Mahmoud Jibril press conf 5-12-11 via Andy Carvin

Mahmoud Jibril enters the room with Ken Pollack from Brookings. #ntc #libya
Kenneth Michael Pollack (born 1966) is a noted former CIA intelligence analyst and expert on Middle East politics Jibril: It's in the US strategic interest to pay close attention to what's going on. Overall foreign policy should be revisited. #ntc #libya
Jibril: Communication is the name of the game. Knowledge is spreading like hell. #ntc #libya
Jibril: Mass communications is going to affect our lives more than ever - access to information, etc. #ntc #libya
Jibril: What started on #feb17 was the start of the revolution. #ntc #libya
Jibril: Those kids who took to the streets were peaceful, and they demanded dignity, rights, education, a better future. #ntc #libya
Jibril: Unemployment exceeds 30% yet there is vast wealth due to oil revenue. There is mass deprivation of the people. #ntc #libya
Jibril: This generation has no fear whatsoever. Completely different from previous gen, where fear was a central value. #ntc #libya
Jibril: The first group of martyrs became the fuel of the revolution. #ntc #libya
Jibril: Different parts of society to came to march in the streets. Regime new they lacked personnel to put it down. #ntc #libya
Jibril: They concluded that killing more protesters would attract intl involvement, which would rally Libyans around Gaddafi. #ntc #libya
Jibril: We tried from the beginning to create some sort of structure to counter Gaddafi's arguments about Al Qaeda, etc. #ntc #libya
Jibril: The first goal was to communicate to the outside world that #Libya is one country. One history, one future, capital in Tripoli. #ntc
Jibril: There are now 14 ministries to serve whatever needs the people have. But we're facing an acute financial problem. #ntc #libya
Jibril: the #ntc is not a political org. We're an interim administrative org until the regime falls. Then the people decide leaders. #libya
Jibril: the #ntc represents all Libyan territory. Reps from south and west now heading to Benghazi to join the council. #libya
Jibril: I want to thank the US and the free world for taking this stand against tyrrany. #ntc #libya
Jibril: This revolution started as a peaceful one. Arms was forced upon us b/c of this genocide, this killing machine. #ntc #libya
Jibril: Estimates suggest at least 11k people have been killed in the last 12 weeks; 750k people have fled the country. #ntc #libya
Jibril: We are very optimistic about the future. The people in Misurata fought back Gaddafi forces and are now marching west. #ntc #libya
Jibril: Estimates suggest at least 11k people have been killed in the last 12 weeks; 750k people have fled the country. #ntc #libya
Jibril: We are very optimistic about the future. The people in Misurata fought back Gaddafi forces and are now marching west. #ntc #libya
Jibril: Active uprisings have been happening in Tripoli over the last week. #ntc #libya
Jibril: Our people are breaking the sieges that exist in the western mountains, so they too can march on Tripoli. #ntc #libya
Jibril: I think there's a lot at stake for the US and free world who came to our aid. We can serve as a model to others. #ntc #libya
Jibril: We can be a model not just for the Arab world, but for Africa. Developing real democratic models that can be imitated. #ntc #libya
Jibril: Libya can again be the bridge between Europe and Africa when it comes to development. #ntc
Jibril: I disagree there is a military stalemate on the ground. #ntc #libya
Jibril: People say the opposition can't end this militarily. I would argue the *regime* can't end it militarily. #ntc #libya
Jibril: Freedom fighters are marching to Tripoli. #ntc #libya
Jibril: When the right of power fights the power of right, the power of right always wins. #ntc #libya
Jibril: You'll see in the coming weeks there's still more ground to be gained by freedom fighters. #ntc #libya
Jibril: Gaddafi only has two powers left: the power to kill and the power to bribe. We need to stop the former right now. #ntc #libya
Jibril: A ceasefire would be a partition of the country, which we completely reject. #ntc #libya
Jibril: There's better protection of civilians, freedom fighters are gaining more ground and getting more confident. #ntc #libya
Jibril: The ICC arrest warrant will be real political pressure on Gaddafi. Squeezing and strangling the regime. #ntc #libya
Jibril: Hopefully in the next few weeks we'll see a total collapse of the regime from within. #ntc #libya
Jibril: A political solution would have to protect and highlight the rights of the Libyan people. #ntc #libya
Jibril: The Turkish proposal is promising and could be a viable means for negotiating, incl departure of Gaddafi. #ntc #libya
Jibril: The Turkish proposal is more comprehensive, covers both a ceasefire and a departure of the Gaddafi family. #ntc #libya
Jibril: Any political solution must be compatible with the aspirations of the entire Libyan people. #ntc #libya
Jibril: If I meet Obama, I'd really thank him for the role the US has played, and strongly urge him to play a more active role. #ntc #libya
Jibril: There should be an interim govt incl #ntc members, technocrats from previous regime, supreme court judge, mil, civ society. #libya
Jibril: We are running out of money. We have people under siege, or living as refuges. We have a human tragedy in the making. #ntc #libya
Jibril: We've worked it out with Qatar, Italy, France. Other countries with recognize us in the next few days. #NTC #libya
Jibril: Sen Kerry is trying to create legislation to release money to us. But we're going to need around $3 bil. #NTC #libya
Jibril: So keep most of our assets as collateral and let us access the other money to get the job done. #NTC #libya
Jibril: If these finance issues continue for another 5-6 weeks, it might be too later. #NTC #libya
Jibril: We'll call for elections only after the fall of the regime, the constitution is drafted and the people approve it. #NTC #libya
Jibril: Re: NATO, we're talking about protecting civilians. The resolution states this by any measures necessary. #NTC #libya
Jibril: NATO's strikes lately are more successful, more responsive. There were some complaints before. #NTC #libya
Jibril: NATO is more active now re: carrying out the UNSC resolution. #NTC #libya
Jibril: #NTC is an administrative body. When it's time to decide Libya's rulers, that should be a fully democratic process. #libya
Jibril: We don't have a timetable (re Tripoli); the freedom fighters need to defend themselves, too. #NTC #libya
Jibril: It's self defense. They're getting slaughtered day and night. It's a peaceful revolution, not an armed struggled. #NTC #libya
Jibril: They're being forced to do whatever to defend themselves. But this is still a peaceful revolution. #NTC #libya
Jibril hopes the US will free up $180 million for opposition use. #NTC #libya
Jibril: We are seeking every type of assistance from our Arab brothers. Qatar has done that immensely, as has UAE. #NTC #libya
Jibril: We have a depleted commodity. We have only oil, and it won't last forever. We have to think of an alternative economy. #NTC #libya
Jibril: Our future economy must be based on our geographic positioning and in areas we can be competitive in. #NTC #libya
Jibril: We can become a service economy based on knowledge, a new education philosophy. #NTC #libya
Jibril: There needs to be an independent judiciary; we're talking about accountability and transparency. #NTC #libya
Jibril: Reaching that stage is a must. We're facing a number of challenges, including a demographic challenge. Population down. #NTC #libya
Jibril: Egypt will have 117 mil people by the time we get to 2025, while Libya will be just 8.1 mil. #NTC #libya
Jibril: The scarcity of water is also a challenge. We've got the worst access in the region. #NTC #libya
Jibril: And people don't respect the state any more. There's been a lack of rule of law. We need to restore both. #NTC #libya
Jibril: We're in a state of nature right now; all against all. If we don't rebuild the state, we could become a failed state. #NTC #libya
Jibril: We have the financial resources. We just need the right vision and the political will to do it. #NTC #libya