THE DOMINO EFFECT IN THE MIDDLE EAST

(All times are local in Libya GMT+2)

0:08am
Sources tell Al Jazeera that rebels have taken over Brega and arrested tens of pro-Gaddafi forces in a trap set by them.

(All times are local in Libya GMT+2)

0:59am
The AFP news agency has reported that the Libyan armed forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi have cleared "armed gangs" from the oil-rich town of Brega in the east, an army source told state television on Sunday.

"Brega has been cleansed of armed gangs," the military source was quoted as saying. The report could not immediately be verified. State television has in the past issued false reports claiming territory.

7:49am
Analysts say that by the time the international community agrees on a response to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's onslaught against a popular revolt, it could all be over.

No UN Security Council meeting has yet been scheduled, despite events racing in Libya.

"The international community is dragging its feet," Saad Djebbar, a London lawyer and expert on Libyan affairs, told the Reuters news agency.

"The diplomatic pace is very slow. There is an urgency to act quickly before those people are finished off by Gaddafi's forces."

"The international community has to act now - not only to protect Benghazi from an onslaught but because of what it means for the rest of the world if Gaddafi is allowed to remain the leader of Libya," said Geoff Porter, a US-based political risk consultant who specialises in North Africa.

7:23am
Reports say that rebels have recaptured the oil town of Brega - they say 25 government soldiers were killed and 20 more captured.

6:45am
The Reuters news agency reports that France was stepping up efforts on Monday to persuade world powers to impose a no-fly zone over Libya, as Muammar Gaddafi's troops battled rebel fighters for control of the strategic oil town of Brega.

France said it would consult other powers "in the coming hours" to try to set up such a zone to assure the protection of civilians "in the face of the terrible violence suffered by the Libyan population".

The Arab League's weekend call on the United Nations to impose such a zone satisfies one of three conditions set by NATO for it to police Libyan air space.

The others were proof that its help was needed, and a UN Security Council resolution.

@AJELive

# Libya state TV says Muammar Gaddafi has offered an amnesty to rebel fighters if they agree to lay down their arms http://aje.me/eGKEQ3
6 minutes ago via Seesmic Desktop

carmen wrote:

@AJELive

# Libya state TV says Muammar Gaddafi has offered an amnesty to rebel fighters if they agree to lay down their arms http://aje.me/eGKEQ3
6 minutes ago via Seesmic Desktop

Badboy wrote:gaddhafi is a psycho?

Panda wrote:
Part of the Domino effect, Bahrain has rebels fighting for civil rights etc has resulted in Saudi Arabia sending 1000 troops in to the Country at the
request of the Government. Iran says Foreign Forces in Bahrain is unacceptable . What with this and the Earthquake in Japan it"s like the
Apocalypse, what next can happen?

pennylane wrote:

Panda wrote:
Part of the Domino effect, Bahrain has rebels fighting for civil rights etc has resulted in Saudi Arabia sending 1000 troops in to the Country at the
request of the Government. Iran says Foreign Forces in Bahrain is unacceptable . What with this and the Earthquake in Japan it"s like the
Apocalypse, what next can happen?

A pandemic, across multiple continents, for which there is no cure!

Mornin' Panda

Panda wrote:

pennylane wrote:

Panda wrote:
Part of the Domino effect, Bahrain has rebels fighting for civil rights etc has resulted in Saudi Arabia sending 1000 troops in to the Country at the
request of the Government. Iran says Foreign Forces in Bahrain is unacceptable . What with this and the Earthquake in Japan it"s like the
Apocalypse, what next can happen?

A pandemic, across multiple continents, for which there is no cure!

Mornin' Panda

Morning Pennylane.......your"e a right Job"s Comforter!!! Seriously though , aren"t you glad your living in a small Country surrounded by Water? No fault lines, no drought. It breaks your heart when you see the conditions the survivors in Japan have to contend with, no food, no home no chance of finding relatives.

pennylane wrote:

Panda wrote:

pennylane wrote:

Panda wrote:
Part of the Domino effect, Bahrain has rebels fighting for civil rights etc has resulted in Saudi Arabia sending 1000 troops in to the Country at the
request of the Government. Iran says Foreign Forces in Bahrain is unacceptable . What with this and the Earthquake in Japan it"s like the
Apocalypse, what next can happen?

