Endshpil for the colonel

What is Russia in the Libyan Party hoping

Endshpil for the colonel. A peaceful offensive in Libya undertaken by Russia in June is successfully reflected by Muamar Gaddafi: two trips to Bengrai* and Tripoli special representative of the President of the Russian Federation in Africa Mikhail Margelov and one - President Fide Kirsan Ilyumzhinov - did not lead to the resignation of the leader of Jamahiria, which was hoped for by Russia's partners in the “big eight”. What is now Moscow itself remains to hope in a difficult Libyan party - The New Times thought

After four months of fighting, the Libyan opposition finally learned to fight. But Margelov was not talking about the assault on Tripoli on June 16-18 to Tripoli on Jerba, closest to the Libyan border, at that time NATO could not provide the Russian official with a safe corridor. And already from Jerga - five hours by car. Updated and at the same time neutral Tunisia decided to take patronage over a restless neighbor: here, in Jerbe, the Tunisians want to organize the first negotiations of the warring Libyan sides - under their patronage and through the mediation of Russia and the African Union

* * At one time, Tunisia initiated communication between the Palestinians and Israelis through the mediation of the United States, which was assigned to the 1991 Madrid conference, the creation of the Middle Eastern Quartet and Roadmap. .

The irrevocable to get the laurels of an intermediary - for Tunisia, is not the main thing. The country is interested in the speedy resolution of the Libyan conflict also because it can hardly cope with the influx of refugees from Libya. At the entrance to the Libyan border of Margelov, three “cyclopic sizes” of the camp impressed, one of which - international - is funded by the UN, two others - the UAE and Qatar. “Refugees live there, who have nothing to return to,” he says in an interview with The New Times. - These are the Somalians, Erytreytsy, Chaders and Sudanese working in Libya - the most disadvantaged part of Africa. What will happen to them next is absolutely incomprehensible. ” According to the UN, at the beginning of March, there were at least 100 thousand refugees. But the Tunisians were in no hurry to accept them, because they themselves have at least 50 thousand repatriates from Libya.

Dejavu on the Tunisian-Libyan border itself-two checkpoints: one is controlled by representatives of the Libyan opposition, the other-supporters of Gaddafi. And after each of the Tunisia, respectively, in Benghazi and Tripoli there is a constant stream of everyday goods, albeit not comparable in volume with what was to the unrest. Margelov’s motorcade-according to the car from the Russian embassy and the Foreign Ministry of Libya, four police cars and two with machine gunners-travels to Tripoli along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, in particular, through the town of Azwater, in which fierce battles went in the second half of February

* Kaddafi troops entered the city on February 27. As a result of the assault and street battles, several dozen people died. . “There is a truly apocalyptic spectacle,” recalls Margelov. “Glass was knocked out in the houses, traces of batteries launched from manual anti -tank grenade launchers around the walls.” But the Libyan capital, as it seemed to Margelov, was not injured so much: “Belgrade after NATO bombing was more destroyed. Tripoli is about the same as before. Only the streets became much dirtier, which the Libyans themselves explain very simply: the Africans-gastarbaiters left, and now there was no one to clean up. "

Divination between battles. In the regimental camp of the Libyan rebels near Azhdabia in the capital - huge lines for gasoline, in which people stand for four hours: “The lines are separately male and female, separately for minibuses and for a taxi. Absolute Czech. In the black market, a gasoline canister costs 80 times more expensive than at a gas station. ” Of the entire rather large fleet of the Russian embassy, four cars drive in Tripoli - there is not enough gasoline for everyone. For the same reason, those standing in lines behind the fuel are very aggressive. Many are armed with baseball bats and steel rods: there were times when cars simply stopped and gasoline were drained.

Armed supporters of Gaddafi can now often be found on Green Square in Tripoli
The “lips of the leader” shortly before Margelov, on June 12, in Tripoli, as part of his African tour, the president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), ex-president of Kalmykia Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, arrived. His frankly friendly meeting with the permanent leader of the Libyan revolution behind the chessboard surprised observers. However, as Margelov assures, Ilyumzhinov called him before departure: “Kirsan said that he was going to play chess with the son of Gaddafi Muhammad, and if he succeeds, then with the leader. I advised him to play white, walk E2 - E4 and transfer to the colonel that his party was moving to the endgopil. ” And although Ilyumzhinov in every possible way rejected from the political component of his visit to Tripoli, the observers are convinced: Moscow tried to get to Gaddafi from two directions: Margelov - with the help of the “Tunisian project”, Ilyumzhinov - with the help of chess, who were so beloved by Colonel. There is a rumor that the ex-president of Kalmykia was set to hint to the colonel at the opportunity to take the post of honorary vice president of Fide and track his reaction. Who knows, maybe the post seemed to the colonel too small ...



Idris I al-Senuussi (1890-1983), the king of the whole of Libya since 1951, without the male heir, appointed the heir to the nephew of Hassan As-Senussi in 1956. However, the monarchist line was interrupted by Muamar Gaddafi, who at the head of the Free Officers group overthrew the old king on September 1, 1969, while he was treated in the Turkish Bource. Idris never returned to the country. He settled in Cairo, where he died in 1983. The royal family remaining at the time of the coup in Libya was kept under house arrest until 1982, when the house was burned on the orders of Gaddafi, and its inhabitants were moved to a hut on a public beach in Tripoli. In 1988, the colonel allowed the family to emigrate to London. After the death of Hassan in 1992, his second son Mohammed al-Senousi (born 1962) became the head of the Royal House of Libya in exile. Part of the royal family remained in Libya, for example, Prince Zuber al-Senussii. But in early March of this year, he fled the country through Turkey to Sweden, where he asked for political asylum.

