Former Tunisian president, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, found guilty of theft and possession of large sums of foreign currency The former Tunisian president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali and his wife have been sentenced to 35 years in jail after being found guilty of theft in absentia by a Tunisian court. Ben Ali and his wife, Leila Trabelsi, was accused of theft and unlawful possession of large sums of foreign currency, jewellery, archaeological artefacts, drugs and weapons. The case was brought in absentia after Ben Ali fled the country on 14 January following mass protests across the country. Ben Ali, who has since said he was deceived into leaving Tunisia, has accumulated vast wealth from his involvement in some of the country’s biggest businesses during his 23-year reign. In addition to the lengthy sentences, the court ordered that the former president and his wife pay fines totalling 91m Tunisian dinars (£41m) and while the trial has moved swiftly, the court said the judgement only covered part of the charges against him and would rule on others at a later date. Husni Beji, one of five lawyers representing Ben Ali, told Reuters before the hearing started: “We are going to ask for an adjournment … I want to convince Ben Ali to attend the trial.” Judge Touhami Hafian, sitting in the palace of justice in the Tunisian capital, said earlier in the day that it was “a normal trial” but events will be closely watched by those in Egypt as former president Hosni Mubarak is set to stand trial over the killing of protesters in the Arab uprising that also ousted him from power. Ben Ali and his wife are not the only members of The Family – as they are known in Tunisia – to stand trial since the popular Arab spring protests. More than 30 members of Ben Ali and Trabelsi’s family were arrested after the fall of the Family, as they are known in Tunisia, some of whom have been since charged with economic crimes and abuse of power. Among the assets left by Ben Ali that the courts said they were seeking to recover were luxury villas as well as interests in hotels banks and pharmaceuticals. Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali Tunisia Arab and Middle East unrest Africa Jo Adetunji guardian.co.uk
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Work and pensions secretary under fire from backbenchers over plans to fast-track changes to women’s pension age Iain Duncan Smith, the work and pensions secretary, has come under repeated fire from government backbenchers over plans to fast-track changes to the pension age that will leave 500,000 women waiting more than an extra year before they can retire with a state pension. But he refused to bow to increasing pressure from all sides of the Commons, saying there would be no change to the timetable and conceding only that he was “willing to work to get this transition right”. Liberal Democrat and Conservative MPs joined Labour members in arguing against the changes, which would see the state pension age for women equalised with men at 65 in 2018, then everyone moving to 66 by 2020. The plan leaves half a million women born in 1953 and 54 with just seven years’ notice that they will have to wait more than a year longer to collect their state pension. Of those, 33,000 will have to wait a full 24 months. The Liberal Democrats Jo Swinson, Annette Brooke and Jenny Willott as well as Conservatives James Gray, Eleanor Laing and Benedict Gummer all urged the government to rethink its plans. There has been intense debate in recent days about whether the government was preparing to make concessions on the plans. Labour has claimed that the move breaches a coalition agreement promise not to make any further changes to the pension age for women before 2020. Duncan Smith acknowledged for the first time during the Commons debate that they had broken the coalition agreement – but said they had been forced to do so after receiving legal advice. Duncan Smith said: “Responsible government is not always easy government. It involves commitment, tough decisions and a willingness to stay the course. We will not change from that, we will stay the course. We will secure our children’s future. “I recognise we need to implement this fairly and manage the transition smoothly. I can hear the specific concerns about a relatively small number of women and I am willing to work to get this transition right.” Liam Byrne, the shadow work and pensions secretary, said the plans would “single out” the women affected, “and say to them, ‘You know your plans for the future? Well you can put those in the bin’.” The head of the union Unison, Dave Prentis, will tell his annual conference in Manchester that women are facing a double burden on pensions, with the government fast-tracking the state pension changes at the same time as proposing radical changes to public sector pensions, the majority of which are collected by women. Prentis warned last week that the government could face the biggest strikes since the general strike of 1926 over changes to make public sector workers work longer. David Cameron ruled out any fundamental changes to the plans for public sector pensions. He said there was “no