Posted on 05/14/2013 12:52:40 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
(Reuters) - Gunmen have ended a siege of Libya's foreign and justice ministries but the two-week standoff has left many unresolved questions about the government's ability to impose its authority in the capital, let alone the restive east of the country.
The episode heightened security concerns that prompted oil group BP, one of the biggest foreign companies active in Libya, to announce on Sunday it was withdrawing an unspecified number of employees from Tripoli. The U.S. and British governments had already pulled out some diplomats temporarily.
In a separate development, two more police stations were attacked in Libya's eastern city of Benghazi in the early hours of Sunday, the local council said. The suspected grenade attacks caused "small explosions" but no damage or casualties, and followed bomb blasts outside two other stations on Friday.
More than 18 months after the fall of dictator Muammar Gaddafi, Libya's new rulers have yet to impose a firm grip on a country awash with weapons. Rebel groups that helped to overthrow him are still refusing to disband, and remain more visible on the streets than the state security forces.
The siege of the Tripoli ministries was launched on April 28 by self-styled 'revolutionaries' demanding a law to ban anyone who held a senior position under Gaddafi from serving in the new administration.
Parliament bowed to the demand and approved the legislation a week later, despite criticism from rights groups and diplomats who said it was sweeping, unfair and could cripple the government.
Justice Minister Salah Marghani denied on Sunday there had been any deal with the gunmen who left the ministries late on Saturday. They have also demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Ali Zeidan.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
fyi
We now seem to be following somewhat the same plan in Syria....and how will that end?
Based on the replies,...not many are concerned on this forum....
I do care, just have information overload. This is a wild day in our nations history. We are livng in historic times.
Samantha Power (architect of 0bambi Libya policy) must resign now.
Big difference between Libya and Syria. The Libyan government has never been strong enough to control the militias, however they are able to buy them off because they have a large supply of oil money.
Whatever group takes charge in Syria will have to have the military power to control the country. Right now that's no one. If someone did manage to win this war I would expect reprisals of Biblical proportions. Syria could easily tip into being a completely failed state and take Lebanon with it.
We wouldn't let that happen in Libya. Too much oil. That's why the UN and NATO rushed in.
I should have added, that the Colonel of the little green book is going to be missed by larger numbers of Libyans as the wild al Qaeda militias slowly make their lives even more miserable.
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