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Libya Analyst: Rebels âEmboldenedâ by Apparent Victory

   Peter Clottey  March 02, 2011

Photo: REUTERS

   A  rebel  holds  his ears as a bomb launched by a Libyan air force jet
   loyal  to  Libya's  leader Muammar Gaddafi explodes in the desert near
   Brega,  March  2,  2011.  REUTERS/Joel Silva/Folhapress (LIBYA - Tags:
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   FOR  INTERNET  DISPLAY.  TEMPLATE  OUT.  BRAZIL  OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR
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   An  official of G-Risk, an international risk assessment organization,
   says  Libyaâs  anti-government  protesters  have  been psychologically
   emboldened  after  the  group fought off an attempt by forces loyal to
   embattled  leader Moammar Gadhafi to reclaim Brega, an oil town in the
   eastern part of the country.

   Claude  Salhani says, despite the anti-government protestersâ victory,
   the international community is unlikely to provide them with precision
   bombs  or implement a âno-fly zoneâ that would serve as a deterrent to
   the forces loyal to Gadhafi.

   âIt  gives  them  a  lot  of encouragement to keep going. Itâs a major
   victory  for  them;  it shows that they are on the right track, and it
   motivates  and  re-energizes them. They need every little bit they can
   get  to keep going in the face of the ongoing onslaught put up on them
   by Gadhafi,â said Salhani.

   In  several  interviews, the anti-government protesters have asked the
   international community for precision bombs, as well as a no-fly zone,
   to  prevent  efforts by Gadhafi loyalists to attack or retake parts of
   the country in their control.

   âBefore  a  no-fly  zone  can  be put into place, you will need a U.N.
   Security Council resolution and that resolution will never be approved
   by  China and or Russia, for the simple reason that they donât want to
   set  a  precedent  of  giving  NATO  or the United States and its NATO
   allies  the  green light to intervene anywhere in the world and become
   world policemen. They might be on the receiving end one day and thatâs
   the main reason they will reject that,â said Salhani.

   Libyan  rebels  clashed  with  pro-government  forces in eastern Libya
   Wednesday.  The  fighting  included  ground  clashes and airstrikes by
   Libyan military planes.
   Witnesses  said  pro-Gadhafi  forces stormed into Brega on the Gulf of
   Sirte  and  briefly  seized  its  oil  installations  and an airstrip.
   Opposition  fighters  say  they  recaptured the sites. Later, Western
   media  reported  loud  booms that they linked to at least two bombings
   from Libyan aircraft.
   Salhani   says   there  are  strong  indications  the  anti-government
   protesters  would not accept any attempts by the Libyan regime to hold
   negotiations with them to end the fighting.

   âHow  do  you negotiate with a regime like that since itâs out to kill
   you?  He  (Gadhafi)  said  it very clearly that âI rule you, or I kill
   you.â  How  do  you  negotiate with someone like that? I donât see him
   sitting  down  face  to face with his opponents. He will kill them, or
   they will kill him.â
   Gadhafi  delivered  a  televised  speech  Wednesday  to  supporters in
   Tripoli  saying  he  could  not  resign  because he holds no political
   office  in  a  system  that he said puts all power in the hands of the
   people.

   However,  protesters  in the rebel-controlled eastern city of Benghazi
   called for Gadhafi's resignation. They chanted anti-Gadhafi slogans as
   they   burned  copies  of  his  âGreen  Book.â Libya  has  no  formal
   constitution,  but  Gadhafi  often  refers  to  the publication, which
   outlines his political and economic philosophy for the country.

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