question of climbing down”. “We are not aiming for confrontation, we don’t want confrontation but we have to reform public service pensions to make them long-term affordable,” he said. “We owe that to taxpayers at a time of great difficulty with public finances that we inherited. But we are looking to a system that is a good public sector pension system where people who work in the public sector can have confidence they have very strong pensions.” Crucial negotiations between ministers and the unions are expected to resume on Monday, ahead of a walk-out next Thursday, 30 June, by three unions. That strike is expected to bring many schools, colleges, ports, courts and job centres to a standstill. New research has given the first gauge of current public support for strikes, revealing that a slight majority of people support industrial action to protect pay and conditions. The poll by Populus revealed that 54% of people said they supported the right to strike to protect pay and conditions, but fewer – 46% – would support strikes against the government’s general direction. There would be most sympathy with the uniformed services if they strike. Some 60% would be sympathetic with striking nurses, 55% with striking fire-fighters and 38% for striking teachers compared with just 17% who would be sympathetic to striking flight attendants, 29% of central government workers and 28% of train drivers. Public sector pensions Public services policy Pensions Iain Duncan Smith Women Polly Curtis guardian.co.uk
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Move follows government decision to integrate cash for special schools into the mainstream school funding grant More than 20 schools for children with special needs have suffered a £1m cut in government funding, which will lead to cutbacks in provision, affecting services such as translating books into braille and helping children with disruptive behaviour. The cut affects private special schools that received money for programmes involving children at state schools. The schools affected have suffered individual cuts ranging from £45,000 to £145,000. They include the West of England school and college in Exeter, which caters for pupils with visual impairment, and St Vincent’s school in Liverpool, a specialist school for children with sensory impairment. Claire Dorer, chief executive of the National Association of Independent Schools and Non-Maintained Special Schools (NASS), said that in terms of overall education funding, the £1m cut was a “drop in the ocean” for the Department of Education. The cut follows a government decision to integrate cash for special schools into the mainstream school funding grant. When local authorities divided up the money it emerged that grants to private special schools had been overlooked when the department allocated the money, Dorer said. She added: “They are publicly funded schools – local authorities choose to place pupils in them when they can’t meet needs locally. They are not for profit. “This money was supporting our schools in getting their highly specialised services in particular areas of special needs into other schools. It’s partnership and outreach with maintained and mainstream special schools. “Pupils in our schools will be relatively unaffected. Pupils in the maintained sector will be affected because this help is going to have to cease.” Dorer said the West of England school had lost funding for pioneering work looking at how to preserve and develop visual function in affected children. The 21 schools have been offered £15,000 each, which would not sustain their outreach projects and could result in redundancies, the NASS said. In a letter to the NASS, education secretary Michael Gove said: “My department has found itself in an exceptional financial situation as a result of the need to focus on reducing the national deficit and to do so as quickly as possible. “Given the decision not to provide specific funding to maintained specialist schools, we concluded that it would not be appropriate to continue to provide such funding for [non-maintained specialist schools].” In the letter, Gove said he realised schools would face “very difficult decisions” as a result of the funding cut. Last week the Financial Times reported that many academies had been given excessive funding by the department. Errors had led to some councils being over-funded by as much as an extra £300 per pupil, worth around £300,000 a year to the average secondary academy. The department admitted there had been errors submitted by councils, but blamed an over-complex funding system. The shadow education secretary, Andy Burnham, said last weekend that Gove had “caved in” to a legal claim by 23 councils that too much money had been taken from their budgets to pay for academies. Education policy Disability Michael Gove Jeevan Vasagar guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Move follows government decision to integrate cash for special schools into the mainstream school funding grant More than 20 schools for children with special needs have suffered a £1m cut in government funding, which will lead to cutbacks in provision, affecting services such as translating books into braille and helping