[OPE] Libya: When historical memory is erased.

"Here's the democratic flag of Libya, that of King Idris": note the
identification here of democracy with monarchy!!! Although the article
was written before the US, French, and Nato attack on Libya, it has
a lot of the pertinent facts - and (like the statement by F. Castro)
correctly foresaw what was coming.
 
In solidarity, Jerry
 
 
 
> [http://www.voltairenet.org/elements/logo/logo-planisphere.gif]
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> [Voltairenet.org]
> Non Aligned Press Network
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>
>
>
> Libya: When historical memory is erased.
> by Manlio Dinucci*
>
> Should one wonder about the proliferation of pre-1969 coup flags waving
> in Libya? No one seems to be in control of the Libyan revolution, yet
> everyone is trying to profit from it. The massive presence of the old
> Libyan monarchy flag may portend a possible Anglo-American
> intervention.
>
> ________________________________
>
>
>
>
> 2 March 2011
>
> From
> Rome (Italy)
>
>
> All the versions of this article:
>
> [http://www.voltairenet.org/elements/drapeaux/fr.gif]
> français
>
>
> [http://www.voltairenet.org/IMG/jpg/old-flag-lib.jpg]
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> Benghazi captured, the rebels have lowered the green flag of the
> Republic of Libya, hoisting in its place the red, black and green
> banner with crescent and star: the flag of the monarchy of King Idris.
> The same flag was hoisted by protesters (including those of the Partito
> democratico and the Rifondazione comunista) on the gate of the Libyan
> embassy in Rome, raising the cry: "Here’s the flag of democratic Libya,
> that of King Idris". It was a symbolic act, rich in history and burning
> current events.
>
> The Emir of Cyrenaica
>
> Already the emir of Cyrenaica and Tripoli, Sidi Muhammad Idris al-Mahdi
> al-Senussi was put on the throne of Libya by the British when the
> country gained independence in 1951. It had been an Italian colony
> since 1911. Libya became a federal monarchy, in which King Idris was
> head of state, with the right to pass it on to his heirs. It was always
> the king who would appoint the prime minister, the Council of Ministers
> and half the members of the Senate, which had the right to dissolve the
> House of Representatives.
>
> [JPEG - 12.7
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> A young Benghazian carrying King Idris’s photo during the 2011 revolution.
>
> According to a twenty-year treaty of "friendship and alliance" with
> Britain, in 1953, King Idris granted to the British, in exchange for
> financial and military assistance, the use of air, naval and land bases
> in Cyrenaica and Tripolitania. A similar agreement was concluded in
> 1954 with the United States, which obtained the use of the Wheelus Air
> Base just outside Tripoli. It became the main U.S. air base in the
> Mediterranean. In addition, the United States and Britain were able to
> use firing ranges in Libya for their military aviation. With Italy,
> King Idris in 1956 concluded an agreement which not only wiped Italy
> clear of all damages to Libya, but allowed the Italian community in
> Tripoli to maintain its assets practically intact.
>
> Libya became even more important for the U.S. and Britain when, in the
> late 1950s, the U.S.-based company Esso (ExxonMobil) confirmed the
> existence of large oil fields and others were discovered soon after.
> The major companies, such as the U.S.’s Esso and Britain’s British
> Petroleum, got advantageous concessions that ensured their control and
> the bulk of the profit from Libya’s oil. The Italian company Eni also
> obtained two concessions, through Agip. To better control the deposits,
> the government’s federal form was abolished in 1963, eliminating the
> historical regions of Cyrenaica, Tripolitania and Fezzan.
>
> The protests of Libyan nationalists, who accused King Idris of selling
> out the country, were stifled by police repression. The rebellion grew,
> however, especially in the armed forces. It resulted in a coup - whose
> chief architect was Captain Muammar Gaddafi - carried out without
> bloodshed in 1969 by just 50 officers, calling themselves "Free
> Officers" on the Nasser model.
>
> The monarchy abolished, the Libyan Arab Republic in 1970 forced the
> U.S. and British forces to evacuate their military bases and, the
> following year, nationalized the properties held by British Petroleum
> and forced other companies to pay the Libyan state a much higher share
> of the profits.
>
> The propaganda of 1911
>
> The flag of King Idris, which is flying again now in the civil war in
> Libya, is the banner of those who, by manipulating the struggle of
> those genuinely fighting for democracy against the regime of Gaddafi,
> plan to bring Libya back under control of the powers that once
> dominated it. Those forces, headed by the United States, are preparing
> to land in Libya under the cover of "peacekeeping." Meanwhile, in
> concert with the Pentagon, the Italian Defense Minister Ignacio La
> Russa announced that from Sigonella military base [Sicily] military
> airplanes will fly directly to Libya for "purely humanitarian
> purposes." The same “humanitarian intervention” that the pacifists and
> those who waved the flag of King Idris are demanding in an “urgent
> appeal,” but they forget history. They should remember that a century
> ago, in 1911, the Italian occupation of Libya, prepared by incessant
> propaganda, was supported by majority public opinion, while in the
> cabarets they sang, "Tripoli, sing land of love come sweetly where the
> syrup runs." Times change and language, but the rhyme remains, “to the
> roar of guns.”
>
> Manlio Dinucci
>
> Geographer and geopolitical scientist. His latest books are
> Geograficamente. Per la Scuola
> media
> (3 vol.), Zanichelli (2008) ; Escalation. Anatomia della guerra
> infinita,
> DeriveApprodi (2005).
>
> This author's articles
> [http://www.voltairenet.org/elements/pictos/imprimer.gif]
>
> Translated from Italian by John Catalinotto.
> Source: Il Manifesto
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Received on Sun Mar 20 10:27:21 2011