A pandemic, across multiple continents, for which there is no cure!

Mornin' Panda

Morning Pennylane.......your"e a right Job"s Comforter!!! Seriously though , aren"t you glad your living in a small Country surrounded by Water? No fault lines, no drought. It breaks your heart when you see the conditions the survivors in Japan have to contend with, no food, no home no chance of finding relatives.

I was just replying to your post Panda

It is truly heartbreaking to see the devastation in Japan, and it seems they still cannot get a break - even after the mega violence of the onslaught they've endured thus far.

The UK has had a few tiny earthquakes of late too. Living in California for many years I often endured the rumblings of the San Andreas Fault.... some quite violent..... but living just a 3 minute walk from the beach, I was blissfully unaware of what could potentially happen next.

The weather definitely seems to be getting more severe of late... and I think it's very jarring to witness so graphically how truly vulnerable we all are.

Panda wrote:

pennylane wrote:

Panda wrote:

pennylane wrote:

Panda wrote:
Part of the Domino effect, Bahrain has rebels fighting for civil rights etc has resulted in Saudi Arabia sending 1000 troops in to the Country at the
request of the Government. Iran says Foreign Forces in Bahrain is unacceptable . What with this and the Earthquake in Japan it"s like the
Apocalypse, what next can happen?

A pandemic, across multiple continents, for which there is no cure!

Mornin' Panda

Morning Pennylane.......your"e a right Job"s Comforter!!! Seriously though , aren"t you glad your living in a small Country surrounded by Water? No fault lines, no drought. It breaks your heart when you see the conditions the survivors in Japan have to contend with, no food, no home no chance of finding relatives.

I was just replying to your post Panda

It is truly heartbreaking to see the devastation in Japan, and it seems they still cannot get a break - even after the mega violence of the onslaught they've endured thus far.

The UK has had a few tiny earthquakes of late too. Living in California for many years I often endured the rumblings of the San Andreas Fault.... some quite violent..... but living just a 3 minute walk from the beach, I was blissfully unaware of what could potentially happen next.

The weather definitely seems to be getting more severe of late... and I think it's very jarring to witness so graphically how truly vulnerable we all are.

Iv"e been to America twice, they really mean it when they say "have a nice day" Just announced, they have pulled a 70 yr old Woman from the rubble, she had been there for 4 days.....how is that for courage in the face of adversity?

My American Friend sent me a little story which I think is very interesting and apt. I didn"t know where to post it , in fact I can"t remember exactly
where, I think with the health topics. Anyway it"s called Food for Thought and is very apt in this day and age, take a look.

Battle for control rages in Libya
Gaddafi forces inch towards opposition stronghold of Benghazi while wrangle over UN decision on no-fly zone crawls.
Last Modified: 15 Mar 2011 06:13 GMT
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Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader's forces and rebels are fighting for control of the oil town of Brega as the battle for eastern Libya edged closer to Benghazi, the so-called "rebel capital" in the east.

Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley reported from Benghazi that "there is no immediate threat to Benghazi, and the rebels have a new commander, an experienced commander, who has defected from Gaddafi forces.

"This is good news for the rebel forces as he is reported to have some 8,000 men with him and heavy weapons too.

"Militarily, it is difficult for Gaddafi to come all the way to Benghazi, street fighting will make Gaddafi lose men and their morale may go down."

Separately, rebels say they are fortifying the town of Ajdabiya, against a possible assault by advancing forces loyal to Gaddafi, according to the Associated Press news agency.

Ahmed al-Zwei, a rebel spokesman, said on Tuesday, "intermittent" fighting between the two sides was taking place on an 80-kilometre stretch of road between Ajdabiya and Brega.

On Monday, Libyan jets flew behind rebel lines to bomb Ajdabiyah, the only sizeable town before Benghazi.

Rebels said there had been no casualties.

Colonel Milad Hussein, Libyan army spokesman, said that government forces were "marching to cleanse the country" of insurgents, whom he called "rats and terrorists" and vowed to take on Benghazi.

The lightly armed rebels have been pushed back some 200 kilometres by Gaddafi's better equipped and better trained forces in the past week.

"In Brega it is still advance and retreat, we are not in control and they are not either," rebel fighter Hussein al-Wami told the Reuters news agency.