children with disruptive behaviour. The cut affects private special schools that received money for programmes involving children at state schools. The schools affected have suffered individual cuts ranging from £45,000 to £145,000. They include the West of England school and college in Exeter, which caters for pupils with visual impairment, and St Vincent’s school in Liverpool, a specialist school for children with sensory impairment. Claire Dorer, chief executive of the National Association of Independent Schools and Non-Maintained Special Schools (NASS), said that in terms of overall education funding, the £1m cut was a “drop in the ocean” for the Department of Education. The cut follows a government decision to integrate cash for special schools into the mainstream school funding grant. When local authorities divided up the money it emerged that grants to private special schools had been overlooked when the department allocated the money, Dorer said. She added: “They are publicly funded schools – local authorities choose to place pupils in them when they can’t meet needs locally. They are not for profit. “This money was supporting our schools in getting their highly specialised services in particular areas of special needs into other schools. It’s partnership and outreach with maintained and mainstream special schools. “Pupils in our schools will be relatively unaffected. Pupils in the maintained sector will be affected because this help is going to have to cease.” Dorer said the West of England school had lost funding for pioneering work looking at how to preserve and develop visual function in affected children. The 21 schools have been offered £15,000 each, which would not sustain their outreach projects and could result in redundancies, the NASS said. In a letter to the NASS, education secretary Michael Gove said: “My department has found itself in an exceptional financial situation as a result of the need to focus on reducing the national deficit and to do so as quickly as possible. “Given the decision not to provide specific funding to maintained specialist schools, we concluded that it would not be appropriate to continue to provide such funding for [non-maintained specialist schools].” In the letter, Gove said he realised schools would face “very difficult decisions” as a result of the funding cut. Last week the Financial Times reported that many academies had been given excessive funding by the department. Errors had led to some councils being over-funded by as much as an extra £300 per pupil, worth around £300,000 a year to the average secondary academy. The department admitted there had been errors submitted by councils, but blamed an over-complex funding system. The shadow education secretary, Andy Burnham, said last weekend that Gove had “caved in” to a legal claim by 23 councils that too much money had been taken from their budgets to pay for academies. Education policy Disability Michael Gove Jeevan Vasagar guardian.co.uk
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Overfishing and pollution putting fish, sharks and whales in extreme danger – with extinction ‘inevitable’, study finds Fish, sharks, whales and other marine species are in imminent danger of an “unprecedented” and catastrophic extinction event at the hands of humankind, and are disappearing at a far faster rate than anyone had predicted, a study of the world’s oceans has found. Mass extinction of species will be “inevitable” if current trends continue, researchers said. Overfishing, pollution, run-off of fertilisers from farming and the acidification of the seas caused by increasing carbon dioxide emissions are combining to put marine creatures in extreme danger, according to the report from the International Programme on the State of the Ocean (Ipso) , prepared at the first international workshop to consider all of the cumulative stresses affecting the oceans at Oxford University. The international panel of marine experts said there was a “high risk of entering a phase of extinction of marine species unprecedented in human history”. They said the challenges facing the oceans created “the conditions associated with every previous major extinction of species in Earth’s history”. “The findings are shocking,” said Alex Rogers, scientific director of Ipso. “As we considered the cumulative effect of what humankind does to the ocean, the implications became far worse than we had individually realised. This is a very serious situation demanding unequivocal action at every level. We are looking at consequences for humankind that will impact in our lifetime, and worse, our children’s and generations beyond that.” The flow of soil nutrients into the oceans is creating huge “dead zones”, where anoxia – the absence of oxygen – and hypoxia – low oxygen levels – mean fish and other marine life are unable to survive there. Hypoxia and anoxia, warming and acidification are factors present in every mass extinction event in the oceans over the Earth’s history, according to scientific research. About 55m years ago, as much as half of some species of deep-sea creatures were wiped out when atmospheric changes created similar conditions. In recent years, human effects on the oceans have