By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
July 26 --
Nine days
after Libya's
foreign
minister Mohamed
Abdel Aziz at
the UN
Security
Council
stakeout told
the Press
his country
wanted
international
help to
protect oil
fields and ports,
including
airports, the
US has
relocated its
Tripoli
embassy staff
out of the
country to
Tunisia.
The US
Department of
Defense
announced:
"At
the request of
the Department
of State, the
U.S. military
assisted in
the relocation
of personnel
from the U.S.
Embassy in
Tripoli, Libya
on Saturday,
July 26. All
embassy
personnel were
relocated,
including the
Marine
security
guards who
were providing
security at
the embassy
and during the
movement. The
embassy staff
was driven in
vehicles to
Tunisia.
"During
movement,
F-16's, ISR
assets and an
Airborne
Response Force
with MV-22
Ospreys
provided
security. The
mission was
conducted
without
incident, and
the entire
operation
lasted
approximately
five hours."
If even the US
is pulling out
in this way,
who would
provide the
force and
trainers Libya
is or was
requesting?
And where is
UN envoy to
Libya Tarek
Mitri? He briefed
the Security
Council from
Beirut --
sources tell
Inner City
Press he has
been on
vacation
there, and
this deputy,
too, is out of
the country.
We'll have
more on this.
On July 17 when
Libya's
foreign
minister
Mohamed Abdel
Aziz emerged
from the UN
Security
Council to take
questions from
the media,
Inner City
Press asked
him to be more
specific about
what type of
“support”
force he is
asking for.
Mohamed
Abdel
Aziz replied
that the
request is not
for a
“military”
force -- but
then went on
to say say the
force should
protect oil
fields and
ports. If
that's not
military, what
is it?
Inner
City Press
also asked
Mohamed Abdel
Aziz for
Libya's
current
position on
the US
arresting Abu
Khatallah.
Compared to
the complaints
of others,
Mohamed Abdel
Aziz said that
even though
under
international
law it is
unacceptable,
since Libya
can't protect
witnesses,
maybe it is
okay.
Given
the current
state of
affairs, what
is “Libya's”
position?
Meanwhile
on
July 17 the
UN's envoy to
Libya Tarek
Mitri told the
Security
Council -- by
video from his
native
Lebanon, while
other UN
international
staff are in
Tunisia --
that the
fighting has
“cast a shadow
over the
election on 25
June of the
200 member
Council of
Representatives.”
Ya don't say.
Mitri
said
that barely
forty percent
of the 1.5
million
registered
Libyans went
to the polls.
He said 12
seats will
remain vacant;
41 candidates
were
disqualified
under the
post-Gaddafi
Law on
Political and
Administrative
Isolation.
Final results
are supposed
to be
announced on
July 20. Watch
this site.
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