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tv   [untitled]    August 23, 2011 2:01pm-2:31pm EDT

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tripoli compound following a fierce fight they now claim to control most of the capital three days after entering the city these are the latest pictures from the compound rubble from the square where colonel gadhafi used to make speeches to the nation exactly where he is no one seems to know smoke has been rising over the libyan capital throughout the day as a result of pockets of fighting between the two sides casualties are said to be mounting electricity in tripoli has now been restored after hours of a blackout well into german a london based activist from the stop the war coalition talked to me a little earlier today and she believes the only thing libyans want now is to take this situation into their own hands we have to remember we've been here before we before with the star we've been there before with iraq and i think the lesson from both of those and that's really the message is even coming from many of the rebels in tripoli and elsewhere in libya is that they don't want nato there any more they
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don't want western troops on the ground and they want to run their own country and i think it would be very foolish for david cameron or anybody else to believe this really vindicates their foreign policy in terms of the war on terror well one of the gadhafi sons made a surprise appearance despite the rebels claiming he was captured for almost two days they were saying they are in control and that also turned out to be untrue does that ring the alarm bells for you concerning the credibility of this. coalition. well i think what it does raise alarm bells with is the why in which these these issues are used very very much politically to justify western intervention we had the international criminal court saying that they knew that. saif al islam gadhafi was in custody when clearly they didn't know conclusively that that was the case and therefore this is being used in a political way. to employ the regime was weaker than perhaps it was at
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that particular time that the rebels had made more votes is that they perhaps had at that particular time and that is a form of this information which really should be coming for. an international institution and this does. bring to mind some of the worrying ways in which these things have been used i personally think the intervention of the international criminal court. the idea of a control i could half in his family is as war criminals is yet another saw in the western hypocrisy when we have to suppose tony blair and various other people responsible for the disastrous episode in iraq in particular who wanted to i think in this way so you think that could happen you see when they are captured should face trial in libya and that should be no foreign intervention whatsoever in their fate. i think it is absolutely up to the libyan people to decide what they do
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with gadhafi and with anybody else that they if there is evidence one trial they should they should be dealt with in libya and not in the hague or anywhere else so i feel that the whole western intervention around this has been. too they were caught taken by surprise by the average brain of what they're trying to do is to reassert western control. well let's get to more analysis now from freelance journalist chandan he's recently come back from libya and joins us now from brussels now you have been there in the country very recently why do you think that after almost six months of relative stalemate the rebels appear to have taken most of the capital in just three days well it's been reported the daily telegraph that essentially the british army have blown literally blown apart all the rebels we have to tripoli and i was saying there's a couple of those anyway and believe the other has confirmed this this whole
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operation and it's interesting he. says before she sees she still has some sympathy with the rebels like they are they are some kind of independent force they are not but have always been in the western intelligence services and this whole conflict has been engineered for a concerted campaign by western governments since the beginning and it's the same now in tripoli nato apache helicopters and jets have literally massacred and blown apart these were able to go into tripoli are you saying then then this isn't the wish of the majority of the libyan people for this to happen for a change in regime and indeed if they wanted that which they needed help from outside from nato. absolutely look out that images very carefully from zawiya and from tripoli and even western mainstream media is admitting that no civilians are coming out in support of the rebels although all the shutters all the shops all the houses are shut down in zawiya and they're shut down in tripoli now the rebels think they've got the gawkers compound but lost last night's battle round one went
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to gadhafi because they felt they had mohammed gadhafi and cycle islam a press those type of islamic smiling driving around tripoli so perhaps like last night tonight is another trap for the rebels in the compound that doctors forces are allowing all these dozens and scores of rebels into the compound and let's see what happens the like and you know it may be another big trap for the rebels in tripoli human rights organizations say that libyan civilians must be protected during this time of conflict now you have been there you've just returned very recently is that really possible to do that when the situation is so confused now. this and that this has been a rank hypocrisy on the part of all those countries some of the countries were called in to support the no fly zone and the so-called you know protecting civilians but since since day one of the bombing of the nato operation they have been massacring civilians and most infamously in a little in just two weeks ago it's been confirmed it was the british are you concerned about conduct that must go eighty five civilians including thirty five