increased significantly. Overfishing has cut some fish populations by more than 90%. Pollutants, including flame-retardant chemicals and detergents are absorbed into particles of plastic waste in the sea, which are then ingested by marine creatures. Millions of fish, birds and other forms of life are choked or suffer internal ruptures from ingesting plastic waste. During 1998, record high temperatures wiped out about 16% of the world’s tropical coral reefs . The scientists called on the United Nations and governments to bring in measures to conserve marine ecosystems . Dan Laffoley, of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature , said: “The world’s leading experts on oceans are surprised by the rate and magnitude of changes we are seeing. The challenges for the future of the oceans are vast, but unlike previous generations we know what now needs to happen. The time to protect the blue heart of our planet is now, today and urgent”. Marine life Oceans Wildlife Conservation Fiona Harvey guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Overfishing and pollution putting fish, sharks and whales in extreme danger – with extinction ‘inevitable’, study finds Fish, sharks, whales and other marine species are in imminent danger of an “unprecedented” and catastrophic extinction event at the hands of humankind, and are disappearing at a far faster rate than anyone had predicted, a study of the world’s oceans has found. Mass extinction of species will be “inevitable” if current trends continue, researchers said. Overfishing, pollution, run-off of fertilisers from farming and the acidification of the seas caused by increasing carbon dioxide emissions are combining to put marine creatures in extreme danger, according to the report from the International Programme on the State of the Ocean (Ipso) , prepared at the first international workshop to consider all of the cumulative stresses affecting the oceans at Oxford University. The international panel of marine experts said there was a “high risk of entering a phase of extinction of marine species unprecedented in human history”. They said the challenges facing the oceans created “the conditions associated with every previous major extinction of species in Earth’s history”. “The findings are shocking,” said Alex Rogers, scientific director of Ipso. “As we considered the cumulative effect of what humankind does to the ocean, the implications became far worse than we had individually realised. This is a very serious situation demanding unequivocal action at every level. We are looking at consequences for humankind that will impact in our lifetime, and worse, our children’s and generations beyond that.” The flow of soil nutrients into the oceans is creating huge “dead zones”, where anoxia – the absence of oxygen – and hypoxia – low oxygen levels – mean fish and other marine life are unable to survive there. Hypoxia and anoxia, warming and acidification are factors present in every mass extinction event in the oceans over the Earth’s history, according to scientific research. About 55m years ago, as much as half of some species of deep-sea creatures were wiped out when atmospheric changes created similar conditions. In recent years, human effects on the oceans have increased significantly. Overfishing has cut some fish populations by more than 90%. Pollutants, including flame-retardant chemicals and detergents are absorbed into particles of plastic waste in the sea, which are then ingested by marine creatures. Millions of fish, birds and other forms of life are choked or suffer internal ruptures from ingesting plastic waste. During 1998, record high temperatures wiped out about 16% of the world’s tropical coral reefs . The scientists called on the United Nations and governments to bring in measures to conserve marine ecosystems . Dan Laffoley, of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature , said: “The world’s leading experts on oceans are surprised by the rate and magnitude of changes we are seeing. The challenges for the future of the oceans are vast, but unlike previous generations we know what now needs to happen. The time to protect the blue heart of our planet is now, today and urgent”. Marine life Oceans Wildlife Conservation Fiona Harvey guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Overfishing and pollution putting fish, sharks and whales in extreme danger – with extinction ‘inevitable’, study finds Fish, sharks, whales and other marine species are in imminent danger of an “unprecedented” and catastrophic extinction event at the hands of humankind, and are disappearing at a far faster rate than anyone had predicted, a study of the world’s oceans has found. Mass extinction of species will be “inevitable” if current trends continue, researchers said. Overfishing, pollution, run-off of fertilisers from farming and the acidification of the seas caused by increasing carbon dioxide emissions are combining to put marine creatures in extreme danger, according to the report from the International Programme on the State of the Ocean (Ipso) , prepared at the first international workshop to consider all of the cumulative stresses affecting the oceans at Oxford University. The international