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| Africa North |
| Libya closes airspace as world prepares to enforce UNs no-fly order |
| 2011-03-19 |
| [Arab News] The Libyan government closed its airspace Friday to all traffic, reacting to a UN resolution authorizing the use of force and a no-fly zone to protect the Libyan people from attacks by forces loyal to strongman Muammar Qadaffy. Europe's air traffic control agency, Eurocontrol, told airlines on Friday that "the latest information from Malta indicates that Tripoli (air control center) does not accept traffic." The Brussels-based agency's map of air traffic over Europe and the Mediterranean showed that Libyan airspace was off limits. On Thursday, the UN Security Council authorized "all necessary measures" to stop attacks on civilians in Libya -- including strikes by sea and air -- hours after Qadaffy vowed to launch a final assault and crush the weeks-old rebellion against him. Eurocontrol said Friday it had no information on how long Libya's airspace would be closed, but the agency said it had halted all air traffic to Libya for 24 hours. "We applied a zero traffic rate for the whole day," said a Eurocontrol official who spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to speak to the news media. She said the closure could also be affected by decisions made Friday by NATO, the North Atlantic military alliance. Emboldened by the UN resolution, Libyan opposition supporters in Tripoli said they would gather later in the day to call for the end of Qadaffy's rule. "Today there will be protests in Tripoli. Everyone is waiting for the UN forces to arrive. They feel stronger," said Mohamed, a Libyan living in exile abroad who spoke to his colleagues and friends in Tripoli on Friday. "The mood is strong ... It will be after Friday prayers. They are preparing now. We think it will be a big one." Libyan authorities prevented foreign journalists from reporting freely in the capital on Friday ahead of anticipated protests. Journalists invited to Tripoli by the Libyan government last month were prevented from leaving their government-designated hotel in the center of the capital on Friday. Several news hounds who tried to leave the hotel were stopped and told it was unsafe to go outside. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 " Everyone is waiting for the UN forces to arrive". Yeah? Sittin' by the phone with a comic book to read, are they? Expectant? Hopeful? |
| Posted by: Dribble2716 2011-03-19 06:42 |