Yemen, Libya and Middle East unrest – live updates

• Libya is preparing to sue for peace, according to reports • Egypt plans to open up the Rafah crossing into Gaza • US diplomats told to leave Yemen amid Sana’a gun battle • Syria faces UN censure over continuing crackdown 8.56am: The fighting in Yemen appears to have escalated overnight. There are reports that the headquarters of an opposition TV station has been destroyed. The Yemen Post reports : The Saleh government succeeded in hitting the opposition TV channel (Suhail) with RPG’s late last night ending its feeds. The channel is currently out of service in Sana’a. This is a big blow to the tribes of Ahmar, as the channel was owned by Hameed al-Ahmar, the brother of Hashed’s tribal leader. It also reports that more than 50 people were killed in clashes overnight . Reuters is reporting a similar death toll. Dozens of Yemenis were killed in overnight fighting in the capital, a government official said on Thursday as fighting aimed at toppling President Ali Abdullah Saleh threatened to ignite civil war. Witnesses said separately that the compound of a tribal leader who is a major force in the fighting was severely damaged in the latest round of clashes that started on Monday and have already left scores dead. 8.10am: Welcome to Middle East Live. Yemen and Libya look set to be the main focal points today as fighting continues to rage in the Yemeni capital Sana’a and reports claim that Tripoli is preparing to offer a ceasefire. The violence in Sana’a has forced the US to order out its diplomats . In a statement the US state department warned : The security threat level in Yemen is extremely high due to terrorist activities and civil unrest. There is ongoing civil unrest throughout the country and large-scale protests in major cities. Violent clashes are taking place in Sana’a, and may escalate without notice. Even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence. US citizens are urged to avoid the areas of demonstrations if possible, and to exercise caution if within the vicinity of a demonstration. Is the Libyan government preparing to sue for peace? The Independent’s lead story says: The Libyan regime is preparing to make a fresh overture to the international community, offering concessions designed to end the bloodshed of the three-month-long civil war. The Independent has obtained a copy of a letter from the country’s Prime Minister, Al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi, being sent to a number of foreign governments. It proposes an immediate ceasefire to be monitored by the United Nations and the African Union, unconditional talks with the opposition, amnesty for both sides in the conflict, and the drafting of a new constitution. Meanwhile, the Telegraph reports that Gaddafi might step down as military and diplomatic pressure on Tripoli intensifies . Khaled Kaim, deputy foreign minister, for the first time admitted that all political options were on the table in future negotiations over the country’s future. “This is for the Libyan people to decide,” he told The Daily Telegraph. Here’s a round up of the main developments: • Barack Obama said that winning the war in Libya would be a “slow, steady process”. And he played down hopes of an early breakthrough saying there were no secret weapons available to oust Muammar Gaddafi. • Ministers will announce the deployment of Apache attack helicopters to Libya later today in a move seen as a significant escalation of Britain’s role in the conflict. HMS Ocean, with four Apaches on board, is expected off the Libyan coast within days. • Some of world’s biggest financial institutions held billions of dollars of Libyan state funds, an FT investigation has found. Libya lost billions of dollars on financial products sold to Gaddafi’s sovereign wealth fund. • Egypt will open its crossing with the Gaza Strip this weekend, Cairo’s interim military government has announced. The move will significantly ease a four-year blockade on the Hamas-ruled territory, but sets up a potential conflict with Israel. • European nations are urging the UN’s security council to pass a resolution condemning Syria for its bloody crackdown against pro-democracy protesters. Britain, France, Germany and Portugal circulated a draft resolution to the 15-nation council despite the risk of a veto by Russia. Arab and Middle East unrest Middle East Syria Bashar Al-Assad Yemen Israel Nato Libya Muammar Gaddafi Egypt Matthew Weaver guardian.co.uk

Posted by on May 26, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.