africom related news clips 10 march 2011

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United States Africa CommandPublic Affairs Office10 March 2011

USAFRICOM - related news stories

TOP NEWS RELATED TO U.S. AFRICA COMMAND AND AFRICA

Ham takes over command at AFRICOM (Stars and Stripes)(Germany) Gen. Carter F. Ham took over leadership Wednesday of U.S AfricaCommand, at a time when civil revolts and political instability rattle the continent forwhich he will oversee U.S. military engagements.

US Military's Africa Command Gets New Chief (VOA)(Germany) The founding commander of the U.S. military's Africa Command has retiredafter a nearly 40-year military career, saying the role of militaries in the current NorthAfrican unrest is evidence of the value of building the kind of relationships thecommand was established to promote.

Ham assumes command of AFRICOM (US Army Africa)(Germany) Gen. William E. ´Kipµ Ward passed the colors of U.S. Africa Command(AFRICOM) to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates relinquishing command to his friend,Gen. Carter F. Ham, today in a ceremony at the Stadthalle in Sindelfingen, Germany.

U.S. evacuation mission in Tunisia pauses (Stars and Stripes)Eight U.S. military flights have carried 640 Egyptians home as part of the internationaleffort to repatriate tens of thousands of refugees who fled to Tunisia after violencebroke out between government forces and rebels in Libya.

`Strong institutions essential for effective disaster risk reduction` (IPP Media)(Tanzania) The United States African Command (Usafricom) in partnership with thegovernment of Tanzania supported by the centre for disaster and humanitarianassistance medicine (CDHAM) and Usaid is holding a week-long conference to address

the importance of readiness in combating disaster risks in Africa.

On Libya, Obama willing to let allies take the lead (Washington Post)(Libya) President Obama is content to let other nations publicly lead the search forsolutions to the Libyan conflict, his advisers say, a stance that reflects the more humbletone he has sought to bring to U.S. foreign policy but one that also opens him tocriticism that he is a weak leader.



White House defends Libya stance, debates options (Reuters)(Libya) The White House on Wednesday strongly defended its response to the turmoilin Libya, insisting it has taken "dramatic action" and rebutting criticism that itsconsensus-based approach is too cautious.

Gasoline Surges as U.S. Supplies Drop, Libya Unrest Escalates (Bloomberg)(Libya) Gasoline surged as U.S. supplies fell the most in 29 months and Libyan oiloutput was disrupted, increasing speculation that unrest may spread around the regionand threaten global oil shipments.

The Case for a No-Fly Zone (NYT Op-Ed)(Libya) For all the hand-wringing in Washington about a no-fly zone over Libya, that·sthe verdict of Gen. Merrill McPeak, a former Air Force chief of staff. He flew more than6,000 hours, half in fighter aircraft, and helped oversee no-fly zones in Iraq and theAdriatic, and he·s currently mystified by what he calls the ´wailing and gnashing of

teethµ about imposing such a zone on Libya.

Obama condemns 'abhorrent' violence in Ivory Coast (AFP)(Ivory Coast) President Barack Obama on Wednesday condemned "abhorrent" violencein the Ivory Coast, saying the United States was deeply concerned about escalatingclashes that have left scores dead.

African Presidents Facing Tough Decisions on Ivory Coast, Libya (VOA)(Pan Africa) Several African heads of state are meeting in Addis Ababa (Wednesdayand Thursday) to consider responses to two of the continent·s most vexing challenges,Ivory Coast and Libya. The organization·s credibility, and a chunk of its financing, areon the line.

South Sudanese Army Says 60 Died in Clashes With Rebel Militia in Jonglei

(Bloomberg)(Sudan) Southern Sudan·s army said 60 people died when it captured the headquartersof a rebel militia in Jonglei state.

U.S. condemns violence in contested Sudanese region (Reuters)(Sudan) The United States urged leaders in north and south Sudan on Wednesday tocurb violence in the country's contested Abyei region and to meet as soon as possible to

resolve its final status.

UN News Service Africa Briefs

Full Articles on UN Websitey Parties to Western Sahara dispute conclude another round of UN-convened talks

y T op UN aid official stresses need for civilian protection in DR Congo

y T anzania set to benefit from UN loan to boost rural economic activity



y Six high-ranking Kenyans summoned by International Criminal Court

y UN steps up food distributions to drought-hit Somali capital

-------------------------------------------------------------------------UPCOMING EVENTS OF INTEREST:

WHEN/WHERE: Wednesday, March 16, 2011; 9:30 am to 4:00 pm; The BrookingsInstituteWHAT: Defense Challenges and Future OpportunitiesWHO: Peter W. Singer, Director, 21st Century Defense Initiative; Ted Piccone, SeniorFellow and Deputy Director of Foreign Policy; COL Timothy McKernan, ExxonMobileSC Corp Fellow and 13 additional DOD/Brookings panelists.Info: http://www.brookings.edu/events/2011/0316_defense_challenges.aspx

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FULL ARTICLE TEXT

Ham takes over command at AFRICOM (Stars and Stripes)By John VandiverMarch 9, 2011STUTTGART, Germany ³ Gen. Carter F. Ham took over leadership Wednesday of U.SAfrica Command, at a time when civil revolts and political instability rattle thecontinent for which he will oversee U.S. military engagements.

Ham, who commanded U.S. Army Europe in nearby Heidelberg, replaced Gen. William´Kipµ Ward, who has led AFRICOM since its inception in 2007.

´I know we will face many challenges,µ Ham said during the ceremony, which waspresided over by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who flew in after his two-day visit toAfghanistan. ´Some of them we see very clearly today, while others will merge inunexpected ways and unexpected places. I remain wholly confident the AFRICOMteam will meet each and every one of those challenges.µ

Ham must deal with political turmoil across the northern part of Africa, includingAlgeria and Tunisia, where U.S. Africa Command maintains long-standing directmilitary relations. If the international community decides to take action in Libya andenforce a no-fly zone, AFRICOM would likely be a key player in the planning and

execution of the mission.

