Halal MREs From U.S. Arrive in Benghazi

Crucial supplies from the United States are arriving in the de facto rebel capital of Benghazi.

More than 10,000 field rations from the U.S. prepared in the Islamic tradition (Halal)  arrived yesterday as opposition fighters prepare to launch another offensive aimed at sweeping up the oil patch towns and terminals on North Central Libya.

The MREs -- meals ready to eat -- from Department of Defense stocks are just the first shipment of millions of dollars worth of surplus non-lethal U.S. aid being sent to the rebels' Transitional National Council.

"Other items are en route and include medical supplies, uniforms, boots, tents, and personal protective gear, and these are also from DOD inventories," said State Department spokesman Mark Toner. "We continue to work with the TNC to determine what additional assistance requirements we might be able to support in the coming weeks."

U.S. Warns Americans in Japan to Take Action

The U.S. announced overnight it will provide extra charter flights to get American workers, their families and other citizens out of Japan as fears of a nuclear catastrophe loom.

The U.S. also recommended that, amid the fluctuating radiation levels, Americans (and others) should move at least 50 miles away from the badly damaged Fukushima Daiichi plant located about 150 miles north of Tokyo.

Japanese authorities are using water canons and helicopters to dump loads of water on the stricken reactors.

"Despite the best efforts of responders, the situation remains very serious. Given the situation, we recommended the evacuation of American citizens to at least 50 miles, in keeping with the guidelines applied in the United States," said Under Secretary for Management at the State Department Pat Kennedy.

"The Department of State urges American residents in Japan to take prudent precautions against the risk of sustained exposure, including relocating for potentially affected areas in northeastern Japan," Kennedy said. 

"The Department of State has authorized the voluntary departure, including relocation to safe areas within Japan, for family members and dependents of U.S. Government officials who wish to leave northeast Japan," he added. "The U.S. Government is also working to facilitate the departure of private American citizens from the affected areas – that is a 50-mile radius of the reactor – and a Travel Warning containing detailed information has been issued at www.travel.state.gov."

All Embassy, consulate, and other U.S. Government operations and  U.S. military services and operations continue without interruption. U.S. disaster relief and humanitarian assistance teams also continue to assist the Japanese authorities, Kennedy said.

The U.S. earlier announced it had provided detectors that fly around the area and can pick up possible radioactive contamination on the ground.

"We’re doing everything in our power to support the Japanese and their efforts to get water to those reactors, to get water to the spent fuel ponds, and get those fuel elements cooled down. The more success we have at that, the lower the long-term effect is going to be," said Deputy Secretary of Energy Dan Poneman.

Ferry Sails for Malta; Arrives Safely

Updated 3:50 p.m. est

The U.S.-commissioned ferry that had been docked for more than 2 1/2 days in Tripoli finally departed Libya today headed for Malta. It arrived in Malta shortly before 3 p.m est.

Meanwhile, White House spokesman Jay Carney said in addition to the ferry from Tripoli, a charter flight carrying Americans, including the last of embassy staff, also departed Libya today destined for Turkey. The U.S. embassy in Tripoli is now closed.

"It's been shuttered," Carney said of the embassy.

end update
---[


The people aboard are said to be relieved and were happy to get a hot meal overnight, according to a reporter from MSNBC who spoke to a passenger aboard the ferry.

"The ferry carrying American and international citizens from Libya to Malta is finally underway. The trip will take roughly eight hours," State Departments spokesman P.J. Crowley said on Twitter.

"More than 300 passengers are on board the U.S.-chartered ferry from Libya to Malta. Additional passengers were added before departure," Crowley wrote in a separate Tweet.

Most of the U.S. citizens and others remained on the ferry since Wednesday, waiting for choppy seas to settle before they set sail for Malta

End update
---[
Aboard the Maria Dolores ferry as of yesterday were 40 U.S. citizens who work for the U.S. government and their families, 127 private U.S. citizens and 118 citizens from other nations. There are also U.S. security and State Department personnel on the ferry, and other forces nearby.

Americans Are Leaving Libya by Ferry

Updated 5:20 p.m. est

U.S. citizens already aboard a ferry in Tripoli today hoping to flee to safety on the Mediterranean island of Malta will remain overnight in Libya because of concerns over nasty weather, the State Department announced a short while ago.

