vehicles of the Presidents of Congo, Mali, Mauritania and Uganda. The Interior of the hotel of the Tibesti, the opposition of the National Council of transition (t.n.c.) was just as insensitive to the African Union (AU) ceasefire plan. There had been some hope of diplomatic progress Sunday, after to the leader Libyan Colonel Muammar Gaddafi has accepted the plan presented by the African Presidents. However, the NCC has rejected the plan because it did not stipulate that Gaddafi abdicate and leave the Libya.

Among the key of the plan have been end to air strikes of NATO, a ceasefire and a point of departure for negotiations between the two parties. But the TNC was not in the mood to give Kadhafi on a ceasefire, and Monday, they rejected the proposals offered by African Presidents. "It is very simple, and it is the opinion of the Libyan people." If it does not include his departure, resigned his position, it be accepted by the street, "t.n.c. spokesman Mustafa Gheriani declared." In the streets of Benghazi, residents were just as defiant. "We want him to leave and go now.". That is the only thing that we are willing to discuss, said Husam al-Villafranca, 31, a few hours after the end of the delegation to the talks with the leaders of h.c.n.s.. (See the photos of the battle for the Libya).

The fears of t.n.c. Gaddafi would use the ceasefire to consolidate its position and to tighten its grip on the besieged Western town of Misratah, which is under rebel control. His past "truces" were followed by more pushes to Benghazi, leaving the rebels with little faith in his promises. "The world has seen these offerings before ceasefire and within 15 minutes [Gaddafi] starts again, shooting", remarked the spokesman for rebels Shamsiddin Abdulmolah.

Although the State of Washington and the European Union supports the initiative, they reiterated their appeal this step down Gaddafi. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said, "there must be a transition that reflects the will of the Libyan people and the departure of Gaddafi of power and the Libya." (See pictures of workers lost in the turmoil of the Libya).

With the international community demanding his immediate resignation, Gaddafi was pleased to welcome a delegation of the AU which did not insist on his departure. African Nations have long provided a diplomatic shield for Libyan leader erratic covering their countries poor with billions of dollars. In the 1990s, African countries violated a ban on flight of the Nations United has imposed on the Libya for shot and killed a U.S. airliner on Scotland. In 2003, they drove protests in Washington and helped the Libya to ensure the Presidency of the Commission of the United Nations on human rights.

In the current conflict, they proved that by forcing. While the EU and the United Nations imposed sanctions against Gaddafi, and Arab leaders colleagues denounced and suspended his membership in the Arab League, the AU members have waived him. Instead, they denounced NATO air strikes against his forces. (See "Ragtag rebel the Libya: why they fight.")

This reluctance to fall in line with the campaign of the international community against Kadhafi made the t.n.c. are wary of attempts of the AU, mediation. Residents of Benghazi are all also suspicious of the Union, after watching Kadhafi put their oil wealth to their poorer neighbours rather that invest in the modernization of their country. "All these countries are good for our money, takes" deplored, Khalid al-Atti, 28, on the corniche of Benghazi and muffled patriotic dazzled speakers near the courthouse celebrating the revolution February 17. "Now they come back and want to help Muammar stay in his palace." Why should we listen to us? ?

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Kadhafi urges rebel Forces with an attack on a key City - New York Times

AJDABIYA, the Libya - Military Forces loyal to colonel Muammar el-Gaddafi attack the outer door of Ajdabiya Saturday, bringing the front line of the battle with the forces of Libyan opposition at the door of this strategically critical rebel city.

The forces of colonel Gaddafi began the attack Saturday morning with the dams of rockets and artillery fire in the city, in a more determined than the battles attack course of these last days. Smoke could be seen from central parts of Ajdabiya, and at noon, physicians began to evacuate the hospital room, said rebel fighters.

In early afternoon, the vehicles of the rebels have been seen leaving the city, North to Highway around Benghazi, horns honking. A rebel shouted vehicles on their passage: "the forces of Qathafi arrive!" Go! Go! Go!

Another rebel said that veterans of the colonel took the outer door and a small group of their vehicles was roaming the city, although soldiers seem unable to enter in force in the city.

Rebel vehicles brings together approximately 10 miles to the rear of the Ajdabiya and by evening were flowing back into the city, where they seem to be able to maintain control.

Yet once, NATO air strikes is entered into the battle game - at least a large mushroom cloud rose from the area where the pro-Qathafi forces were barraging the city. But once the air campaign of the allies could not prevent military colonel supporting the rebels, as was the case during a week of fighting that saw the ragged opposition forces losing bought key on the main coastal roadincluding the city of Brega.

Although the air strikes were private forces pro-Qathafi of much of their heavy armoured vehicles, the rebels do not have to match the same level of small units. In testimony before Congress a week ago, Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates described rebel leaders as "disparate, disaggregated" and noted that poorly trained fighters were in a State to be able to take advantage of the effects of the air campaign allies.

The air strikes have worked against the rebels sometimes, also, as Thursday when the forces of NATO, apparently not aware that the rebels were operating heavy armoured personnel carriers in the region, hit one of their convoys, killing at least four people. NATO officials expressed regret on the whole.

Benghazi, international diplomats have been meeting in private with rebel leaders, including General Abdul Fattah Younes, the Commander of the rebel army, who appeared tired and downbeat it left meetings early in the afternoon.

Kareem Fahim contributed reports from Benghazi in Libya.

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Pro-Gaddafi forces shell rebel front line

Libyan Government forces bombarded outpost of the first main line of the rebels of Ajdabiya Saturday, forcing the fighters to withdraw and open fire with their own heavy weapons in an attempt to contain the city.

As the bombing intensified, a major explosion has occurred on the outskirts of the city and threw up a mushroom cloud. It was not immediately clear whether it was a NATO airstrike, or a part of the battle of soil, but the bombing ceased shortly after.

The Government attacks Ajdabiya has rapidly changed the fortunes of the rebels who had sent more units to the strategic port oil Brega, 65 kilometres of Ajdabiya and captured two soldiers loyal to Muammar al-Gaddafi.

It is unclear if government troops would be a surge of their own in the eastern town of Ajdabiya, almost deserted by civilians. But the takeover of the city could open the way to the rebel bastion of Benghazi and the Eastern port of Tobruk near the Egyptian border.

Most of the rebel forces be withdrawn to Ajdabiya when the bombing began, but later appeared to attempt a counter-offensive with heavy machine guns and rockets. Black smoke rose from some parts of the city and some buildings were ablaze.

Earlier, the rebels had pushed deeper into Brega, a price key in the battles of back-and-suite with Government forces.

Rebels say that they took two prisoners after a clash with soldiers near Bright Star University of Brega, outside oil facilities controlled by the Government, marking a significant breakthrough by rebels against the forces of Gaddafi.

The Eastern Libyan port changed hands more than five times since the beginning of the revolt against the domination of Kadhafi in February. Storage of oil and port facilities are strategic for both parties.

Rebels have grouped together on the front lines after a retirement of mass Thursday when NATO air strikes hit a rebel armoured column.

In the West of the Libya, the Red Cross said that a rescue ship reached the town only held by the rebels, Misrata, which was the scene of fighting heavy Friday.

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