I'm sort of surprised not to have seen this mentioned here: the United States has officially recognized the leadership of the Libyan Revolution as the legitimate government of Libya, potentially freeing up billions in frozen assets and boosting rebel prospects. Additionally, Reuters is reporting that engineers from the rebel oil company Agoco have repaired a pair of oil fields and are ready to begin pumping.
While the situation on the ground has never been the stalemate talked about in the mainstream media, progress has been painfully slow. Perhaps this will help get things moving faster.
The United States formally recognized the rebel leadership in Libya as the country’s legitimate government on Friday, allowing the rebel government access to $30 billion in Libyan assets held in the United States.
The United States and more than 30 other nations on Friday formally recognized Libya's main opposition group as the country's legitimate government, giving the rebel movement a major boost.
Libya's rebel-held oil firm Arabian Gulf Oil Company (Agoco) has completed repairs at the Sarir and Misla oilfields and is ready to start pumping oil, trade publication Petroleum Economist reported on Friday, citing a senior industry source.
Reuters
Predictably, Gaddafi went ballistic:
“Trample on those recognitions, trample on them under your feet,” he told thousands of supporters in a speech broadcast to a televised rally in the coastal city of Zlitan, news agencies reported. “They are worthless.” (Same NYT article). He has previously pledged to bring the fight to Europe: "Hundreds of Libyans will martyr in Europe. I told you it is eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth..."Telegraph