"The ferry departure from Libya to Malta is delayed due to high seas. Citizens are safe on board. It will leave when the weather permits,” said State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley on Twitter.

"The ferry capacity is roughly 575 people. On board as we speak are U.S. private citizens, roughly 35 members of the embassy delegation, including nonessential official personnel and family members who are departing as part of the ordered departure that we made on Sunday," Crowley said. "We are also taking on third-country nationals and supporting other countries whose personnel and citizens are also trying to depart."

Libyan government officials and security forces are at the As-shahab port in Tripoli, handling passports and other documentation procedures, he said.

"The Libyans have actually been cooperative today. You know, some of their procedures are just taking a fair amount of time: Verifying passports, stamping passports, doing the accounting," Crowley said.

"The system is creaking along. We're satisfied with the Libyan support today," he added.

The ferry when possible will depart for Valletta, Malta. The voyage is expected  to take about six hours, but choppy seas may extend the trip, Crowley said.

The Libyans granted permission for the U.S.-sponsored ferry to dock and board passengers after declining to allow chartered flights to evacuate Americans.

"That was the first option we presented to the Libyan government. We still would like to have permission to bring charters in for any additional Americans who want to leave. We hope that that permission will be granted," Crowley said.

U.S. to New Egypt: Lift Emergency Law

The West began showing its love for the Egyptian Revolution today with a polite reminder from the U.S. that assistance comes with a price: Emergency law needs to be lifted and planning for elections must move forward.

British Prime Minister David Cameron and U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns both touched down in Cairo for separate meetings with top officials, and offers to help with the transition to democracy (EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton is also scheduled to arrive today in Egypt for consultations).

Burns, who is joined in Egypt by White House aide David Lipton, said their mission is to "understand better how we can connect our resources to Egypt's priorities and to be as helpful as we can in this process."

"Along the way, we'll continue to encourage concrete steps to build confidence and to sustain the momentum of the transition, ranging from the constitutional amendments that are being considered, through careful preparations for elections, to the further release of political detainees, to the lifting of the emergency law," Burns said in remarks after an initial meeting with Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa.

Cameron, the first world leader to visit post-Mubarak Egypt, met Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, who heads the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which is running the provisional government. Cameron also had scheduled meetings with Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq and Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit.

Unrepentant Gadhafi Regime: 'Blood Will Flow'

The focus in the Middle East has shifted from Bahrain to Libya, where more than 200 protesters have been killed during weeklong demonstrations aimed at toppling dictator Moammar Gadhafi, whose modest attempts at reforming his despotic image have failed.

Gadhafi's tone-deaf son Saif Al-Islam Gadhafi made a statement on Libyan TV tonight that amounted to a defense of the military's crackdown, disputing the reported death toll and saying only that a "mistake" was made by troops not trained in crowd control. The army panicked, "So they ended up shooting," he said, claiming some of the protesters were drunk or on drugs.

"We are not Tunisia or Egypt ... There will be civil war. We will be killing each other on the streets," he said through an interpreter. "The petrol we will be burned, and nobody will benefit from the petrol... Blood will flow."

Video of Saif's remarks with translation from AlJazeera English: Part One, Part Two, Part Three.


The Libyan Youth Movement (@ShababLibya) responded quickly to the remarks on Twitter, saying: "Libya is one, before and after, people of tripoli do not listen to this, you are our brothers, he is dividing Libya right now."

The remarks, which came just hours after Libya's ambassador to the Arab League resigned over the regime killing innocent people, were a throw back to Hosni Mubarak's delusional speeches in the final days of his dictatorship. Some of the military has begun to defect, AlJazeera English reported.

The world clearly wants Moammar Gadhafi gone amid a violent crackdown on protesters in Benghazi, Libya's second-largest city, as well as Mesrata, the third-biggest city in the North African nation.

"The United States is gravely concerned with disturbing reports and images coming out of Libya. We are working to ascertain the facts, but we have received multiple credible reports that hundreds of people have been killed and injured in several days of unrest – and the full extent of the death toll is unknown due to the lack of access of international media and human rights organizations," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said in a statement issued this afternoon.

