Free Libya leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil said Sunday that Muammar Qaddafi could remain in Libya in retirement if he gave up power. This offer is the first time the rebel forces in Benghazi have spoken this way. Presumably the deal is impelled in part by the International Criminal Court indictment of Qaddafi, his son, and the chief of his secret police, which made it difficult for them to flee into exile without risking arrest and trial.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton slammed Qaddafi’s threats to engage in terrorism in Europe (i.e. to repeat his past behavior on a larger scale). That Europe is on the firing line makes it particularly despicable that so many members of the US House of Representatives declined to support US help to NATO allies in the UN-authorized mission to protect the Libyan people from their murderous ruler.
In a sign that Turkish support for the Transitional National Council is increasing, the Turkish foreign minister visited Benghazi.
Meanwhile, fighters from the Western Mountain region of Libya continue to insist that they are readying a campaign toward the capital of Tripoli, despite their pullback Saturday from the front at Bi’r al-Ghanem.
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