Meanwhile, trouble persists in the east around the Horn of Africa, most notably inSomalia, where al-Qaida linked Islamic insurgents and pirates offshore operate withimpunity. In central Africa, menaces such as the Lord·s Resistance Army ³ a rebelgroup known for abducting child soldiers ³ continue to be a destabilizing force.



´There might be a few things on the plate right now,µ Marine Gen. James Cartwright,vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, joked during the ceremony.

Ham will need to balance competing security interests while reassuring many in Africathat the U.S. does not seek to militarize foreign policy on the continent ³ an accusation

that has hounded AFRICOM since its inception four years ago.

´Some feared the command represented the first steps to a major U.S. military presencein Africa,µ Gates said. ´As I said then and still believe, crime, terrorism, naturaldisasters, economic turmoil, ethnic fissures and disease can be just as destabilizing astraditional military threats. We need to fuse old concepts of security with new conceptsof how security, stability and development go hand in hand.µ

During much of his tenure as AFRICOM chief, Ward went to great lengths to explainhis vision for AFRICOM to leery audiences across the African continent. During his

frequent trips, Ward repeatedly made two points: AFRICOM will not set up militarybases, and the command does not seek to dominate the countries with whom it works.

While there are still critics, Ward has said he believes that some of the early skepticismhas faded.

On Thursday, Ward pointed to the current unrest in Libya as a justification for the workAFRICOM does.

´Where we·ve had those sustained relationships, we see the military behaving in a way

that contributes to the stability of a society as opposed to not,µ said Ward, referring tonations such as Tunisia, which didn·t use a heavy hand during the recent politicaluprising. ´And where that has not been the case, militaries are contributing to thatadditional instability.

´To say it is not important for us to be engaged in a sustained way over time, lookaround,µ he said.----------------------US Military's Africa Command Gets New Chief (VOA)By Al PessinMarch 09, 2011(Stuttgart) The founding commander of the U.S. military's Africa Command has retiredafter a nearly 40-year military career, saying the role of militaries in the current NorthAfrican unrest is evidence of the value of building the kind of relationships thecommand was established to promote.

It was an emotional ceremony for General William Ward as he completed more thanthree years at Africom. He told several-hundred people at the change-of-command



ceremony that his operation has expanded military cooperation with many Africancountries, including new joint military exercises.

In recent weeks, Africom has been engaged in its first operational assignment, helpingto evacuate foreigners from Libya and delivering humanitarian supplies to refugees in

Tunisia. The command has also had a key role in preparing what officials call a "fullrange of options" in case President Barack Obama orders military intervention in Libya.

But General Ward said the routine work in Africa by U.S. troops - training andhumanitarian assistance - has convinced many African skeptics the new commandwould not be a threat. He said what he called "sustained engagement" has proved itsvalue dramatically in recent weeks.

"There is no greater evidence of that today than what's going on the northern tier of thiscontinent. Where we have had those sustained relationships, we see militaries

behaving in a way that contributes to the stability of a society as opposed to not,µ Wardsaid. ´And where that has not been the case, militaries are contributing to thatadditional instability."

Ward was apparently referring to Egypt, where a military very close to the UnitedStates acted with restraint and facilitated a smooth transition, and Libya, where amilitary cut off from the United States has fractured, and some units are firing on theirown people.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates told the gathering General Ward and his team

demonstrated the creation of Africa Command would not result in more U.S. militaryaction on the continent or cause the militarization of U.S. policy toward Africa. He alsoreferred to the uprisings in the North.

"In North Africa, we see people fighting for political change from a revolution in Libyato Southern Sudan, a new nation coming into being. Throughout the region, nations arestruggling to give their fast-growing populations liberty, basic necessities and greateropportunities while fighting the scourges of terrorism, corruption and piracy. Africommust continue its role in promoting this progress, preventing conflict and bolsteringbasic stability," Gates said.

The new commander of Africa Command, General Carter Ham, said he intends tomaintain the approach General Ward established. "The longer I serve, the more I believerelationships with our partners are what really matters and really enables us to achieveour objectives. I believe we are most successful when we help find African solutions toAfrican security challenges. And I know we will face many challenges. Some of thosewe can see very clearly today, while others will emerge in unexpected ways and inunexpected places," he said.



General Ham has been the commander of U.S. Army forces in Europe for the past two-and-a-half years, and has had a variety of command and Pentagon assignments.

Most recently, he co-led the defense department's analysis of the potential impact of

allowing homosexuals to serve openly in the U.S. military. That process led to theapproval of a law that is expected to lift the ban this year, once the military serviceshave conducted a planned training program.

Africa Command supervises all U.S. military engagement in Africa, except for Egypt,but it has no operational troops assigned to it, as other U.S. regional commands do. Itborrows troops from other areas, particularly Europe, when it has training or othermissions to perform. It is also responsible for the joint U.S. military task force inDjbouti.

The command has a unique military and civilian structure, designed to enable multi-disciplinary interaction with the continent's 53 countries. The command has about 2,000people, half of them civilians, and only 100 stationed permanently at cooperation officesin African countries.------------------------------Ham assumes command of AFRICOM (US Army Africa)By U.S. Army Africa Public Affairs Offuce ShareThis9 March 2011VICENZA, Italy ³ Gen. William E. ´Kipµ Ward passed the colors of U.S. AfricaCommand (AFRICOM) to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates relinquishing command to

his friend, Gen. Carter F. Ham, today in a ceremony at the Stadthalle in Sindelfingen,Germany.

Ward·s passing of the colors marks the completion of nearly 3 1/2 years of a noble andshared venture with the Nation's newest Combatant Command.

Ham takes command of AFRICOM following 2 ½ years as Commanding General ofUnited States Army European Command and 7th Army.

Africa is important to U.S. national security interests, Ham said during a confirmationhearing with the Senate Armed Services Committee in November 2010.

"These interests," Ham said, "include concerns over violent extremist activities, piracy,illicit trafficking, Africa's many humanitarian crises, armed conflict, and more generalchallenges such as the effect of HIV/AIDS."