"We have raised to a number of Libyan officials, including Libyan Foreign Minister Musa Kusa, our strong objections to the use of lethal force against peaceful demonstrators. We reiterated to Libyan officials the importance of universal rights, including freedom of speech and peaceful assembly. Libyan officials have stated their commitment to protecting and safeguarding the right of peaceful protest. We call upon the Libyan government uphold that commitment, and hold accountable any security officer who does not act in accordance with that commitment," Crowley said.

Celebrated Egyptian pro-democracy organizer Wael Ghonim sent his brethren in Libya words of support on Twitter today. "Dear brothers and sisters in Libya, never give up! Free your country from one of the worst dictatorships in the world. God (be) with you!" Ghonim Tweeted.

U.S. Antes Up $150M for Egypt Democracy, Economy

We are expecting to hear more details about the $150 million in new U.S. aid for Egypt announced Thursday by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The money is expected to be used for Egypt's political transition and battered economy.

Clinton is Under Secretary of State William Burns and Senior White House Economic Advisor David Lipton to Egypt next week to “consult with Egyptian counterparts about how we can most effectively deploy our assistance," she said.

The cost of building democratic institutions, like political parties, will be hefty.

"The message is, give Egyptians the ability to eat bread while they focus on the democratic future," Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit told David Ignatius of The Washington Post.

Gheit, who is old school when it comes to handouts from the U.S., believes Washington should either write off Egypt's $350 million annual debt or provide $1 billion in emergency economic aid.

Revolution Remains in Hands of Egypt's Military

Anti-Mubarak protesters are looking to the Egyptian army to help overcome an onslaught of overnight attacks by violent thugs linked to the regime clinging to power.

“What we have seen over several days is the obvious rapport and bond that exists between the army as a respected institution in Egyptian society and the Egyptian people. We hope that that bond continues,” said State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley.

“We hope that the actions by these thugs does not change the dynamic on the street. We’re very concerned that this unleashing of violence (Wednesday) and this attempt at intimidation will change the dynamic on the street,” Crowley added.

If the hugely popular Egyptian army turns its sites on the regime, President Hosni Mubarak will have little choice but to resign, clearing the way for potential democratic reforms and a Pan Arab revolution in the Middle East.

But the longer Mubarak holds on the greater the chance that radicals can hijack the movement, potentially creating another opportunity for theocratic extremists to gain a foothold in the largest Arab country in the world, several Middle East scholars have warned.

U.S. officials have used back channels to appeal to Egyptian military leaders to help restore calm. Live video this morning carried on Al Jazeera and Reuters TV showed tanks separating the pro- and anti-Mubarak demonstrators after Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo turned into a war zone overnight.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have both spoken to their respective counterparts in the Egyptian government and military, according to White House spokesman Robert Gibbs.

“Officers throughout our command ranks have spoken to their counterparts. It speaks to a couple of different things: One, the importance of robust military-to-military contact; being able to have the relationships and the knowledge of who you’re talking to and who you need to talk to in times of great crisis,” Gibbs said.

 “And I think it’s safe to say, again, each and every one of those conversations starts out with a conversation about restraint and nonviolence,” Gibbs reiterated.

Armed vigilantes, including some on horseback and riding camels, attacked unarmed workers, students and journalists with swords, clubs, rocks and Molotov cocktails. Some anti-Mubarak protesters responded in kind. It was troubling that the army stood by and watched.

Some in the violent mob reportedly have admitted to being paid by wealthy backers of Mubarak to wreak havoc on demonstrators, who for the most part have tried to gather peacefully to call for an end to the regime. Plain clothes police are believed to be among the menacing agitators, according to Arab and Western media reports, as well as eyewitness comments on Twitter.

There have been some others positive signs overnight. Egypt’s Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq apologized for the violence this morning and several European nations were preparing a joint statement calling for an immediate transition in Egypt, the BBC and Al Jazeera English reported.

Even Israel's right wing Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu has toned down his support for Mubarak, endorsing democratic reforms as path to peace, according to a statement from the Washington-based Israel Project.

Still, it seems none of the Western powers, led by the U.S., are willing to say outright that Mubarak must step down, though the White House contends it has been clear about its move away from its longtime ally.


“I think you have seen statements from throughout the world, both in the region and outside of the region, where President Obama and leaders have been clear about what needs to happen,” Gibbs said.

“Many of these changes are going to have to happen on the ground in Egypt, and only those in Egypt can determine when those demands have been satisfied. But it is clear that the Egyptian people need to see progress and change immediately,” Gibbs added.