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Clinton says 'Gaddafi's days are numbered'
[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 2011-06-10 |
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