Idris I al-Senuussi (1890-1983), the king of the whole of Libya since 1951, without the male heir, appointed the heir to the nephew of Hassan As-Senussi in 1956. However, the monarchist line was interrupted by Muamar Gaddafi, who at the head of the Free Officers group overthrew the old king on September 1, 1969, while he was treated in the Turkish Bource. Idris never returned to the country. He settled in Cairo, where he died in 1983. The royal family remaining at the time of the coup in Libya was kept under house arrest until 1982, when the house was burned on the orders of Gaddafi, and its inhabitants were moved to a hut on a public beach in Tripoli. In 1988, the colonel allowed the family to emigrate to London. After the death of Hassan in 1992, his second son Mohammed al-Senousi (born 1962) became the head of the Royal House of Libya in exile. Part of the royal family remained in Libya, for example, Prince Zuber al-Senussii. But in early March of this year, he fled the country through Turkey to Sweden, where he asked for political asylum.

But Margelov could not meet with Muamar Gaddafi. However, Margelov assures that such a task was not set: “I did not request a meeting with him intentionally - after all, the colonel constantly repeats that he does not occupy any official posts. Well, I am performing an official mission. ” However, his Libyan counterparts, Margelov is sure, constantly consulted with Gaddafi. At first there were negotiations with the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Libya Abladati al-Bidey. “He recorded everything behind me, including a cough. Then an hour and a half was a strange turmoil. Employees of the Libyan protocol ran back and forth and spoke at once on two mobile phones. The word “aikk”, in Arabic “colonel”, I dismantled, despite the hard Libyan dialect, it was clear who the consultations were conducted with. ” As a result, it was decided that Prime Minister Baghdadi Mahmudi would meet with the Russian envoy. He began the meeting with the statement that the colonel was busy, but on the next visit, Margelov really wants to see him. To which the guest from Moscow replied: "As President Medvedev will say."

Mahmudi made it clear that the condition for starting negotiations with the opposition is the ceasefire. At the same time, the departure of the leader of the revolution in the shadow, on which they insist in Bengham, are not ready to discuss in Tripoli. “The prime minister constantly referred to Gaddafi and said“ the lips of the leader ”. And at the same time he demonstrated the miracles of liberalism: he said that in Tripoli does not mind that Russia contacts the Bengazians, because, they say, "we ourselves are in contact with them"

* It was precisely about contacts, and not about negotiations, as some agencies later handed over the words of Margelov with an error. Monarchy is impossible in the rest? Margelov is optimistic. “What Medvedev was asked by the G8 Partners at the May summit in Doville was done-Russia gathered together three pieces of the Libyan mosaic: those who are in Tripoli and those who are in Benghazi and those who do not reckon themselves to the other, but are abroad and united around Ahmad Gaddaf-Dama, Muamar's cousin Gaddafi. It became clear that no projects for the restoration of the monarchy in Libya, which are now being said in diplomatic circles, will not work - members of the Libyan royal family (see a certificate in the fields), according to Margelov, "are not political players."

And now the time has come, the senator believes, “the first persons of the“ eights ”can continue the conversation started at the summit in Doville.”

In any case, the Libyan party is again postponed. Meanwhile, time is coming. And the real, not the chess endgopile Colonel Gaddafi, despite all the efforts of the military and diplomats, has not yet been visible.

"There will be no Taliban in Libya"
Herby Elmazi, Covereign of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) -
The New Times
In the places where the battles between the forces of Gaddafi and the rebels, especially in Azhdabia and Misurat, we found a large number of unexploded ammunition and simply abandoned weapons - apparently because the rebels did not have the experience of conducting hostilities. For example, in Misurat found more than 100 units of unexploded shells and mines, mainly Brazilian production. Locals began to collect them like trophies and fold them right in the city center - they walked around, touched their hands. As a result, with the help of local authorities, it was possible to create 40 sites for the temporary storage of unexploded arsenals, something had to be exposed on the spot. By the way, in Misurat, we found a large number of cassette bombs prohibited by international law. Which of the parties used them - I do not undertake to judge.
Does the rebels feel a lack of food, medicine, fuel?
No, the rebels have everything, including food. How long the products are enough for them - I can’t say.
And the social infrastructure?
Sadly, the hospitals work, all the doctors and medical staff are on the spot, although many foreign nurses, including from Ukraine, have left. The same situation is in hotels. The owner is on the spot, but there are no servants. Schools are closed for the holidays. The most amazing thing: the streets are complete in order. There is no police in Benghazi, but people respect the rules. Life continues. Of course, there are a lot of fingers in the air - they will fight her later.
Is there a threat to the spread among the rebels of Islamic radicalism?
The rebels are religious, but they are not radicals. They want more freedom and a larger share from the wealth that Libya has. This is the main idea. There can be no talk of a new Taliban in Libya. I saw people only a desire for a greater democratization of society.
Will there be a storm of Tripoli?
Cities in Libya independently fought for their independence from Gaddafi and only then on this basis found a common language. Therefore, most likely, the rebels will not go to any assault on Tripoli - the events that occurred in Benghaza and Misurat will occur in Tripoli.
The interview was taken by Ilya Plekhanov