AFRICOM has a role in addressing each of these issues, Ham said, as the militarycomponent of a U.S. whole-of-government approach.



However, "the key remains that Africa's future is up to Africans," the general said.

AFRICOM, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, focuses on synchronizing hundredsof activities inherited from three regional commands that previously coordinated U.S.

military relations in Africa.

Ham·s career includes serving as an enlisted Infantryman in the 82nd Airborne Divisionbefore attending John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio. He was commissioned inthe Infantry as a Distinguished Military Graduate in 1976.

His military service has included assignments in Kentucky, Ohio, California, Georgia,Italy and Germany to name a few. He has also served in Saudi Arabia, Qatar,Macedonia and Iraq.

He has held a variety of positions to include Recruiting Area Commander; BattalionExecutive Officer at the National Training Center; Advisor to the Saudi ArabianNational Guard Brigade; Commander, 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry; Chief of Staff, 1stInfantry Division; Commander, 29th Infantry Regiment; commander, Multi-NationalBrigade, Mosul, Iraq; Commander, 1st Infantry Division; Director for Operations, J-3,The Joint Staff, Washington, D.C.

His military education includes the Armor Officers Advanced Course, Naval College ofCommand and Staff, graduating with distinction, and the U. S. Air Force·s Air WarCollege.

Ham's awards and decorations include Army Distinguished Service Medal, DefenseSuperior Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Legion of Merit with two oakleaf clusters, the Bronze Star Medal, and the Joint Service Commendation Medal.---------------------------------U.S. evacuation mission in Tunisia pauses (Stars and Stripes)By Seth RobbinsMarch 8, 2011Eight U.S. military flights have carried 640 Egyptians home as part of the internationaleffort to repatriate tens of thousands of refugees who fled to Tunisia after violencebroke out between government forces and rebels in Libya.

On Saturday and Sunday, three Air Force C-130 transport planes and one Marine KC-130 ferried the Egyptians from Djerba, Tunisia, to Cairo. By Tuesday afternoon,however, no more evacuation flights had been scheduled, though the cargo planesremained ready at Naval Support Activity Souda Bay on the island of Crete, said Lt.Col. Charles ´Docµ Schlegel, commander of the 435th Air Mobility Squadron.



´We are posturing ourselves to any changes in the humanitarian crisis,µ Schlegel saidby phone. ´Things are changing rapidly and we are ready to respond to any requeststhat are made.µ

Violence between rebel forces and those loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has

spurred an exodus out of the North African nation. About 100,000 people, a majorityforeign workers, have fled to Tunisia.

So far 40,000 Egyptians have returned home from Tunisia, with a few thousandremaining. But Tuesday, there were still as many as 10,000 Bangladeshis awaitingevacuation at refugee camps. According to the spokesman for the United Nationsrefugee agency, there is a severe shortage of long-haul flights to repatriate them.

Schlegel said the Air Force·s C-130s had not been called upon to repatriate anyone otherthan the Egyptians, but they could do so if they were asked by the State Department or

U.S. Africa Command, which is in charge of military operations.

´We would be postured to fly out other nationalities,µ he said, ´if we were requested todo that.µ

Other nations with large foreign-worker populations in Libya, such as India and China,have completed successful evacuations.

Since President Barack Obama outlined his plans to help those fleeing the conflict inLibya, U.S. Africa Command, the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International

Development and the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance have been working toprovide humanitarian assistance. Several Ramstein units have been tasked with airsupport and logistics, including the 37th Airlift and Air Mobility Squadrons, the 17thAir Force and the 435th Contingency Response Group.

´The president made the announcement Thursday, and we were out the door the nextmorning.µ Schlegel said. ´A lot of people have been working behind the scenes to makeit all possible.µ------------------------------`Strong institutions essential for effective disaster risk reduction` (IPP Media)By Khalfan Said9th March 2011Minister of State in the Prime Minister`s Office, William LukuviThe Minister of State inthe Prime Minister·s Office, William Lukuvi, has said strong institutions are essential inrealising the success of sustainable disaster risk reduction.

The minister made a remark, when opening the 2011 Tanzania national governmentpandemic disaster response exercise in Arusha on Monday.



The United States African Command (Usafrico) in partnership with the government ofTanzania supported by the centre for disaster and humanitarian assistance medicine(CDHAM) and Usaid is holding a week-long conference to address the importance ofreadiness in combating disaster risks in Africa.

´It is only 20 days ago, when we had a very bad accident of explosions at a militarybase in Dar es Salaam. Every time we have disasters, our mechanisms for preparednessare tested. So, we have found out that there is still lack of requisite mechanisms foreffective response,µ the minister noted.

He said in order to address legal and institutional weaknesses the government hadalready taken some measures, which include the formulation of the DisasterManagement Policy in 2004.

Guest speakers spoke on how important disaster preparedness and response was to thesecurity of Tanzania.

During his welcoming remarks, the chief of Security Cooperation for the US

Embassy to Tanzania, Lt-Col Kevin Balisky, said US Army discussed the criticalimportance of cooperation between national militaries and civil authority leaders, aswell as international organisations, non-governmental organisations and other civilsociety groups, all of whom must work together to mitigate and recover from apandemic disaster.

He said the exercise itself was an example of the power of collaboration. It was hostedby the government of Tanzania, organised by the US Africa Command based inStuttgart, Germany, supported by the Centre for Disaster and Humanitarian AssistanceMedicine.

The five-day event brings together over 100 professionals from diverse organisationssuch as the World Food Programme, the National Disaster Operations Centre in Kenya,the National Emergency Management Agency of Nigeria, the World HealthOrganisation, the Ghana Ministry of Defence, Food and Agriculture Organisation of theUN and Unicef.