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children nothing to do with protecting civilians everything to do with dominating libya but even civilians do die in war don't they and it's a sad tragic fact and you're not saying that was a deliberate target those civilians i there is a there is a clear program of state terror this is the business which nato is involved in in libya in afghanistan and anywhere else they operate its state terrorism pure and simple so what then in the future you mentioned afghanistan and indeed the future of libya could you compare the two and with iraq for example are the same mistakes going to be made. these are not mistakes these are deliberate policy you use a deliberate strategy ask the western governments and the rest of the world especially the arab world would do well to recognize nato for what it is after libya syria is the next hizbullah eleven the next and palestine is coming up that is why the americans brokered a peace between the palestinians and israel through egypt because the last thing
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the west wants is this whole conflict to be focused on the real common enemies of the arabs which is the state of israel and the western governments backing it so you saying that the west really wants to see the the political turmoil the violence we've seen in afghanistan and iraq happening in libya and indeed will that happen do you think but what's been clear in the last few days and it's been admitted by the daily telegraph that yesterday was planned all along weeks by the nato forces so yes they want to wrap up libya wrap it up nicely presented as a as a successful test case to then roll on syria so it's all dependent on worker good luck in these people and with this nato here if they can with this nato in libya they won't be coming for syria and good luck you can sort of as you just under a month ago about his resistance against nato is defending syria and iran as well you talk of gadhafi what a fate awaits him and indeed who should determine that fate this is this is this has been such i mean the gross illegality of what's going on in relation to libya
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by nato is unbelievable already the libyan guy at the united nations missed the shogun has a has basically admitted in our approach but he pulled people and made this this whole thing has been illegal in a aeration protecting civilians rubbish. just very briefly i just want to ask you that you're back in brussels now and you've just recently left tripoli and i know that you've got some colleagues some journalists who you do know they're trapped in the hotel the rixos hotel which has been mentioned many times that's where the international media are at the moment are you concerned for their safety. or so and anyone would be concerned for their safety especially their close friends and family but these are international journalists these are professional journalists and they have to be respected as. some of them want to be evacuated the country or in should should should facilitate that these are western journalists who are who are nato countries so they don't want to predict what owns of boone's their own national in tripoli well well here's your chance where's the
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threat coming from from the rebels or from the gadhafi loyalists just just briefly i think the threat more is coming from the rebels really because these are western journalists have been based at the rixos hotel for many many months under the regime we'll leave it there that's all we got time for freelance journalist and joining us live there in brussels thanks for your time. well the question of gadhafi whereabouts is yet to be answered and i spoke to dr who is the director of the german orient institute based in berlin who thinks the embattled leader is not likely to run away. appearing the rebels were in a situation to advance more to barboza zia to the big compound in which gadhafi might still be i mean he would be there in the bunkers in the underground bunkers and not not on the surface so during the last hours apparently the rebels have advanced somewhat to that part of the city that a self western part of tripoli and i think we said that up to twenty percent of the
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city were still are still in the hands of the soldiers and militia who are defending a good outfit so are you convinced that gadhafi could well be in a bunker in that compound being stormed at the moment by those rebels if that's the case we could be witnessing the last moments of get their fees regime. well yes you know gaddafi is very erratic in his behavior in severely difficult to say what will he do i mean his son and the television yesterday said no no by far the still here and we are fighting and he's not the man to run away like the other dictators did but on the other hand side i'm quite sure that he must have an emergency exit from his bunker system and can escape if he still should be there it might also be you know unfortunately as we see the truth is the first victim of any war so nobody knows what is true in all the different than outs but nevertheless if you did
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escape from that bunker how long could it be actually on the run bearing in mind you wouldn't be able to take a plane because there's a no fly zone imposed over the country there what do you think are his chances of perhaps setting up camp somewhere else. well it's very difficult i don't know i don't think that would take him to tunisia and definitely not maybe he might go to the south to tunisia or of the other countries bordering and take a plane from there to zimbabwe or to the very few countries north korea where he would be still accepted as a host so it's very difficult to see and it might take some time to discover him even if he stays in his own countries if we remember said the same how long it took to discover him in iraq. and all the whole world guesses where colonel gadhafi might be hiding well the chess federation chief. says he knows he claims to have
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spoken to him by telephone. in this afternoon three hours ago when i was in my. car that the son here called me by phone and i was very surprised. at the yes yes i am and i asked the why because yesterday i saw. him in prison and. ok now i am in tripoli now we smile father. duffy and my father wants to say some words to you and after that here in arabic language market that here said that now he's he's country he doesn't want to leave his home lent he wants to defend his country and he wants to thank all people into all who support.