panel of marine experts said there was a “high risk of entering a phase of extinction of marine species unprecedented in human history”. They said the challenges facing the oceans created “the conditions associated with every previous major extinction of species in Earth’s history”. “The findings are shocking,” said Alex Rogers, scientific director of Ipso. “As we considered the cumulative effect of what humankind does to the ocean, the implications became far worse than we had individually realised. This is a very serious situation demanding unequivocal action at every level. We are looking at consequences for humankind that will impact in our lifetime, and worse, our children’s and generations beyond that.” The flow of soil nutrients into the oceans is creating huge “dead zones”, where anoxia – the absence of oxygen – and hypoxia – low oxygen levels – mean fish and other marine life are unable to survive there. Hypoxia and anoxia, warming and acidification are factors present in every mass extinction event in the oceans over the Earth’s history, according to scientific research. About 55m years ago, as much as half of some species of deep-sea creatures were wiped out when atmospheric changes created similar conditions. In recent years, human effects on the oceans have increased significantly. Overfishing has cut some fish populations by more than 90%. Pollutants, including flame-retardant chemicals and detergents are absorbed into particles of plastic waste in the sea, which are then ingested by marine creatures. Millions of fish, birds and other forms of life are choked or suffer internal ruptures from ingesting plastic waste. During 1998, record high temperatures wiped out about 16% of the world’s tropical coral reefs . The scientists called on the United Nations and governments to bring in measures to conserve marine ecosystems . Dan Laffoley, of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature , said: “The world’s leading experts on oceans are surprised by the rate and magnitude of changes we are seeing. The challenges for the future of the oceans are vast, but unlike previous generations we know what now needs to happen. The time to protect the blue heart of our planet is now, today and urgent”. Marine life Oceans Wildlife Conservation Fiona Harvey guardian.co.uk
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Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad calls for national dialogue and pledges to tackle nepotism and corruption Protests erupted across Syria on Monday in response to Bashar al-Assad’s widely anticipated speech, in which he vowed not to give in to the “saboteurs” he said were wrecking the country, while offering the prospect of multi-party elections and an end to four decades of totalitarian rule. In his first public address in two months, the president called for a national dialogue and suggested the Ba’ath party, which has had a pervasive presence in Syrian affairs since 1963, would play a diminished role. However, the speech failed to meet the expectations of Syrian opposition figures who had demanded an immediate timetable for radical reform and an end to the army’s brutal crackdown against demonstrators. They saw it as too little, too late. The suggested reforms, while light on detail, were the broadest Assad has mooted in his three addresses since protests began. Each of his speeches has hailed a need to reform the region’s most rigid police state in the wake of the revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia. But the British foreign secretary, William Hague, described the speech as “disappointing and unconvincing”. He said: “If President Assad is to restore any credibility, the Syrian people need to see concrete action, not vague promises … there must also be an immediate end to violence by Syrian security forces, the release of all political prisoners [and] an end to the torture and abuse.” Europe and Turkey, who have increasingly railed against Assad, were also underwhelmed. The EU on Monday night agreed to intensify financial sanctions, which have already isolated Assad and members of the ruling family. France said Assad was at the point of no return. As soon as the hour-long address was over, protests erupted in the capital Damascus, the commercial hub Aleppo, Deraa in the south, Hama near the Lebanese border, and other towns and cities, activists said. A centrepiece of Assad’s address – a call for national dialogue – was seen by a dissident group, the Local Co-ordinating Committee, as a bid to buy time while security sweeps continued. Crowds in numerous towns chanted: “the people want to overthrow the regime”. Others said Assad remained in denial about the momentum of a nationwide democracy movement. However, Assad, the president for the past 11 years, appeared to acknowledge that he was fighting for his survival as leader. His address was delivered to a sombre audience in Damascus University, not the rapturous throng of Ba’ath party loyalists that continually lauded him during a speech to the Syrian parliament in March. Assad tried to strike a more conciliatory tone, describing some opposition demands as legitimate and suggesting that he and other senior regime figures had met