´This exercise is designed to strengthen the government of Tanzania·s nationalpreparedness and response plan, which will be the guiding document during a severepandemic complex emergency,µ Balisky said.---------------------On Libya, Obama willing to let allies take the lead (Washington Post)By Scott Wilson



March 9, 2011; 9:21 PMPresident Obama is content to let other nations publicly lead the search for solutions tothe Libyan conflict, his advisers say, a stance that reflects the more humble tone he hassought to bring to U.S. foreign policy but one that also opens him to criticism that he isa weak leader.

The tactic is anathema to many conservatives and worries some liberal interventionists,who believe that only overt American authority can assemble an effective opposition tobrutal authoritarian governments such as that of Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi.

Although Obama sees advantages in keeping Washington in the background, especiallyin a region where the United States is held in such low regard, he has exposed himselfto Republican charges that he is absent at a time of crisis. Conservatives say his one-of-the-team approach could also signal a decline in American fortitude after nearly adecade of war.

Since the uprising began, Obama has devoted just one set of public remarks solely tothe situation in Libya, where fighting has reached a harsh stalemate. European nationshave taken the lead in drafting a no-fly zone resolution, and Obama has yet to saywhether he favors one. He followed France in calling for Gaddafi's ouster.

At a Wednesday meeting of Obama's senior national security officials, little supportemerged for the immediate imposition of a no-fly zone, according to an administrationofficial who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe internal deliberations.

Jamming Libyan government communications and deploying U.S. naval assets to helpdeliver humanitarian aid were among the most favored near-term options, the officialsaid, adding that "at any time facts on the ground could change, but the intelligenceassessment now dispels the idea that a no-fly zone is the key here."

Obama's caution has been dictated in part by the challenge in dealing with one of theworld's most hermetic countries and the fluid situation on the ground. Theadministration knows little about Libya's well-armed rebels, cannot predict the politicalsystem that might replace Gaddafi's bizarre rule, and faces an array of military optionsto stop the fighting.

Obama's advisers say his low public profile masks the administration's active privatediplomacy, which has helped produce strong financial sanctions against Gaddafi's innercircle, and the central U.S. role in military planning underway at NATO, whose defenseministers meet Thursday to consider next steps.

"This is the Obama conception of the U.S. role in the world - to work throughmultilateral organizations and bilateral relationships to make sure that the steps we are



taking are amplified," said Ben Rhodes, the deputy national security adviser forstrategic communications. "Maybe this is a different conception of U.S. leadership. Butwe believe leadership should galvanize an international response, not rely on aunilateral U.S. response."

For decades, U.S. presidents have been pressed to choose between intervening inforeign crises or ignoring them. Both paths have led to political risks for recentpresidents, whose records are influencing Obama's response to the violence in Libya.

Anthony H. Cordesman, who holds the Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy at the Centerfor Strategic and International Studies, said that "there's always going to be a demandfor the United States to take immediate action, but it is not always the right thing to do."

"Unfortunately, as president, ultimately your reasons don't matter," he said. "It'swhether you succeed or fail that does."

Bill Clinton was criticized for standing by during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda andwaiting for years to use force in the Balkans. He finally did so in Kosovo without a U.N.Security Council resolution, a case that is being examined by European countries andthe Obama administration as they decide how to proceed in Libya.

George W. Bush took that unilateral approach even further following the Sept. 11, 2001,attacks. The Bush administration failed to secure a Security Council resolution beforethe 2003 invasion of Iraq, and generally found international institutions more confiningthan useful in addressing America's post-Sept. 11 problems.

Obama, by contrast, is closely consulting his European counterparts and at timesfollowing their lead. French President Nicolas Sarkozy was the first leader of a majorcountry to call for Gaddafi's ouster. Obama did so the next day in a phone call withGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel and spoke his position publicly five days later,clearly aligning the United States with Libya's opposition.

"Having called on Gaddafi to leave, I think it would be hard for the administration toback away from the crisis if that goal remains unmet," said Tom Malinowski, theWashington director of Human Rights Watch, who said doing so would risk sending amessage to other autocrats that they can use violence to maintain power.

How Obama intends to use American power to achieve that goal has yet to bedetermined.

Britain and France are drafting the no-fly zone resolution for possible consideration bythe Security Council. But it remains unclear where Obama stands on the issue, whichhas only mixed support on Capitol Hill.



Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman whosepublic statements often reflect administration policy,called Sunday for a no-fly zone,but White House Chief of Staff William Daley criticized advocates of the idea forreferring to a no-fly zone as if it were a "video game." Defense Secretary Robert M.Gates has also stressed the difficulties in carrying out such an operation.

"That seems to me to indicate an administration that has not yet made up its mind onwhat to do in Libya," said Elliott Abrams, who was a National Security Council directorunder Bush. He called Daley's comments "derisive."

Obama inherited a pair of wars in Muslim countries, and his advisers argue that directU.S. involvement in a third would do more harm than good to Libya's popular uprising.

Abrams, who participated in the White House working group on Egypt assembled lastyear, said he "understands the point."

"But I think they overdo it," he said. "I think they are being too timid here. And they arerunning the risk that there will be a bloodbath tomorrow and, by then, it will be too latefor them to help the opposition."

Senior administration officials say that regardless of whether the U.S. role ischaracterized as leading or following, it has been part of a swift international responseto the Libyan crisis.

The Security Council has imposed sanctions on Gaddafi's regime and referred Libya's

case to the International Criminal Court. The Arab League and African Union,traditionally hesitant to rebuke a member, have done so in the case of Libya.

"Remaining in the background and letting the Europeans take the lead can help buildconsensus with such countries as Russia and China," Cordesman said, referring to twoveto-wielding Security Council members often suspicious of U.S. motives."If we'dpresented a sudden initiative, you might have seen it be far more difficult for others toact in support of it."

Given the United States' troubled history with Libya's erratic leader, a senioradministration official said, the White House decided early that "what would be morepersuasive to Gaddafi is not just the United States saying something, but having theUnited States, the European Union, the Arab League, the African Union, the UnitedNations all saying the same things that essentially left him nowhere to turn forlegitimacy or support."

