Karen Dabrowska - The Libyan Revolution: Diary of Qadhafis newsgirl in London

Eventually All things decline Everything falters, dies and ends Towers cave in, walls collapse Roses wither, horses stumble Cloth grows old, men expire Iron rusts and timber tos away Nothing made by hand will last I understand the truth That all must die both cler and lay and the fame of men now dead Will quickly be forgotten Unless the clerk takes up his pen and brings their deeds to life again Wace. Roman de Ru, III. 131-142 (c.1170)

February15/16The arrest of human rights activist Fethi Tarbel, who worked to free political prisoners in Benghazi results in a riot. February 17Designated a day of rage in commemoration of the anniversary of clashes in 2006 in Benghazi when security forces killed protesters attacking the citys Italian consulate. February 21Diplomats at Libyas mission to the U.N defect to the rebels and call on the army to revolt and take over the country. February 22Qadhafi says he will die a martyr in Libya and promises to crush the uprising which freed eastern Libya from four decades of his rule. February 24Misrata falls to the rebels. February 26Sanctions are imposed on Qadhafi and his family by the UN Security Council which refers his crackdown on his opponents to the International Criminal Court. February 28EU governments approve sanctions against Qadhafi and his closest advisers including an arms embargo and bans on travel to the bloc. They also agree to freeze Libyan assets. February 28While Libyans protest in the streets of Tripoli, Qadhafi insists that the people love him. March 1Libyas membership of the UN Human Rights Council is suspended. March 5The Interim National Transitional Council meets in Benghazi and declares itself the sole legitimate representative of Libya. March 9Qadhafi claims the uprising has been instigated by Al Qaeda. March 10Libyan war planes bomb the oil town of Brega in the east of Libya. March 10Qadhafis forces regain control of Zawiyah, about 50 km (30 miles) west of Tripoli. March 10France becomes the first country to recognise the rebel council as the sole legitimate representative of Libya. March 11Libya suspends diplomatic relations with France. March 12A call for a no-fly zone over Libya is made by the Arab League which decides that Qadhafis crimes against his people have stripped him of his legitimacy to govern. March 16As Qadhafis forces approach rebel-held Benghazi, his son Saif Al-Islam says everything will be over in 48 hours. March 17The U.N. Security Council authorises a no-fly zone over Libya and all necessary measures to protect civilians, permitting military action. March 19NATO air strikes halt the advance of Qadhafis forces on Benghazi. March 20Qadhafi says he is giving weapons to his people while the regime announces a ceasefire. March 21Air strikes on Tripoli continue hitting Qadhafis compound. March 22More than 300 sorties are flown over Libya by NATO aircraft. March 23Qadhafis forces shell the rebel-held town of Misrata, as well as attacking Zintan near the Tunisian border. March 28Qatar is the first Arab country to recognise the rebel government. March 29: A Libya contact group is set up during a London conference attended by 40 governments. March 30: Libyas Foreign Minister, Moussa Koussa defects. April 1An aide to one of Qadhafis sons holds secret talks with British officials. April 4The US begins removing its planes from frontline Libyan missions paving the way for NATO to take over responsibility for the campaign. April 5Rebels flee in disarray after Qadhafis forces near Brega. Saif Al Islam proposes a new era of constitutional democracy where his father would be a figurehead. April 9The front line moves to Adjabiyah. April 10Qadhafi accepts an African roadmap for ending the civil war. The rebels reject it. April 11African Union negotiators get a frosty reception from the rebels. April 15Qadhafis forces shell residential areas of Misrata. April 19Britain says it will send military advisers to Libya. France and Italy follow suit. April 23Qadhafis forces withdraw from Misrata to give tribal leaders a chance to find a solution to the siege. April 26NATO steps up attacks on palaces, headquarters, communications centres and other prominent institutions to weaken the regime. April 30a NATO missile attack kills Qadhafis youngest son and three grandchildren. May 1Libyan ambassador expelled from London. May 3Turkish prime minister calls on Qadhafi to go. May 9Rebel fighters make significant gains in the West and East. May 11Rebels in Misrata capture the airport. May 13The rebel council names officials to portfolios. May 15Britains military commander says Qadhafi could cling to power if the infrastructure is not bombed. May 