Venezuelan Ambassador says Tripoli is "totally calm" ... no deaths!

[naaman fletcher]

Charlie Devereux: Not a drop of blood has been shed in Libya in the last three days and the capital is "totally calm," according to the Venezuelan ambassador to Tripoli.

Afif Tajeldine said the media has been playing four-day-old images and pretending events are occurring today, according to an e-mailed statement sent by Venezuela’s Information Ministry.

"This is the third day in which not a single drop of blood has been spilled in Libya," Tajeldine said, according to the statement.

Libya, holder of Africa’s largest oil reserves, became the latest country to be rocked by protests ignited by the ouster of Tunisia’s president last month.

http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=101338

[joshcryer]

1. What the fuck!? Is he being told to say that? 100 people were killed and 400 were injured!

Who is telling him to say that and why? Either say nothing or support the Libyan's!

[joshcryer]

2. Clarification, 100 people were killed *yesterday alone* according to reports by Al Jazeera.

The death toll from the Libyan uprising is likely in the thousands (which is why it will not end well for Gaddafi). Anyone with any access to the information can see that.

[friendly_iconoclast]

4. Feh. We all know Al Jazeera is in the pocket of the US....

Is a sarcasm tag really necessary?

[naaman fletcher]

3. Perhaps

The government of Venezuela does not in fact support the people of Libya.

[social_critic]

5. I think it's very clear Kaddafi and Chavez are close friends

And Chavez is going to bat for his buddy. Castro and Ortega in Nicaragua are also lining up behind Kaddafi. According to reports I have from a friend in London who has many close Lybian friends, Tripoli is indeed "quiet", because gangs of Kaddafi supporters, some of them imported mercenaries, are going house to house killing people who are suspected of being in the resistance movement.

Meanwhile, resistance forces focused on taking control of towns surrounding Tripoli, and a big battle was taking place nearby, which the resistance forces claimed to have won a few hours ago. I get al Jazeera, and they are getting some video feeds in.

There was another statement from Al Qaida, from Osama bin Laden himself. He is aligned with the resistance in Tripoli, and is calling for jihad against Kaddafi and those who support him. As if Caracas didn't have enough violence, now we got to worry about al Qaeda coming in to go after Chavez and his ministers.

[joshcryer]

6. We now know where the whole "Gaddafi is flying to Venezuela" story came from:

Libya is saying that one of his sons flew in there: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8346777/Libya-Col-Gaddafis-son-in-hiding-on-Venezuelan-island.html

I really have no desire to start OPs here, there are better discussions going on in GD that can legitimately devolve into off topic banter about how bad the US/CIA/etc is.

[social_critic]

7. According to the UK media, Kaddafis's children are deserting

One of his sons just joined the resistance in Benghazi. His daughter tried to leave and go to Malta in a private plane, but was turned back.

[joshcryer]

8. Gaddafi appears to have only one son left, even his militia is deserting.

Good discussions going on in GD.