"That's been done, essentially," the official said, adding, "It's not as if we're not on theside of change."



------------------------White House defends Libya stance, debates options (Reuters)By Ross Colvin and Andrew QuinnMar 9, 2011; 8:31pm ESTWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Wednesday strongly defended its

response to the turmoil in Libya, insisting it has taken "dramatic action" and rebuttingcriticism that its consensus-based approach is too cautious.

As President Barack Obama's top advisers met to debate what to do next, MuammarGaddafi's forces halted a rebel advance in the east of the oil-producing North Africancountry and opposition forces suffered setbacks in the west.

A range of options were on the table in the White House situation room, including a"no-fly" zone to ground Gaddafi's warplanes, although U.S. Defense Secretary RobertGates has already warned of the difficulties of such an action.

With Libyan rebels fragmented and disorganized and Gaddafi's forces successfullycounter-attacking, the Obama administration has been struggling to craft a strategy thatforces Gaddafi from power without entangling the United States in a new war in theMuslim world.

Despite its fear that Libya could become what Secretary of State Hillary Clinton lastweek called a "giant Somalia," Washington is reluctant to intervene militarily in a messycivil war, especially since the United Nations, NATO and countries in the region aredivided on what should be done.

White House spokesman Jay Carney dismissed suggestions that Washington had failedto act with sufficient urgency.

"There has never been a situation where the international community, with leadershipby the United States, has acted as quickly as it has to respond to this kind of situation,"he said.

Clinton, CIA Director Leon Panetta, and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,Admiral Mike Mullen, attended Wednesday's meeting, but it was not expected to leadto any immediate change in U.S. strategy, Carney said.

The White House session came ahead of Thursday's meeting of NATO defenseministers, including Gates, in Brussels. A U.S. official said Libya options were being"teed up" for discussion there.

A top U.S. general said the United States military was prepared to quickly establish a"no-fly" zone over Libya if the international community decided on that option.



"I believe within a couple days, we would probably be able to implement a no-fly zone,"General Raymond Odierno, commander of the U.S. Joint Forces Command told anaudience at Harvard University in Massachusetts.

Odierno said it was important that any response to the turmoil in Libya haveinternational backing.

LIBYA VERSUS BALKANS

The United States, embroiled in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, has been stressing theneed for international support for any intervention in Libya. On Tuesday, Clinton saidWashington would not act without a U.N. Security Council resolution.

At the Security Council, where Britain and France are pushing for a resolution

authorizing a no-fly zone, diplomats said the Americans had made clear they were notready to press ahead with the measure.While the idea of a no-fly zone over Libya is popular among some politicians inWashington, Obama administration officials have voiced reservations about itseffectiveness in stopping attack helicopters and ground troops.

The White House has come under fire from some Republican and Democraticpoliticians, conservative commentators and others for what they say is its failure tomatch tough talk with action to help rebels force Gaddafi from power.

"The Obama administration is throwing out so many conflicting messages on Libya thatthey are blunting any potential pressure on the Libyan regime and weakeningAmerican credibility," said an editorial in The New York Times, a newspaper that isoften supportive of Obama's policies.

The administration has frozen $30 billion in Libyan assets, backed U.N. sanctions, sentmilitary transport aircraft to help evacuate refugees from neighboring Tunisia and putwarships off the Libyan coast for possible humanitarian efforts.

"It is very important for people to understand the kind of dramatic action that has beentaken with the leadership of this president and will continue to be taken as we moveforward," Carney said.

He compared the international response to Libya with the reaction to the Balkan wars ofthe 1990s. It took three months to impose an arms embargo on Yugoslavia after Croatiadeclared independence, he said. In the case of Libya, just nine days.



On Capitol Hill, lawmakers like Republican Senator John McCain continued to call forU.S. military intervention. But others warned against it, especially unilateral action

"I am of the opinion that it is not a good idea to give weapons and military support topeople who you do not know," said Senator Jim Webb, a Democrat and former

secretary of the U.S. Navy.--------------------------------Gasoline Surges as U.S. Supplies Drop, Libya Unrest Escalates (Bloomberg)By Barbara PowellMar 9, 2011; 3:58 PM ETGasoline surged as U.S. supplies fell the most in 29 months and Libyan oil output wasdisrupted, increasing speculation that unrest may spread around the region andthreaten global oil shipments.

U.S. gasoline stockpiles shrank 5.49 million barrels to 229.2 million last week, the

biggest drop since September 2008, according to Energy Department data. Libya·s RasLanuf refinery, the country·s largest, was shut amid fighting between governmentforces loyal to Muammar Qaddafi and rebels, an official with the Libyan Emirates OilRefining Co. said.

´It·s maintenance season right now and refiners are clearing inventory to takeadvantage of high wholesale prices,µ said Sander Cohan, an analyst with EnergySecurity Analysis Inc. in Wakefield, Massachusetts. ´The incentive is to pull productfrom inventory that was produced under cheaper crude prices.µ

Gasoline for April delivery added 8.05 cents, or 2.7 percent, to settle at $3.0272 a gallonon the New York Mercantile Exchange. Futures have surged 22 percent since anti-government protests began in Libya Feb. 15.

Futures also advanced as Brent crude for April settlement rose $2.88 to $115.94 a barrelon London·s ICE Futures Europe exchange. Products futures are vulnerable to changesin Brent because refineries supplying fuel to New York Harbor, the delivery point forheating oil and gasoline futures, process crude grades priced relative to the Europeanbenchmark.

´Product gains are a combination of following the Brent move and the constructivenumbers in theµ inventory report today, said Tom Knight, vice president of trading andsupply at Truman Arnold Cos. in Texarkana, Texas.

Brent ForecastBrent may trade at more than $140 a barrel in the next three months amid rising globaldemand and halts to production in Libya, Bank of America Merrill Lynch said.



Nymex April crude fell 64 cents to settle at $104.38 a barrel as supplies at Cushing,Oklahoma, the delivery point for the U.S. benchmark grade, expanded to the highestlevel since at least 2004, according to department data.

