Qadaffy's... dictator of Libya since 1969. From 1972, when he relinquished the title of prime minister, he has been accorded the honorifics
Guide of the First of September Great Revolution of the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriyaor
Brotherly Leader and Guide of the Revolution. With the death of Omar Bongo of Gabon on 8 June 2009, he became the longest serving of all current non-royal national leaders. He is also the longest-serving ruler of Libya since Tripoli became an Ottoman province in 1551. When Chairman Mao was all the rage and millions of people were flashing his Little Red Book, Qadaffy came out with his own Little Green Book, which didn't do as well. Qadaffy's instability has been an inspiration to the Arab world and to Africa, which he would like to rule...
regime to collapse in Libya, UK Defence Secretary Liam Fox told MPs this evening.
With ministers acknowledging the "stress" being placed on the Royal Navy as a result of the conflict, Dr Fox said the chances of opposition forces reaching Tripoli and ousting Qadaffy were "unlikely in the near future".
But he said a number of scenarios had been planned for and "it could well be" that the regime crumbled "over a short period of time".
At House of Commons question time Labour's former defence secretary Bob Ainsworth called on the Government to speed-up plans for what happens if and when Qadaffy is toppled.
He said: "Libya could go on for sometime yet, but equally the forces of the uprising could be in Tripoli at any time." Dr Fox told him: "There is a great deal of planning currently being undertaken looking at a range of scenarios in this country through the National Security Council, working across government departments and, of course, a whole range of important discussions are happening with our allies." He added: "It could well be that we see the collapse of the Libyan regime over a short period of time but it also could take some considerable time yet.
"I'm afraid I think the chances of the opposition forces entering Tripoli is unlikely in the near future." Last month the head of the Royal Navy Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope questioned the sustainability of current military operations, saying the Government would have to make "challenging decisions" if the Libya mission lasted more than six months.
In the Commons Armed Forces Minister Nick Harvey insisted operations could continue for "as long as is necessary".
He added: "That's not to say that sustaining operations won't put stress on people and assets, but we are perfectly capable of sustaining this operation and nobody should be in any doubt of our determination to do so." Opposition Labour Shadow defence minister Kevan Jones said Admiral Stanhope had also raised concerns in May about the challenge of finding "further platforms" - ships - for Libya.
He said: "The First Sea Lord (commander of the Navy) told the Defence Committee on May 11 that we would be challenged to find further platforms to rotate through and to continue to maintain the overseas commitments that are standard operating requirements.
"Will you tell the House exactly how the Royal Navy will sustain its operations in Libya and what impact these operations are having on the Royal Navy's ability to deliver what was set out in the SDSR (Strategic Defence and Security Review)?" Harvey said: "There's no denying that the pace of operations and the longevity of operations in Libya does put a stress on the fleet but the Libyan operation is a high priority and we will ensure that it has the necessary resources.
"HMS Liverpool remains on task in the Mediterranean in support of the NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Originally it was a mutual defense pact directed against an expansionist Soviet Union. In later years it evolved into a mechanism for picking the American pocket while criticizing the style of the American pants...
-led operations. We have plans for her relief in due course, but I'm not going to say which ship for operational security."