By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, August 24 -- While calling the needs of Libya's National Transitional Council "urgent," the US is declining a stated offer from South Africa to immediately release for humanitarian purposes $500 million in frozen Libyan funds.
The US says it asked for $1.5 billion in the UN Security Council's Libya Sanctions Committee on August 8, and that the three $500 million tranches can or will not be separated: they are a "package."
The draft resolution handed out by the US Wednesday afternoon includes not only $500 million into the UN Appeal, $500 million to third-party vendors and an "international mechanism... up to $500 million."
South Africa says that the Portuguese chair of the Sanctions Committee has "in correspondence" confirmed that the humanitarian $500 million could be immediately released. The US is instead circulating a resolution, which could survive a negative vote by South Africa -- but not Russia or China -- for decision "Thursday or Friday."
Some view South Africa as being intransigent, as still being "in the bag" for Gaddafi. In this view, the draft resolution to unfreeze $1.5 billion and release some of it directly to the National Transitional Council will "isolate" South Africa.
Others say it is the US which is playing politics, trying to make African Union member South Africa go along with the full $1.5 billion amount including direct transfer to the TNC, or look like South Africa is, well, in the bag for Gaddafi.
Further background was the repeated reports of South African planes on the tarmac in Tripoli, some said to help Gaddafi flee the country. UN sources tell Inner City Press that the planes got stranded there with a lack of fuel.
Ultimate background is the report from UN "post-conflict" envoy on Libya Ian Martin to Ban Ki-moon, which a well placed UN official tells Inner City Press says we "can't count on the African Union."
Another UN official on Wednesday told Inner City Press that Martin is "taking over" for Al Khatib, who "got hammered" for not having a written post-conflict plan. Meanwhile Al Khatib chafed at Martin traveling to Doha with him as an equal. So, for the on Libya, a Jordanian or a Brit -- or an Italo-Argentine. What about an African? Watch this site.