27Russia offers to use its contacts in Libya to facilitate Qadhafis relinquishing of power. May 30Qadhafi renews ceasefire call but gives no indication he will step down. June 1Libyas oil minister defects. NATO extends its Libya mission for 90 days. June 9The rebels receive a pledge for $9bn from NATO countries. June 15Libya approves a $31.4bn budget up to the end of 2011. June 21The rebel leader arrives in China for talks. June 27Warrants issued by the International Criminal Court for Qadhafi, Saif Al Islam and the intelligence chief who are all charged with crimes against humanity. June 29France admits it provided weapons to the rebels. July 1Qadhafi threatens attacks on Europe if the bombing does not stop. July 2Nations at the AU summit have been requested not to act on the arrest warrants for Qadhafi issued by the ICC. July 3Qadhafi does not reply to a rebel offer to relinquish power but remain in Libya. July 12Human Rights Watch criticises the rebels for looting four towns they seized in June. July 14In a speech on Libyan television Qadhafi says : I will fight until the end. The end of NATO will be in Libya. July 15US recognises the rebels as the countrys legitimate government. July 16American diplomats tell Qadhafi envoys that the only way forward is for Qadhafi to step down. July 27Britain recognises the rebels. July 28Abdel Fattah Younes, Qadhafis interior minister who defected to rebels on February 22 nd and became their military commander is killed. August 3Saif Al Islam says he is forging an alliance with radical Islamists to drive out liberal confederates. August 8Rebel cabinet dissolved to placate the family of Fattah Younes. Rebels are fighting a war on three fronts and have to reign in armed militias. August 21Heavy fighting in Tripoli around the compound of embattled Qadhafi after rebels seized control of much of the city. Major Jalloud one of Qadhafis closest associates defects to the rebels. Mr Cameron interrupts his holiday to return to London to chair an hour-long meeting of the National Security Council. August 23 rd Rebels take over Qadhafis compound in Tripoli, one of the final areas under the Libyan leaders control. August 24 th While the hunt continues for Qadhafi, rebel forces over-run his fortified compound in Tripoli and celebrate their victory. Nato is taking steps to assist a transition of power and is instructing military planners to draft options for a post-Qadhafi Libya. International powers compete for lucrative oil deals and plan consultation with leaders of the National Transitional Council. The Security Council unfreezes $1.5bn for emergency aid. August 25 th Qadhafi makes a radio broadcast saying : Dont leave Tripoli for the rats, fight them and kill them. It is time for martyrdom or victory. August 26 th The rebels are building up their forces around the town of Bin Jawad, preparing for an assault on Sirte, Qadhafis home town about 100km (60 miles) to the west. Interim Council moves to Tripoli. British Tornado jets fire precision-guided missiles at a large bunker in Sirte. August 27There are serious problems with water and electricity in Tripoli. Britain is providing 3m of humanitarian aid. Foreign journalists see around 50 executed bodies in a burnt out warehouse allegedly killed by Qadhafi loyalists. Earlier dozens of dead bodies were found in a hospital near Tripoli. August 28Libyas new leaders refuse to hand over the Lockerbie bomber but will co-operate into investigations into the killing of WPC Yvonne Fletcher. Libyan rebels say they are concerned over the fate of thousands of prisoners held in Tripoli by the Qadhafi regime which may have abandoned them in underground bunkers. The TNC refuses talks with the Qadhafi regime following a proposal for negotiation from its official spokesman. August 29Qadhafis wife and three children escape to Algeria. The rebels close in on Sirte. August 30Libyas interim leaders give pro-Qadhafi forces four days to surrender or face military force. August 31Libyas interim leadership has rejected the idea of deploying any kind of international military force. The killer of pc Yvonne Fletcher is found dead. September 1Qadhafi has warned he is ready to fight a long war, in an audio message carried by a loyalist tv channel. The hunt for him continues with rebels surrounding the town of Bani Walid as Nato jets bomb targets. Rebels revealed that Qadhafis son Saadi is negotiating terms for his own surrender and possibly that of his father. Meanwhile, Libyans celebrate Eid and the freedom from Qadhafi while world leaders and the NTC meet in Paris at a summit to discuss Libyas future. The RAF is flying 950 million of frozen bank notes from Britain to Libya to pay public workers and replenish cash machines.