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Inside the Middle East
March 21, 2011
Posted: 908 GMT
 A Tornado GR4 aircraft takes off from Royal Air Force in England.
A Tornado GR4 aircraft takes off from Royal Air Force in England.

President Obama and his national security team worked behind the scenes Sunday to try to shore up support within the Arab world for the military mission in Libya, with top White House aides reaching out to officials of the Arab League to insist the bombing does not exceed the scope of a U.N. mandate, according to senior administration officials.

The senior officials described the Obama team's phone calls as making clear to the Arab League that bombing Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's air defenses falls within the U.N. Security Council resolution's scope of imposing a no-fly zone and taking "all necessary measures" to stop the dictator from attacking civilians in his own country.

"We don't believe this goes beyond the resolution," said one senior administration official in describing the White House's message to the Arab League.

The lobbying came after Arab League officials complained earlier Sunday that airstrikes by the U.S. military and other allies inside Libya exceeded the scope of merely instituting a no-fly zone.

The senior officials noted that Obama also personally called King Abdullah of Jordan as part of the effort to keep key Arab allies on board with the mission. Read more...

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Filed under: Obama •U.S.


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Ali   March 21st, 2011 9:23 am ET

What Arab reaction?

You mean the Arab League?
Then the headline should be changed to "How Arab League feel about the strikes on Libya"

Ed   March 22nd, 2011 3:18 am ET

You Guys by the Way do a GREAT Job in Reporting!! My Friends and I really enjoy Nic Robertson and Anderson Cooper!! GREAT WORK!! Wolf Blitzer too!!

Have you guys even been on any National or International Blogs?

The American People do NOT want another WAR!!! What is this???!!

We DECLARE WAR ON LIBYA under the PRETENSE or GUISE of offering 'Humanitarian Assistance' when we REALLY WANT THE OIL????!!!

Senators and Members of our own Congress are on YOUR Station telling us This!!!

HOW DO WE REALLY KNOW WHO THE OPPOSITION IS???!! WHAT IF THERE ARE AL-QAEDA OR TALIBAN OPERATIVES AMONG THESE 'REBELS'???!!!

NOW THE UNITED STATES WANTS TO ARM THEM WITH WEAPONS AND TRAIN THEM??!! THAT WOULD BE A HUGE MISTAKE!!!!

WAKE UP FOLKS....NO WONDER THE ARABS ARE STEPPING ASIDE....

Ariely   March 22nd, 2011 5:11 am ET

Why should the poor and innocent Qadafi be targeted?

His peaceful actions:
*Initiated murderous attacks on airlines
*Initiated terror attacks against Americas in Germany
* Massaging the Arab people on TV that terrorist are heroes and everything will be done to relies them from jail.
On the reception of the Lockerbie bomber in Libya, Kaddafi son words to the bomber read by a mouth movement expert were
:!!! His freedom was on the economical negotiations with UK.
*Funded ,trained and protect Palestinian terrorist groups like the one who killed 36 Israeli civilians, the majority children and women in a bus.
(It is ok- they are Israelis-meaning legitimate targets for killing terrorists, aren't they?)

If a dictator kills several people he is a criminal!
If a dictator kills many and Oil reach countries will support him he is a hero!

don paper   March 22nd, 2011 10:27 am ET

If the aircraft, that went down over Libya is an F 15E strike eagle,
the crew complement is 2 Airman not 1.

miriam   March 22nd, 2011 12:52 pm ET

It was the Arab League who ultimately pushed for the no-fly zone with the Asian/Arab representative to the UNSC joint-sponsoring the resolution.

As we see all too often, the Arab League has it's own interpretation of resolutions that usually bear no relation to the intended meaning and no consideration of the methods necessary to achieve the desired results.

With their own governments either non-existent or too scared to possibly put their words into action ( instead preserving all their military power for some future mission targeting some country that they all agree to attack), they have left the hard work to the West so that they can no sooner unite their populations again with anti- Western rhetoric.

Gabe   March 22nd, 2011 1:50 pm ET

Qadafi is the exact same person and leader he has been for st least the last 25 years. He has done absolutely nothing new or out of the ordinary of late. He has always been utterly incoherint, probably certifiably insane, and quite possibly a severely affected drug addict.
The ONLY question, to me, is WHAT has suddenly caused the interest in the US (oh, er, ummm, UN) overthrowing him?
For the record...non-military personnel carrying weapons and shooting at soldiers ARE NOT CIVILIANS...they are COMABATANTS!
Giving them US (oops...UN) air support is no different than declaring war. If you think there are no UK and US forces on the ground, you are ignorant; how else did a UK A-Team get captured there?
Nobody ever protected the civilians (who did NOT have weapons) being slaughtered throughout Africa for a decade, but now they feel the irresitable need to protect combatants in an oil rich nation.
Keep in mind the US (again...oops UN) has NO DESIRE to interject its interests into the outcome of internal Libyan conflict...so long as the person they want removed is indeed removed and replaced with someone acceptable to them.

John A   March 23rd, 2011 11:10 am ET

Miriam, you hold up the Arab league in an attempt to make western aggression credible. But the Arab league are non democratic dictators and puppets owned by America.

How can anyone claim they support democracy and agree with the the puppet dictators of the Arab league?

If the Arab league represents the voice of Arab people, then so does Ronald McDonald. The Arab league is an irrelevant puppet show.