Oil tanks at the Es Sider terminal were damaged by bombings today, according to Al

Jazeera television. Qaddafi stepped up attacks on towns in western Libya and his forcescarried out air and artillery strikes to stop a rebel advance along the coast from the east.President Barack Obama and U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron yesterday agreed toplan a ´full spectrum of possible responses,µ including the imposition of a no-fly zone.

´It·s really getting intense in Libya, and the risk to supply is extremely high so the oilmarket is very nervous,µ said Phil Flynn, vice president of research at PFGBest inChicago.

Gasoline Supplies

Gasoline supplies slipped more than the 1.5 million barrel decline projected in aBloomberg survey and the 3.74 million barrel drop reported yesterday by the industry-funded American Petroleum Institute.

The largest fall was in the Gulf Coast, or PADD 3, where supplies dropped 3.57 millionbarrels to 73.1 million, the lowest level since June 25, as refiners shut units forunplanned and scheduled repairs.

Gasoline demand, as measured by deliveries to wholesalers, rose 0.3 percent to 9.19

million barrels a day last week, the highest level since Dec. 24.

´I don·t think anybody really believes in increased end- user demand,µ Knight said.Refiners were moving winter grade gasoline out of inventories to ´make room forsummer grade,µ he said.

The summer-grade fuel is costlier because it requires more- expensive blendingmaterials than winter grades to avoid evaporation.

Distillate Supplies

Stockpiles of distillates, including heating oil and diesel, dropped 3.98 million barrels to155.2 million, the lowest level since June 4. Distillate demand jumped 14 percent to anaverage 4.21 million barrels a day, the most since Nov. 5.

Heating oil for April delivery rose 5.96 cents, or 2 percent, to settle at $3.0707 a gallon.Heating oil has gained 13 percent since Feb. 15.



Regular gasoline at the pump, averaged nationwide, advanced 0.7 cent to $3.524 agallon yesterday, AAA said on its website, the highest level since Oct. 5, 2008.-----------------------The Case for a No-Fly Zone (NYT Op-Ed)By Nicholas D. Kristof

March 9, 2011´This is a pretty easy problem, for crying out loud.µ

For all the hand-wringing in Washington about a no-fly zone over Libya, that·s theverdict of Gen. Merrill McPeak, a former Air Force chief of staff. He flew more than6,000 hours, half in fighter aircraft, and helped oversee no-fly zones in Iraq and theAdriatic, and he·s currently mystified by what he calls the ´wailing and gnashing ofteethµ about imposing such a zone on Libya.

I called General McPeak to get his take on a no-fly zone, and he was deliciously blunt:

Í can·t imagine an easier military problem,µ he said. Íf we can·t impose a no-fly zoneover a not even third-rate military power like Libya, then we ought to take a hell of a lotof our military budget and spend it on something usable.µ

He continued: ´Just flying a few jets across the top of the friendlies would probably beenough to ground the Libyan Air Force, which is the objective.µ

General McPeak added that there would be no need to maintain 24/7 coverage overLibya. As long as the Libyan Air Force knew that there was some risk of interception, its

pilots would be much less motivated to drop bombs and more inclined to defect.

Íf we can·t do this, what can we do?µ he asked, adding: Í think it would have a realimpact. It might change their calculation of who might come out on top. Just the mereannouncement of this might have an impact.µ

Along with a no-fly zone, another important step would be to use American militaryaircraft to jam Libyan state television and radio propaganda and Libyan militarycommunications. General McPeak said such jamming would be ´dead easy.µ

As he acknowledged, any intervention also has unforeseeable risks, and, frankly, it·s agood thing when a president counts to 10 before taking military action. But I hope thatPresident Obama isn·t counting to a googolplex.

The secretary of defense, Robert Gates, has said that a no-fly zone would be á bigoperation in a big countryµ and would begin with an attack on Libyan air defensesystems. But General McPeak said that the no-fly zone would be imposed over thoseparts of the country that Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi doesn·t control. That may remove



the need to take out air defense systems pre-emptively, he said. And, in any case, henoted that the United States operated a no-fly zone over Iraq for more than a decadewithout systematically eradicating all Iraqi air defense systems in that time.

If the Obama administration has exaggerated the risks of a no-fly zone, it seems to have

downplayed the risks of continued passivity. There is some risk that this ends up likethe abortive uprisings in Hungary in 1956, in Czechoslovakia in 1968, or in southernIraq in 1991.

The tide in Libya seems to have shifted, with the Qaddafi forces reimposing controlover Tripoli and much of western Libya. Now Colonel Qaddafi is systematically usinghis air power to gain ground even in the east. As the International Institute for StrategicStudies, an arms analysis group in London, noted this week, ´The major advantage ofthe pro-regime forces at the moment is their ability to deploy air power.µ

I·m chilled by a conversation I just had by phone with a Libyan friend with militaryconnections who has been candid in the past. In our latest conversation, he sounded asif our conversation was being closely monitored, and he praised Colonel Qaddafi to theskies. I can·t tell whether he believed that or had a gun pointed to his head. Either way,his new tone is an indication that the government has the upper hand now in Tripoli.

Senator John Kerry, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, told me that hetends to favor a no-fly zone ³ along with the jamming of communications ³ as soon asis practical. ´The last thing you want is a 20-year debate on who lost this moment forthe Libyan people,µ Mr. Kerry noted.

I was a strong opponent of the Iraq war, but this feels different. We would not have tosend any ground troops to Libya, and a no-fly zone would be executed at the request ofLibyan rebel forces and at the ´demandµ of six Arab countries in the gulf. The ArabLeague may endorse the no-fly zone as well, and, ideally, Egypt and Tunisia wouldcontribute bases and planes or perhaps provide search-and-rescue capabilities.

