Clinton: Africa must abandon Gadhafi

[xchrom]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AF_US_CLINTON_LIBYA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-06-13-11-01-14

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) -- The nations of Africa should sever all links with Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi despite his long support and patronage for many African leaders, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday as she warned that without broad social, economic and political reforms Africa will face the same kind of revolts now sweeping the Arab world.

In a speech to diplomats at the African Union headquarters in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, Clinton said Africa should join most of the rest of the world in abandoning Gadhafi, who she said had lost all legitimacy to rule because of attacks on his own citizens.

"I know it is true that over many years Mr. Gadhafi has played a major role in providing financial support for many African nations and institutions, including the African Union," she said. "It has become clear by the day that he has lost his legitimacy to rule and that we are long past the day when he can remain in power."

She urged all African leaders to demand that Gadhafi accept a ceasefire and then leave Libya. She also said they should expel pro-Gadhafi Libyan diplomats from their countries, suspend the operations of Libyan embassies and work with the Libyan opposition.

[Demeter]

1. Somebody Please Tell Hillary, Gaddafi Is the African Chavez

helping the continent free itself from the Anglo-American banksters, the IMF and the World Bank.

But I expect she knows that, and chooses to make an ass of herself, regardless.

The US never committed even many words to Africa--Africa KNOWS it was abandoned by the West.

[xchrom]

2. and she was just warning about neo-coloialism.

now here she is telling africa what to do.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

3. Or.......Africa's great friend America will....what? Assassinate more of their leaders?

Send more money and military aid to right wing dictators? Install more CIA terrorists?

[no_hypocrisy]

4. What if we're rooting for the wrong team?

Not that Quadhafi is a good guy. He isn't.

But the "defenders of democracy" may not in fact be what they claim. Not Islamic nation-builders, but perhaps conduits for multi-national corporations who want the oil and gas in Libya.

I too note the reticence and the silence of the other countries in Africa. Could they share my suspicions about NATO, a military organization based in Europe for disputes in Europe bombing Libya and the real purpose of the campaign?

[Demeter]

6. A lot of Europeans aren't too eager, either.

They've been burned in Iraq and Afghanistan...

[mainer]

5. WTF are we doing in Libya, anyway?

We went in to "protect Libyan lives" and our bombs are killing Libyans. The law of unintended consequences will come back to bite us.