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small company and small nation in the fight against countries from me and up there that it's in english thank you very much and mohammed translate these sentences from english and that the he said. because of security and i will call you later. you can reportedly authorized a clandestine operation to aid the assault from tripoli covert intelligence agents were allegedly inserted into libya to coordinate rebels actions during the push and more u.k. military personnel are said to be on standby in the mediterranean bennett has more on this. it seems the british did have a bigger hand in all of this than it originally let on the press here today reporting that a whole team of intelligence officials have been operating in the country for some time now. ever since it became clear the rebels would need some help if they really
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were going to topple gadhafi so people like spies m i six officials former s.a.'s offices to giving military advice and also non-lethal aid now it's important to note here that the u.n. mandate that nato is operating under in the country does not include a provision for ground troops and so the u.k. foreign secretary william hague has been quick to stress that. they've been supplying rebels with has been non-lethal and therefore not in breach of this u.n. resolution however these missions have been very covert clandestine and off the grid so as not to cause any diplomatic issues and also in these reports that. intelligence officials have been planning for some time now this assault on tripoli so as to catch gadhafi on the back they've been smuggling weapons fighters even fighting and also telecommunications equipment secret weapons around the capital
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and then on the weekend following the bombing campaign from the air of strategic communications posts they got the go ahead for the final march on tripoli itself so the british government actually knew this was all on the cards for some time now however it did concede that it does already have two hundred troops ready to be deployed from cyprus as peacekeepers should the situation the transition they want to send into an akita they're prepared for that and also six hundred more marines actually also stationed in the mediterranean ready to be deployed in what the government terms as a role of support for the humanitarian cause so clearly downing street at the moment refusing to rule out. the use of what could be almost one thousand ground troops should the situation call for it clearly there is some contradiction there to this idea of handing over control to the libyan people so they are in charge of their own future and clearly the british and also other european states are not that confident just yet that this transition will be as peaceful as they all want
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it to be. well there may still be fighting in tripoli but the new self-proclaimed government is waiting a little time in setting up its future cash flow european oil giants given the go ahead by rebel officials have already begun moving in with italian company any which had close ties to gadhafi spearheading the return and result is more and that reports this time it services won't be quite as she. delivered as a promise but seen by many as more of a threat david cameron says nato will stay while libya makes the transition to democracy as allied forces lend support to the rebels to take tripoli to stop the pool coalition warns libyans not to expect they're getting something for nothing but western powers don't do this without asking for a paper why is it that the head of the t.n.c. is running off to paris to meet with the french president well of course there are one very very important issues that's why the western powers tony blair and others
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struck a deal with gadhafi in the first place it will be exactly what they're seeking to continue with the with the t.n.c. to further explore those oil riches to british government makes no secret of the fact that it's motives that is supporting the rebels aren't entirely altruistic. the u.k. exported to round fourteen billion dollars of goods and services to north africa and the middle east but it's black gold that's the key libya has the largest oil reserves in africa western powers look at the region they talk about humanitarianism all democracy but they sink about oil great martinet says it's impossible not to draw a comparison with iraq he's written a book about the aftermath of the iraq invasion in which he maintains western powers imposed a democracy which played on sectarian divisions that ensured years of tribal struggle but also meant the allies retained control of the oil supply while the
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u.k. government in the. left to have learned from iraq to move into libya even before the fate of tripoli is sealed great oil grab is already beginning b.p. has a contentious oil and gas exploration contract in libya which the u.k. government will be anxious for it to resume italian oil giant e n i is the first to send back to libya and its shares rose on the knees towel and. the well as investors hoped they'd soon be able to resume production in libya but at what price to the libyan people the great sheer is that just as they did in iraq that creates a democracy which the british interests interests for oil companies interests and does nothing for the people of libya nor emmett's. rebels or reportedly put their flags on top of buildings inside the gadhafi compound and raided weapons stores
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this is the latest we're hearing from them at the moment however the part of the city housing the rixos hotel where journalists are staying remains under the control of gadhafi forces those trapped inside the hotel reports heavy fighting outside and nato forces say they've hit as many as forty targets in tripoli during three days of fighting the biggest number in a single location since the operation started in march. just to remind you we've got extensive coverage of that situation developing there in tripoli website had to dot com for the latest video analysis and opinion and you can also get up to the minute news from the region on our twitter page and you can follow. underscore com . well let's turn to other news at twenty minutes past the hour here in moscow dominique strauss the former head of the i.m.f. has been cleared of criminal sexual assault charges in new york court. has the latest details for us. dominic strauss kahn has been cleared of all sexual assault
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charges that were filed more than two months ago and in a nutshell the prosecutors say that the accuser in this case thirty three year old nafissatou diallo is not a credible witness according to prosecutors they say that the accuser. a cleaning lady at the self itself hotel here in new york was untruthful with investigators in virtually every interview prosecutors say she lied in matters great and small and that the problem in this circumstance is her credibility all these charges against him have been dropped however this order is on hold because the defendant. has appealed for a special special project prosecutor in this case now the judge already denied that request for a special special prosecutor but we do have to wait and see what the appeals court says but as we know now the judge has dropped all this case of sexual assaults
