Pan-African News Wire
Published Jun 6, 2011 8:50 PM
South African President Jacob Zuma paid a state visit to Libya on May 30 that
proved to be a fruitless effort to bring about a ceasefire in the war launched
by Western-backed rebels and NATO forces, which have intensified their bombing
of the capital of Tripoli and other areas of the country. Zuma was acting on
behalf of the African Union, which held an extraordinary meeting on May 25 aimed
at bringing an end to the war against Libya.
Although South Africa was one of the countries whose government voted in favor
of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1973, which has served as the pseudo-legal
basis for an all-out military onslaught against the North African state, Zuma
has spoken out against the bombing and regime-change strategy that was the real
motive behind the resolution. NATO has admitted that since March 19 nearly 4,000
bombing missions have been carried out against the Libyan people by the U.S.,
Britain, France, Italy, Canada and other imperialist states and their allies.
The NATO forces, which are providing arms, logistics, economic and political
support for the rebel Transitional National Council, have stepped up airstrikes
against Tripoli. At the same time the British and French governments have
announced the deployment of Tiger and Apache helicopters, which will inevitably
kill and injure more civilians.
U.S. President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron held a
joint press conference in London on May 24 calling for the overthrow of the
government of Moammar Gadhafi. Obama at first had said the war against Libya was
limited, but he is now demanding immediate regime change. He faces growing
opposition to the war inside the United States.
The U.S. Congress is being prodded to vote on whether the Pentagon should
continue with the war in North Africa. Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio is
submitting a resolution in the House of Representatives challenging the legality
of the war against Libya.