´I don·t think its particularly constructive for our long-term strategic interests, as wellas for our values, to say Qaddafi has to go,µ Senator Kerry told me, ´and then allow adelusional megalomaniacal out-of-touch leader to use mercenaries to kill his people.µ

So let·s remember the risks of inaction ³ and not psych ourselves out. For crying outloud.--------------------Obama condemns 'abhorrent' violence in Ivory Coast (AFP)By Unattributed AuthorMarch 9, 2011



WASHINGTON ³ President Barack Obama on Wednesday condemned "abhorrent"violence in the Ivory Coast, saying the United States was deeply concerned aboutescalating clashes that have left scores dead.

"I strongly condemn the abhorrent violence against unarmed civilians in Cote d'Ivoire,"

Obama said in a written statement.

"I am particularly appalled by the indiscriminate killing of unarmed civilians duringpeaceful rallies, many of them women, including those who were gunned down as theymarched in support of the legitimately elected president Alassane Ouattara.

"Reports indicate that the women were shot to death by security forces loyal to formerpresident Laurent Gbagbo."

At least three men and a woman on Wednesday became the latest victims of an

increasingly bloody post-electoral crisis, which the UN fears could become a full-blowncivil war, when they were shot dead in Abidjan's Treichville neighborhood.

According to medics and AFP correspondents at the scene, the four were killed inviolence which flared following a rally by hundreds of supporters of Ouattara, who wasGbagbo's challenger in November's run-off.

Several other people were wounded in the violence which comes only days after sevenwomen were shot dead at a similar a rally last week.

"The United States remains deeply concerned about escalating violence, including thedeepening humanitarian and economic crisis and its impact in Cote d?Ivoire andneighboring countries," Obama said.

"All armed parties in Cote d?Ivoire must make every effort to protect civilians frombeing targeted, harmed, or killed.

"The United States reiterates its commitment to work with the international communityto ensure that perpetrators of such atrocities be identified and held individuallyaccountable for their actions."

Gbagbo has refused to hand power to Ouattara, who is internationally regarded as thewinner of the run-off election, despite mediation, sanctions and the threat of foreignintervention.

"It is time for former President Gbagbo to heed the will of his people, and to complete apeaceful transition of power to President Ouattara," Obama said.



"The people of Cote d?Ivoire have extraordinary talent and potential, and they deserveleadership that is responsive to their hopes and aspirations."

Ouattara is holed up in Abidjan's Golf Hotel under a blockade by forces loyal toGbagbo.

He is protected by troops of a United Nations mission and the New Forces armedgroup, which controls the northern half of the country.

Fighting has intensified in recent days in Abidjan and the west of the country, whereNew Forces fighters allied with Ouattara wrested a town from Gbagbo's control at theweekend.-------------------------African Presidents Facing Tough Decisions on Ivory Coast, Libya (VOA)By Peter Heinlein

March 09, 2011(Addis Ababa) Several African heads of state are meeting in Addis Ababa (Wednesdayand Thursday) to consider responses to two of the continent·s most vexing challenges,Ivory Coast and Libya. The organization·s credibility, and a chunk of its financing, areon the line.

Alassane Ouattara attends AU meeting

Internationally-recognized President Alassane Ouattara is attending; the defiantincumbent Laurent Gbagbo is absent as the African Union high-level panel on Ivory

Coast holds two days of closed-door talks in the Ethiopian capital.

The panel, including five African presidents, is struggling to settle Ivory Coast·sleadership dispute against a backdrop of political violence that has claimed nearly 400lives since December. Gbagbo·s snub in staying away is a measure of the challengeAfrican leaders face in persuading one of their own to leave office when his time is up.

Following the panel·s deliberations Thursday evening, the AU Peace and SecurityCouncil, or PSC, will hold an extraordinary heads-of-state level meeting. The agendawill include Ivory Coast, as well as one of the most glaring examples of the continentalbody·s lack of commitment to democratic values, Libya.

Security contain clients standing outside the headquarters of the Bicici bank as theycame to withdraw money in Abidjan, March 3, 2011The challenge facing the heads ofstate on the Peace and Security Council is all the more daunting as both Libya and IvoryCoast currently hold seats on the 15-member body, though Ivory Coast·s membership issuspended.



Scholars and AU watchers say this is a defining moment for the organization.

AU credibility is a bit on the line, says expert

Laura Seay, an Africa specialist at Morehouse College in Georgia said the Peace and

Security Council, whose other leaders include Zimbabwe·s Robert Mugabe and thecurrent AU chairman, Equatorial Guinea·s Teodoro Obiang Nguema may be hesitant totake tough action against autocrats and dictators.

"I think the AU credibility is a bit on the line," said Seay. "Whether they are going to beable to formulate effective and coherent responses, and saying that violence againstcivilians is unacceptable to the African Union. That·s going to make a big difference onwhether they have credibility not only on the international scene, but also with theirown people."

Libya - a special challenge

The Libyan case presents a special challenge, since Moammar Gadhafi has used hiscountry·s vast oil wealth to become one of the AU·s most influential figures. Libya,along with north African states Egypt and Algeria, are among five AU nations thatcontribute nearly two thirds of the membership dues in the 53-member organization.

Delphine Lecoutre, a researcher with the French Center for Ethiopian Studies, points toa weak statement issued last month as an example of the Peace and Security Council·stimidity in facing up to the behavior of its leaders.

"There was a Peace and Security Council meeting on Libya, which resulted ina cosmetic communiqué hardly condemning the violence in Libya and putting itin a [clever] way, loss of human life and destruction of property, but nothing regardingthe political situation in the country," said Lecoutre. "It is difficult for the AU to dealwith that case."

Lecoutre points out that until recently, when protests erupted in Tunisia, Egypt andLibya, no North African country had ever been the subject of a Peace and SecurityCouncil meeting. In 259 meetings over seven years, the body had dealt only with crisesin sub-Saharan Africa.

Libyan rebel fighters run for cover as shells explode nearby during a battle with forcesloyal to leader Moammer Gadhafi, just few kilometers outside the oil town of RasLanuf, March 9, 2011She says while AU leaders might worry about losing Libya·sfinancial support if they impose sanctions, sub-Saharan countries annoyed by thenorth·s financial and political domination of the organization might welcome thechance to bring a powerhouse like Gadhafi down a notch.