His report was seconded by fighter Addel Ibriki, who returned to Ajdabiya from Brega on Tuesday morning. "It is still to and from," Ibriki said.

However, according to earlier claims, rebel fighters said they captured and even killed Gaddafi troops in Brega - but government forces contest that claim, saying that they are in control of the town.

Libyan state TV showed some images, on Monday, from Brega port, claiming that it was in government control and at peace.

Al Jazeera correspondents said it was difficult to verify the claims made by both sides.

Meanwhile, Libyan government artillery and tanks re-took the small town of Zuwarah, 120 km west of Tripoli after heavy bombardment, Tarek Abdallah, a resident said by telephone.

Amnesty offer

On Monday, Gaddafi offered an amnesty to rebel fighters if they agreed to lay down their arms, Libyan state television reported.

Al Jazeera's correspondent in Tripoli said the offer will play on to the emotions of very anxious rebel forces who don't know how they will be able to put up a fight against Gaddafi's forces, given the overwhelming superiority of his military forces.

"There is an enormous degree of anxiety. It's an all-or-nothing game now," Anita McNaught said.

"If the rebels do not manage to hold out against Gaddafi and establish some kind of protective zone in the east of the country, it is almost certain in the wake of this, there would be some dreadful purge of those who dared to raise their hands against the Gaddafi administration.

"People know that unless they are able to keep Tripoli at bay, that the alternative is almost too awful to contemplate. Those fears apply equally in Tripoli; they are just not expressed as openly as they are in the east."

'No-fly zone delay'

As commanders of Gaddafi forces vowed to push deeper into rebel-held territory, diplomatic efforts to impose a no-fly zone made little headway.

On Monday, France pressured G8 foreign ministers at a meeting in Paris, to formalise a move on Libya and back its efforts to speed up a UN Security Council decision on imposing a no-fly zone over the country to prevent Gaddafi forces from using warplanes, but the effort hit snags as partners such as Germany raised doubts.

Guido Westerwelle, German foreign minister called for urgent talks in the Security Council for targeted sanctions on Gaddafi's government, but voiced opposition towards military action.

"We are very sceptical about a military intervention and a no-fly zone is a military intervention," he told reporters after the dinner with G8 counterparts.

In the end, a divided Security Council failed to produce a consensus among its 15 members on a no-fly zone, and Russia said it had questions about the proposal.

"Fundamental questions need to be answered, not just what we need to do, but how it's going to be done," Vitaly Churkin, Russian ambassador, said in New York.

Hillary Clinton, US secretary of state, also held a late-night, 45-minute meeting in Paris, on Monday, with Mahmoud Jibril, a senior Libyan opposition figure, after discussing the widening crisis with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

The Arab League on Saturday endorsed a no-fly zone, and its decision satisfies one of three conditions set by the Western NATO alliance for it to police Libyan air space, which is the need for regional support. The other two are proof that its help is needed and a Security Council resolution.

Nawaf Salam, Lebanese ambassador, sole Arab representative on the council, said Lebanon wanted it to act as fast as possible.

"We think it is not only a legitimate request, it is a necessary request," he said. "Measures ought to be taken to stop the violence, to put an end to the ... situation in Libya, to protect the civilians there."

@GovernGroup

News Outlets: Please confirm whether #Libya freedom fighter pilots sank #Gaddafi ships and kamakazied compound. #Cnn #NBCNEWS #CBS #ABCnews
16 minutes ago via web

@ShababLibya

Jet fighter pilot who crashed into Bab Azizia, Gaddafi's secure compound in Tripoli is confirmed, huge fire erupting #Libya #Feb17
36 minutes ago via web

@@ShababLibya: AJ has confirmed 7 tanks in good condition captured in the city of Ajdabiya #Libya #Feb17 #gaddaficrimes // yeah!
half a minute ago via web

carmen wrote:

@GovernGroup

News Outlets: Please confirm whether #Libya freedom fighter pilots sank #Gaddafi ships and kamakazied compound. #Cnn #NBCNEWS #CBS #ABCnews
16 minutes ago via web

@ShababLibya

Jet fighter pilot who crashed into Bab Azizia, Gaddafi's secure compound in Tripoli is confirmed, huge fire erupting #Libya #Feb17
36 minutes ago via web

Still waiting reliable verification