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Libyan Rebels Reject Gaddafi's Sons' Diplomacy Offer

(Euronews: 1118 PST, April 4, 2011) Libya's rebel National Transitional Council has rejected a proposal to end the conflict from Colonel Gaddafi's most prominent sons. Salaam and Saif al-Islam reportedly want to be interim leaders if there is a transfer of power and their father steps down. But after talks with Italy, which has now recognised the National Council, there was a very negative reaction.

 

 

 
 

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Gaddafi Sends Envoy to Greece

(Euronews: 2330 PST, April 3, 2011) Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has sent a trusted adviser to Athens as speculation grows that he is trying to find a way out of his stand-off with the international community. The diplomatic mission comes amid signs that those close to Gaddafi are becoming nervous about the long-term consequences of his defiance.

 

Libya's deputy Foreign Minister Abdelati Obeidi flew to Greece carrying a personal message from Gaddafi to Greek premier George Papandreou. It is thought the Libyan leader is seeking a way to stop the fighting.

 

 

Debating Gaddafi's Options

(Al Jazeera English: 0645 PST, April 4, 2011) Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, has always publicly insisted that he will not leave Libya, despite the crisis in the country, and that he will fight "to the death" against his opponents. In private, however, it appears that he may be open to a negotiated exit. Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher reports on the Libyan leader's potential options.

 

 

 
 

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Rebels: Gaddafi Seeking Exit Talks

Is Muammar Gaddafi seeking to negotiate his exit from Libya? Conflicting reports are emerging, with those close to the Libyan leader denying any such talks have taken place, some opposition figures claiming Gaddafi sought negotiations but was rebuffed, and others claiming a deadline has been set for his departure.

 

Rebel Libyan National Council Says Gaddafi Has Tried to Open Talks on His Exit

(Euronews: 0706 PST, March 8, 2011) The rebel Libyan National council says Gaddafi has tried to open talks on his exit. They say they rejected any kind of negotiation with him.

 

 

Interview with Libyan Opposition

(Al Jazeera English: 0630 PST, March 8, 2011) Rebels will not pursue Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi over crimes they say he has committed if he steps down from his post in the next 72 hours, according to Mustafa Abdel Jalil, the head of the rebel National Libyan Council. Al Jazeera speaks to him about the deadline he has set Libya's embattled leader.

 

 

 
 

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Cancun on the Ground: Final Day at COP16 - Sink or Swim?

Giant Life Ring

Jamie Henn from 350.org stated in an interview on Tuesday with OneClimate.net that he believes there are two difference strategies by which one could approach the UNFCCC climate talks in Cancun and other Conferences of the Parties (COPs). He says the first and most prevalent strategy is to try and make small steps of progress each year towards building a larger treaty. The other and more important strategy, in Henn's opinion, is to use the COPs as opportunities to create "outrage" on the lack of progress that are made at these negotiations by key countries who aren't "stepping up to the plate."

Today, on the final day of formal negotiations of COP16, Greenpeace and TckTckTck, along with volunteers from several other NGOs, showed their support for the latter strategy by carrying out an extravagant stunt on the beach outside the Crown Paradise Club resort in Cancun. Well over a hundred people showed up to participate and cover the event, which involved creating a bird's eye image (using the help of renowned human banner aerial artist John Quigley) of climate negotiators being rescued from the sea by a giant inflated life ring. 

The stunt venue was a nice departure from the cold, civilized rooms of the Cancunmesse and Moon Palace, and quite possibly the first time many of the hard working attendees had set foot on the beach during their time in Cancun.

Sandy NegotiatorsDozens of barefoot volunteers were given suits and business attire to put on for their roles as negotiators, and then were marched out to sea to start treading water. The remaining participants wearing green and blue shirts represented the civil society and used their bodies to spell out the word "HOPE?" on the sand. Then, the civil society leaped up to drag an enormous orange life ring (15 meters in diameter) into the water where the negotiators were floundering and simulating drowning. Fortunately, no one actually drowned (though their acting was very convincing!), because the civil society came to the rescue and pulled all of the flailing negotiators onto the ring and back to shore.

The symbolism of the event was very clear: Negotiators aren't making sufficient strides towards effectively mitigating green house gases and helping vulnerable communities who are already being impacted by climate change. Today is their last chance at this COP to make crucial compromises and commitments, and the civil society is here to help them do it.

Speaking after the stunt with some of the sandy, dripping wet participants, the tone of reactions was one of hope in these final hours. Local NGOs and folks from all over the world had come to the beach to join together and send a clear message to negotiators who once again hold the fate of the world in their hands. The act was not subtle, or forgiving, but it showed the great responsibility of COP16 participants to come to an agreement, and the urgency to do so. As talks wrap up today, we will find out if this outrage was heard.

 

Click here for more pictures from COP16.

 
 

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Global Action Kicks Off Week Two at Copenhagen

The weekend was anything but quiet around Copenhagen's Bella Center and in the world at large, with protestors and activists taking to the streets from Sydney to San Francisco demanding a real deal on climate change. The mass action, which prompted hundreds of arrests, included marches, vigils and church bell ringing by groups like Oxfam and 350.org.

 

At the negotiations, aggressive action took place as well. Tuvalu's negotiator reached out in an emotional plea to the UN, the U.S. Senate and President Obama, asserting that the survival of his country and other small island nations depends on decisions made this week. Meanwhile, Bolivia's UN Ambassador issued a bold response to the U.S. refusal to pay any "climate debt" by saying, "We are not assigning guilt, merely responsibility. As they say in the U.S., if you break it, you buy it."  And today, African countries of the G77 have walked out of negotiations, temporarily suspending talks, in a move to protect gains made through the Kyoto Protocol.

 

All of this and more, as always, is continuously covered on our LIVE page, Copenhagen 24/7, so stay tuned for more up-to-the-minute news straight from the source. I'll leave you with our latest spot from Link TV's Climate Change Hits Home series, which discusses the impending impacts of a warming world on recreation in the U.S. Some of America's favorite (and most prosperous!) pastimes are in danger of disappearing:

 

 
 

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