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against dominique strauss kahn the one that has caused a scandal here in the u.s. and around the world the u.s. media jumped on dominique strauss kahn as if public enemy number one had been flying really captured this was through the ringer basically all the headlines of all the major newspapers essentially hired him guilty and mocking him skits were made about him like the shows here in the u.s. we did see that in just a matter of a week dominick strauss kahn lost his job as head of the he was his reputation was was completely dissolved. and then you know he was just basically a running joke but at this point we should also mention there is a civil suit that has been filed. against dominique strauss kahn and many are imagining he will settle out of order if he wants this problem to just go away and that would require probably a good sum of money but at this point he's been out. pretty much of
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a decade now and all these sexual assault charges. well for more on the case and its outcome i'm joined by robert gates he's a history professor at the university of houston joining us on the video link thanks so much for being with us well now the charges against dominique strauss kahn are being dropped can it be assumed that he was the victim of an opportunist targeting a high profile figure. one can assume that one can assume it meant a number of other scenarios but certainly that's one of many scenarios that. could could assume what are the other scenarios do you think a political motivation perhaps behind all of this is has been rooted in the past. i think we had this discussion once before ability that i really don't see this as the consequence of a conspiracy i do not it states or in france instead i see this as just the latest the latest chapter on the problem i think don't need stross can are there is
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nothing surprising about what happened or. what may have happened in the hotel room more than two months ago. yes go ahead sorry yeah you say not surprising well this isn't the first sex scandal actually that he's been involved in so you're saying that in some ways history does play a major part in the way his case is being assessed or the way people perceive him. yes i'm always i've always been a big fan of the simplest explanation for any particular problem and in the case of dominique strauss kahn one doesn't need a conspiracy theory one doesn't need to. look to the political machinations on the other side of the atlantic to explain what has happened what happened is what's happened in his past. and he has always admitted that there was a sexual encounter or his lawyer had been made or that there was a sexual encounter what remains of the. there is the nature of this encounter was
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a consensual it was a tourist. was a consensual was it rape and this is where i differ with your reporter. at the end of her at the end of her report she concluded that this vindicate an extra con to my mind it does nothing of the sort. it's simply if it vindicates anybody in this affair a very sad affair it's the new york prosecutor's office cyrus vance his office they have the courage to do one hundred eighty day one hundred eighty degrees on their original findings more than two months ago they thought they had a credible case and that's why he was arrested and charged with this crop and in the wake of more than two months of intensive investigation they realize that their plaintive in the only witnesses to this alleged crime was not credible. so if
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there's any military reflection also on the nature of the law there in the us we what does that tell us about the way that the law is being used here. well. i suppose different people will see different reflections of the american justice system in this particular case what i see is a justice system that when presented with a credible case at the time of great. did everything in its power to to to prevent that ad suspect from leaving the united states. the bills and whistles the perp walk that distressed so many french viewers more than two months ago or dominick stross khan's treatment at the hands of our tabloid press these have nothing to do with the american justice system these have everything to do with
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a popular. sure that's not specific to the united states you find it in great britain you find it in france i suspect you find it in russia. but i don't think this reflects poorly on the american media i don't think we should confound are the headlines of the daily news new york post with the american media right robert just briefly we're running out of time i just want your final thoughts and you and i have talked about this in the past you said that this doesn't vindicate him. what then does it do for his future does it jeopardize any chance of any political career obviously he is a glittering character room well respected within french politics and indeed at the i.m.f. but what about these presidential ambitions i mean is everything now completely jeopardized for the future well of course it's impossible to say that's a good story and not a fortune teller. but i do think come two thousand and twelve it will be dominique strauss kahn running as a socialist candidate but who's to say what's going to happen after two thousand
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and twelve he's relatively young he's only six two years old and the french take on this affair is very different from the take of say many americans so he does have a future well thanks to a history professor looking into the future a little bit of speculation for us it's very interesting what you have to say and we really appreciate your time robert professor robert zaretsky from the university of houston thank you time thank you. a man suspected of organizing the killing of russian journalist anna politkovskaya has reportedly been arrested here in moscow russia. the newspaper where the cops guy used to work says the suspect is a former police left tenant colonel his arrest comes less than three months after the arrest of the man actually thought to have shot or put cops guy who investigated human rights violations in chechnya was shot four years ago on the stairs of the building where she lived that's to good to say her professional activity was the likely motive for the murder. well that brings you up to date i'll be back with a summary of the main developments in libya for you in about
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a minutes from now so a minute from now so stay with us live here in moscow. he used to be.
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exactly ten thirty pm here in the russian capital breaking news now from r.t. libya hundreds of rebels have entered the libyan leader's compound the opposition claims to be in control of most of the capital however the whereabouts of colonel gadhafi remains unknown. secret assistance british intelligence is reportedly plan b. endgame for gadhafi regime guarding the rebels in their push on tripoli and libyans have joined in jubilation anticipating gadhafi is full but skepticism that it may be too early to celebrate is just as widespread. and also in the latest developments get. back to libya on a red carpet laid out by a self-proclaimed new government keen to reward those who helped.

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