Excerpt
MARGARET WARNER (Newshour): What are the politics here for the Europeans, Rob Malley? You have seen them almost one-upping one another in suggestions. I mean, David Cameron is calling for the no-fly zone. The German foreign -- foreign minister, I think -- or defense minister today suggested that there should be some -- it's the foreign minister -- that they should withhold all the payments that Europe makes to Libya for the oil it imports.
What is driving the European response?
ROBERT MALLEY, International Crisis Group: First, just to add to what Mike said, I'm not against preparing for a no-fly zone. And in fact, you're right. It may become very, very important at some point.
The Europeans, I mean, they have some of the same considerations we have. To add to that, they have the real fear of a migration crisis, of floods of refugees coming into Europe. And we have already seen what happened in Tunisia, that that's begun to happen. It could happen. It's happened in Libya, with people leaving Libya to go to Tunisia and Egypt, as you just suggested.
So, I think the politics on their side, if anything, they really would like to see this resolved quickly. They would like to see Moammar Gadhafi go. And they'd like to stability restored, because otherwise their direct interests could be at stake.
MARGARET WARNER: And you're saying both in terms of oil and refugees?
ROBERT MALLEY: Well, oil, yes, and I'm -- but I think oil -- when there will be another regime, I think that the oil -- whatever -- the oil flows will resume.
Right now, I think we're seeing -- and, again, it's one of the very positive aspects of this -- that the international community, not just Europeans and Americans, but Arabs and Africans, seem to be working more or less hand in hand. And that's -- that's pretty unprecedented.
MARGARET WARNER: How do you see the Europeans' reaction here?
MICHAEL SINGH, former National Security Council staff: Well, I think Rob is right.
I think there's -- one additional angle might be that there was a lot of -- many calls for action before this in the preceding two weeks. And, of course, both the Europeans and the United States were hesitant because of the citizens that we had in Libya and needing to get them out. And so...
MARGARET WARNER: And the fear they could be taken hostage...
MICHAEL SINGH: The fear they could be taken hostage, that there could be retaliation against them.
And so, given that criticism, I think now you see European officials and American officials falling over themselves to show that they're tough with someone like Moammar Gadhafi, in light of everything that's transpired there.
MARGARET WARNER: Given the sorts of things he's saying, including in this interview today, and what his sons are saying, who has time on their side, and, fairly briefly, but from each of you on this?
In other words, can the U.S. -- is Gadhafi losing ground every day, or, in fact, is the momentum with him?
ROBERT MALLEY: At this point, he does seem to be losing ground every day. That could shift, but it doesn't -- but the problem is, he may still be able to wage a protracted fight just from the holdout he has in Tripoli, and then try to wage a war outside.
That's the biggest danger. And I think that's where we need to be, to start thinking ahead of time of what we do if that's the scenario that unfolds, as opposed to a quick -- a quick ouster of Gadhafi.
MARGARET WARNER: So, how much of a sense of urgency do you think the West, the international community should have here?
MICHAEL SINGH: Oh, I think we should have a tremendous sense of urgency.
And I think that those who don't have time on their side are the Libyan people, I think, here. You know, one problem that was pointed out today was the lack of humanitarian access. We just don't have great insight into what's happening, especially in western Libya, where the government is still in control. We don't know what the casualty figures are like. We don't know what the food and water situation is like for those people or the medical situation.
And so, as the days go by, it not only increases the chance of a violent confrontation, but there may be people who are in desperate need that really aren't being attended to there.
MARGARET WARNER: And more people who will lose their lives, could lose their lives.
MICHAEL SINGH: Absolutely.
ALSO
"Qaddafi Makes Little Headway in Assault on Libyan Rebels" by KAREEM FAHIM and DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK, New York Times 3/1/2011
Excerpt
Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s forces appeared to make little headway in a concerted assault on rebels in several cities around the country and in a sustained attack early Tuesday morning in the western city of Zawiyah.
With escalating hostilities bringing Libya closer to civil war, rebels appeared to hold the city after a night of fighting, fending off tanks and artillery vehicles, special forces and regular army troops and, rebels said, fighter jets.
Rebel leaders in Libya said the latest attacks by Colonel Qaddafi’s supporters smacked of desperation, and that the failed assault on Zawiyah, a city with important oil resources just 30 miles from the capital, raised questions about the ability of the government to muster a serious challenge to the rebels’ growing power.
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