"It is an opportunity for sub-Saharan countries to tell, 'Yes, you in the north are also partof this continent, because we from the southern part, we can talk about your issues andhave an opinion about it,'" she said.

African leaders would welcome Gadhafi's departure

Africa specialist Laura Seay says many African leaders are quietly fed up withMoammar Gadhafi·s antics, and would welcome his departure.

"Some parts of Africa will change very little without Gadhafi," said Seay. "Severalleaders, Zuma, Museveni and Goodluck Jonathan will be relieved to see him go."

Western diplomats and AU observers are watching with interest to see how Africaresponds to the hard questions posed by Ivory Coast and Libya.

A senior diplomat, who asked for anonymity because he is not authorized to speakpublicly, said the international community is looking for an unequivocal statementdeclaring Alassane Ouattara the winner of Ivory Coast·s presidential election. He saidmost western governments see no merit in settling Ivory Coast·s leadership questionthrough a power-sharing agreement, as has been tried with limited success inZimbabwe and Kenya.

The diplomat also said the west is looking for a more determined statement on Libya.He said anything less than suspension of Libya from the organization and possibly

endorsement of a no-fly zone would be viewed as a stalling tactic.

But AU officials, speaking privately, said those were unlikely outcomes of these twodays of meetings.-------------------------South Sudanese Army Says 60 Died in Clashes With Rebel Militia in Jonglei

(Bloomberg)By Maram MazenMar 9, 2011 10:46 AM ETSouthern Sudan·s army said 60 people died when it captured the headquarters of arebel militia in Jonglei state.

The fighting took place on March 7 between the army and forces loyal to renegadeGeneral George Athor, army spokesman Philip Aguer said by phone today from Juba,the capital of Southern Sudan. Athor, a former chief of staff in Southern Sudan·s army,denied his forces were defeated.



´Around 60 people were killed from both sides,µ Aguer said. ´Some civilians werekilled.µ Twenty army soldiers were injured in the battle for Athor·s headquarters in thevillage of Kurwuai, he said.

Athor, speaking today by satellite phone from Jonglei, said his forces killed 159 army

soldiers and lost 19.

´We withdrew our forces maybe only because we weren·t able to supply our forceswith reinforcements,µ he said. ´We have no headquarters, we are a guerilla.µ

Fighting against Athor·s militia has intensified since Southern Sudanese voters chose ina January referendum to secede from the rest of Sudan. The oil-rich region is due tobecome independent in July.

Oil Exploration

Paris-based Total SA (FP), which owns 32.5 percent of a 118,000 square-kilometer(46,000 square-mile) concession in Jonglei and Lakes states, hasn·t started explorationdue in part to security conditions in the region.

At independence, Southern Sudan will assume control of about three-quarters ofSudan·s current oil production of 490,000 barrels a day, pumped mainly by ChinaNational Petroleum Corp., Malaysia·s Petroliam Nasional Bhd. and India·s Oil &Natural Gas Corp. Sudan had 5 billion barrels of proven oil reserves as of January 2010,according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Almost 99 percent of Southern Sudanese voters chose independence in the referendumthat was the centerpiece of a peace agreement ending a two-decade civil war with thenorth.------------------U.S. condemns violence in contested Sudanese region (Reuters)By Unattributed AuthorMar 9, 2011 10:47am ESTWASHINGTON - The United States urged leaders in north and south Sudan onWednesday to curb violence in the country's contested Abyei region and to meet assoon as possible to resolve its final status.

"The United States deplores the recent violence in the Abyei region of Sudan and callson northern and southern Sudanese leaders to take immediate steps to prevent futureattacks and restore calm," the White House said.

Violence has surged in the central, fertile Abyei region, claimed by both north andsouth Sudan. Ownership of the territory is one of the biggest bones of contention



between the two halves of the country in the build up to the secession of the oil-producing south, expected to take place on July 9.

"This dangerous standoff is unacceptable for the Sudanese people, and we condemn thedeployment forces by both sides," the White House said in a statement.

Southerners, who mostly follow Christian and traditional beliefs, votedoverwhelmingly to declare independence in a January referendum promised in a 2005peace deal that ended decades of civil war with the Muslim north.

Abyei's status was left undecided in the accord, stoking tensions between northernArab Misseriya nomads and south-linked Dinka Ngok people who both use the area.

The White House said Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and Salva Kiir,president of southern Sudan, should "meet as soon as possible and demonstrate that

they are serious about making urgent progress" to resolve Abyei's final status.-------------------------------------UN News Service Africa Briefs Full Articles on UN Website

Parties to Western Sahara dispute conclude another round of UN-convened talks9 March ² Representatives of the parties to the Western Sahara dispute, Morocco andthe Frente Polisario, today wrapped up another round of talks, during which both sidescontinued to reject each other·s proposal as a sole basis for future negotiations, UnitedNations envoy Christopher Ross said.

T op UN aid official stresses need for civilian protection in DR Congo9 March ² The United Nations humanitarian chief today voiced concern over violenceagainst civilians in parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) affected byconflict and stressed the need to continue to provide relief to those in need in theAfrican country.

T anzania set to benefit from UN loan to boost rural economic activity9 March ² The United Nations fund tasked with combating rural poverty has extendeda $90 million loan to Tanzania to strengthen access to rural financial services andmarkets, and promote private sector development in the East African country, the

agency announced today.

Six high-ranking Kenyans summoned by International Criminal Court 9 March ² Six high-ranking Kenyan officials, including a deputy prime minister, twoministers and a police chief, have been summoned to appear before the InternationalCriminal Court (ICC) in connection with possible crimes against humanity committedin post-electoral violence three years ago.



UN steps up food distributions to drought-hit Somali capital9 March ² The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and its partners thisweek began an emergency distribution of food aid to an additional 50,000 people inSomalia·s capital, Mogadishu, in response to the severe shortages caused by the

prevailing drought.

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