demonstrators. However, he did not stray far from his hardline stance. “We will not be soft on anyone,” he said. “We cannot be lenient. The damage is affecting everyone.” He described the protesters as “germs”. Opposition activists say at least 1,400 people have been killed and 10,000 arrested since protests began in March. Assad retains strong support in Damascus, but dissidents in the capital are becoming more vocal. “I would have accepted this speech last year, but we are now in a different era,” said one opposition analyst in Damascus. “He spoke of reforms when what people now want to hear about is freedoms. They want to know that no one is above the law. “Assad and the ruling family are not politicians, therefore we cannot easily expect a political solution.” Another activist hoped he would suffer the same fate as the fallen leaders of Egypt and Tunisia. He said: “This was Assad’s third speech and – we hope – his last. Mubarak and Ben Ali both had three so we are making that comparison.” Assad drew his strongest applause when he pledged to tackle nepotism and corruption – two elements of his rule that have infuriated Syrians. Last week his powerful cousin, the tycoon Rami Makhlouf, pledged to move out of business and into philanthropy in a move widely believed to have been ordered by regime leaders. Assad also conceded that the economy was under serious strain: “The collapse of the Syrian economy is the most serious problem that we are facing so far. We need a new economic system that will be suitable to Syria.” The address seemed tailored for international consumption as much as for Syrians. However, embassy officials in Beirut said they had seen little that would extricate Assad from a fast-escalating crisis. “His sincerity has long been doubted,” said one ambassador, on condition of anonymity. “And that is the problem for him. Europe doesn’t believe him any more. Only the Russians are saving him from a much more serious situation and that is not because they like him. They are doing it for their own ends.” Nidaa Hassan is the pseudonym of a journalist working in Damascus Syria Middle East Bashar Al-Assad Arab and Middle East unrest Protest Martin Chulov Nidaa Hassan guardian.co.uk
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IMF chief tells eurozone leaders to agree Greece’s bailout or trigger further global crisis as EU ministers delay €12bn lifeline The International Monetary Fund warned European leaders that their hesitant response to Greece’s debt crisis risked triggering the world’s second global financial meltdown in three years. As EU finance ministers scrambled to build a second bailout of Greece in the space of a year, but delayed throwing Athens a €12bn lifeline until next month, the IMF delivered its bluntest public criticism to date of the way EU leaders have handled the crisis. “Policymakers are yet again facing uncomfortable dilemmas, raising uncertainty about the final outcome,” the fund said in its annual assessment of the eurozone. “With deeply intertwined fiscal and financial problems, failure to undertake decisive action could rapidly spread the tensions to the core of the euro area and result in large global spillovers … a disorderly outcome cannot be excluded.” The warning came as the Greek prime minister, George Papandreou, was trying to secure agreement from MPs for a package of measures to cut the country’s huge debts that would mean deep wage cuts and sweeping privatisation. He faces a crucial parliamentary vote of confidence on Tuesday which could yet derail the delivery of the rescue funds. After meeting the ministers in Luxembourg, John Lipsky, the IMF’s acting head, warned that the Greek crisis would “be felt much more strongly around the world” if it was allowed to draw in core eurozone banks. He indirectly signalled that Europe’s attempts to get to grips with the crisis over the past 18 months had been disjointed, indecisive, and unproductive. Lipsky, an American who assumed the leadership of the IMF last month when Dominique Strauss-Kahn of France was forced to resign after being arrested on charges of attempted rape in New York, sounded frustrated with EU leaders’ slow-motion handling of the crisis and exasperated by the arguments raging for months. “The crisis has brought the euro area to a crossroads … Only a cohesive and co-operative approach to crisis management will be successful,” he said. Following weeks of feuding between Germany and the European Central Bank over whether Greece should effectively restructure some of its debt by forcing losses on private creditors, Lipsky demanded an end to the argument, supporting the ECB against Berlin. “It is essential to bring the debate about debt restructuring and the set-up of the ESM quickly to a close,” he said, referring to the European stability mechanism, or permanent eurozone bailout fund, to be established in 2013. His criticisms appeared directed mainly at Germany, which had been insisting Greece’s second bailout should entail “haircuts” or losses for the private banks, pension funds, and insurance companies owed billions by Greece in government debt. The Germans have also been seeking to establish a compulsory role for private creditors in the permanent regime to come into force in two years’ time. The Luxembourg meeting failed to finalise both a second bailout, expected to amount to €120bn over three years, and to disburse a tranche of €12bn from the rescue launched in May last year, declaring that first Papandreou would need to win cross-party support for the radical austerity and privatisation being pushed through parliament. “First, Greece must fulfil the conditions. Then we can decide on a new programme so that the payout of the next instalment is possible,” said Wolfgang Schäuble, the German finance minister. If Papandreou failed “this path cannot be taken”. Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the euro group of 17 EU states, called a further meeting of finance ministers for 3 July, a week on Sunday. Greece needs the €12bn by mid-July to avoid default. The second bailout is to be “financed through both official and private sources … in the form of informal and voluntary roll-overs of existing Greek debt at maturity for a substantial reduction of the required year-by-year funding within the programme, while avoiding a selective default for Greece”, the eurozone ministers said. The voluntary role of private creditors was a victory for the ECB, while the mention of a “substantial reduction” was aimed at satisfying Germany. The EU ministers demanded support for Papandreou from opposition parties. “Given the length, magnitude and nature of required reforms in Greece, national unity is a prerequisite for success,” said their statement. Greece European debt crisis European Union Euro IMF European Central Bank Ian Traynor Larry Elliott guardian.co.uk
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Alliance admits targeting buildings 40 miles from Tripoli which it had identified as concealing a command and control centre Nato has admitted launching a missile strike against a compound that Libyan officials claim killed at least 15 people, including three children. Nato said the four buildings in a rural area west of Tripoli were being used as an important command and control centre for attacks by Muammar Gaddafi’s forces, and were a legitimate military target under the mandate of the UN resolution. Monday’s attack came 24 hours after Nato admitted that a rogue missile was responsible for the deaths of up to nine civilians in a raid early on Sunday that went wrong. Libyan officials used Monday’s bombing to claim Nato was deliberately targeting civilians as part of its military strategy, a claim emphatically denied by commanders in Naples and London, who said great care was being given to the campaign’s conduct. Libyan government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim told the Associated Press that the alliance bombed the compound belonging to Khoweildi al-Hamidi outside the city of Surman, 40 miles west of the capital, at around 4am local time. Al-Hamidi is a regime insider who took part in the 1969 coup that gave Gaddafi power. He reportedly commanded troops who crushed rebels in the western city of Zawiya in March, and his daughter is married to Gaddafi’s son, Saadi. Ibrahim said Hamidi escaped the air strikes unharmed but that three children, including two of Hamidi’s grandchildren, were among the 15 people killed. “They [Nato] are targeting civilians … the logic is intimidation,” Ibrahim said. “They want Libyans to give up the fight … they want to break our spirit.” Foreign journalists based in the Libyan capital were taken by government officials to the walled compound, where the main two-storey buildings had been blasted to rubble. A pair of massive craters could be seen in the dusty ground, and rescue service workers with sniffer dogs were searching for survivors. In a hospital in the nearby city of Sabratha, staff showed journalists the bodies of at least 10 people, including those of two children, allegedly killed in the strike. Some of the bodies were charred beyond recognition. Nato said the attack had been ordered after careful monitoring of the site had shown beyond doubt it was being used by Gaddafi as an important command and control centre. An official said the compound was responsible for directing “systematic attacks” against Libyan civilians, and its destruction would degrade the dictator’s ability to launch further raids on his people. Stung by criticism of the mistake that led to the deaths of civilians on Sunday, Nato insisted it was being extremely cautious in its targeting of sites, partly because it knows that Gaddafi has been hiding his remaining forces in civilian areas to shield them from attack. Speaking shortly before an EU meeting in Luxembourg, the Italy’s foreign minister, Franco Frattini, said Nato was “endangering its credibility … we cannot risk killing civilians”. Nato said it had conducted 11,500 missions during the four month campaign, of which almost 4,500 had included missile strikes. Sunday’s destruction of a family home in Tripoli had probably been caused by one malfunctioning weapon, it said, and was deeply regrettable, but not indicative of the way the campaign was being run. Libya Middle East Africa Arab and Middle East unrest Muammar Gaddafi Nato Nick Hopkins guardian.co.uk
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