@JamesWilson1970James David Wilson
Russia has strongly criticised France for dropping weapons to Libyan rebels and demanded an explanation from Paris - Don't mention Chechnya!
A new diplomatic row is set to erupt as Russia demands an explanation from France about what it calls “a very crude violation of UN Security Council resolution 1970″.
Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, said he was waiting for confirmation from Paris of the reported supply of weapons to Opposition forces and is due to meet the French Foreign Minister in Moscow today.
@MFA_RussiaMFA Russia
Sergey Lavrov to meet with Palestinian National Authority representatives in Moscow on July 5 . bit.ly/m2LpXz
China, without specifically naming France, has expressed similar concerns.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman,Hong Lei, requested, “the international community to strictly follow the spirit of the relevant resolution of the UN Security Council and avoid taking any action that goes beyond the mandate of the resolution”
@AllianceInChinaThomas Renton
#British banks 'may never recover' after slipping below #China, #France and #Japan in world rankings http://is.gd/socdOv
The US, via a State Department spokesman, Mark Toner, said that it “respectfully disagrees”.
“We believe that UN Security Council Resolutions 1970 and 1973, read together, neither specified nor precluded providing defence material to the Libyan opposition,” he said.
The NTC in Benghazi applauded the French move and said it had kept them going during difficult times.
Vice-Chairman of the NTC, Abdul HAfeedh Ghoga said in a statement of thanks to French President Nicholas Sarkozy, “There should be no doubt that Libyans in the Nafusa Mountain area are alive and safe today thanks to a combination of heroic Libyan bravery and French wisdom and support”.
Not to be left behind, it is reported that Brahim Beitelmal, who heads the Opposition Council in Misrata, has also been in touch with the French Government to ask if they can be supplied with weapons too.
The diplomatic questions revolves around firstly whether the weapons where supplied legally and secondly, if so, were they for defensive purposes to save a threatened civilian population?
Either way the weapons, together with help from NATO, have made a made a significant difference on the ground and Opposition fighters are making consistent progress towards Tripoli.
Fighting in currently centred around Bir al-Ghanam and Gharyan and towards Tawama where there is a military base, with significant NATO stikes this morning on Gaddafi forces in Zawiyah.
The major international bank HSBC, based in London, is being investigated by US anthorities over a bribery allegation in relation to Gaddafi’s Libyan Investment Authority.
The allegations centre around HSBC having £182 million ($273 million) of Libya’s money invested in June 2010 and just 3 months later this swelling to £870 million ($1.3 billion).
Dent in HSBC's Global Image? - Reuters
The question being asked by US investigators and the UK’s Serious Fraud Office is whether Libyan officials were paid bribes to facilitate these fund transfers to HSBC in preference to other banks? HSBC denies the charges.
All the assets are of course currently frozen and not available to the Libyan Government.