John A   March 23rd, 2011 7:22 pm ET

Well said Gabe!!

julius N   March 24th, 2011 1:41 pm ET

Should coalition forces support the Rebels?. The AlQaida networks presence on the side of the rebels should be given serious attention as well. How Libya or indeed Africa would feel the consiquence of the long term effect of the establishment of an AlQaida backed Government on its soil is a huge question for the coalition forces and the US.

m crosby   March 24th, 2011 3:40 pm ET

what happened to my comment? it was erased. Amerlcans are
dying here. How did Obama become an inconsistant God over all?
Our Congress is our conscience. may the onlyl God help us.

muslim   March 26th, 2011 8:19 am ET

this is unfair to strike Libya there so much been kill and homeless we are to much angry to implement no fly zone we expecting this is the war but we not mistaken is really a war...this protester also munafik stop your mission lets to pray,lets Allah prevail,if you have belief in Allah lets stop this argue...someday our leader can realize for what he did to us...and you are both die by the NATO,USA,BRITISH,FRANCE they are happy to kill you and to test their weapon in your country like IRAQ,SOMALIA,LIBYA etc.....we are not happy to bombardment let this Muslim leader to solve their problem for those against the Islam laws let give them the privacy...

John A   March 26th, 2011 6:08 pm ET

Ariely,

What do you think of this:

Libyan rebel commander admits his fighters have al-Qaeda links

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8407047/Libyan-rebel-commander-admits-his-fighters-have-al-Qaeda-links.html

Rebels forces in Libya have admitted that among the ranks of those fighting against the government are islamic militants who have fought and killed US troops in Iraq, otherwise known as “al qaeda” fighters.

So now American soldiers fight with al qaeda!!!!

Ariely, which side are you on.
Gadaffi or NATO/al qaeda????

ericnueman   March 28th, 2011 6:19 pm ET

I'm in complete disagreement with just about everyone here. After spending a year in a north african jail, I feel completely certain about Arabs after living and speaking with them learning their language and trying to be there for them; They're smart lively and living in another world socially that the hard cold West. The ideas of Col Godaffi are new and exciting though I doubt one man can do as much as he has tried to do and not suffer from it! He's taken a

ericnueman   March 28th, 2011 6:27 pm ET

I'm in complete disagreement with just about everyone here. After spending a year in a north african jail, I feel completely certain about Arabs after living and speaking with them, making an effort to learn their language, adopting their dress and customs and trying to be there for them at the lowest levels; Arabs are smart lively and living in another world socially than the hard cold West. The ideas of Col Godaffi are new and exciting though I doubt one man can do as much as he has tried to do and not suffer from it along with the loss of his daughter to a US presiedents lack of tact and wisdom!

He's taken a lot in most of Africa and his responsibities are under rated as are his sanity and intelligence & most of all his love for Islam.

I'm sure the connotation given this important leader of a madman is not in sink with what the press used to call him. A strongman of Libya.

In my veiw dictators can be healthy for some people whereas selfish dog eat dog capitalism can be too rigorous for ceratin peoples.

Godaffi will live on in my veiw and has some important decisions to make for sure as time passes. We"ll see how this invasion process turns out!

John A   March 29th, 2011 1:33 pm ET

Are all you Americans too gutless to answer this question:

Libyan rebel commander admits his fighters have al-Qaeda links

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8407047/Libyan-rebel-commander-admits-his-fighters-have-al-Qaeda-links.html

Rebels forces in Libya have admitted that among the ranks of those fighting against the government are islamic militants who have fought and killed US troops in Iraq, otherwise known as “al qaeda” fighters.

So now American soldiers fight with al qaeda!!!!

Which side are you on.
Gadaffi or NATO/al qaeda????

John A   March 29th, 2011 6:56 pm ET

For those who don't understand how their government work.

Libya Opposition ARE Al Qaeda Says NATO Commander 29/03/11
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_OnqHSVAbQ&feature=player_embedded

That's right, western governments now give military support to those accused of perpetrating 911.

But this is not new, if you read books written by Brzezinski (Jimmy Carters advisers), he admits to setting up Al Qaeda to fight the Russians. The US has used Al Qaeda to cause terrorist atrocities in every region the US wants to invade. This is the oldest trick in the book! From the days of Rome up until Hitler, military leaders have always pointed towards outside threats as a reason to invade other countries. The trick is to set up the outside threat and create a reason to invade. This game has been constantly played by America and Israel since 1947.

Getting back to Facebook. The seed money used to fund the launch of Facebooks came from the US government. The same goes for Google.
Facebook can help spread the idea of revolts, as we have seen in North Africa. The revolts then give the American government a chance to invade.

In response I will receive replies from the uneducated which will claim I am a conspiracy theorist. So lets go back to the beginning of my message:

Libya Opposition ARE Al Qaeda Says NATO Commander 29/03/11

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_OnqHSVAbQ&feature=player_embedded

How brainwashed can you be??? Now you are supposed to give your taxes to help arm and support Al Qaeda. Please let the Zionist losers explain this one away.

Rex Bruce   March 30th, 2011 2:26 am ET

I believe the rebels in Libya should be armed and trained by the west and the country partitioned on a line between Misrata and Tripoli. Perhaps after 5, 10 or 20 years of partition Gadhafi supporters may see the folly of supporting such a tyrant.

John A   April 3rd, 2011 4:45 pm ET

Rex Bruce, do you support al-Qaida or are you just another American idiot?


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