Libyan rebels free British commandos
LONDON, March 6 (UPI) -- A British diplomatic and military team has been freed in rebel-held eastern Libya, the Foreign Office said Sunday.
Foreign Secretary William Hague said the team had "experienced difficulties, which have now been satisfactorily resolved."
The BBC reported the team, including six Special Air Service commandos escorting a diplomat on a mission to reach out to rebels, left Benghazi aboard the Royal Navy frigate HMS Cumberland.
Witnesses said the men were captured by rebels after landing near Benghazi in a helicopter Friday.
A senior member of Benghazi's revolutionary council told the Guardian, "They were carrying espionage equipment, reconnaissance equipment, multiple passports and weapons. This is no way to conduct yourself during an uprising.
"Gadhafi is bringing in thousands of mercenaries to kill us; most are using foreign passports and how do we know who these people are?
"They say they're British nationals and some of the passports they have are British. But the Israelis used British passports to kill that man in Dubai last year."
The Sunday Times of London and The Guardian said the plainclothes soldiers were on an intelligence mission that "ended in humiliation."
Obama aide: Gas prices may risk recovery
WASHINGTON, March 6 (UPI) -- White House Chief of Staff William Daley said Sunday "this recovery is real and is strong and is growing," but rising energy prices are a concern.
Speaking on NBC's "Meet the Press," Daley said President Barack Obama is "extremely concerned" about the effect of unrest in the Middle East on the oil market.
"Our economic team has been working with international organizations to make sure that we're coordinated," he said.
Asked about tapping the U.S. strategic petroleum reserve, Daley said, "We're looking at the options."
On Libya, he said, "We have been very aggressive in our coordination with the international community" but voiced caution on U.S. military intervention.
"Lots of people throw around phrases of no-fly zone," he said, "and they talk about it as though it's just a video game or something. Some people who throw that line out, have no idea what they're talking about.
"The president knows that the ultimate decision he has to make at times is to put men and women in harm's way, and you do that only with great consultation with your allies. … This has to be an international effort. It cannot be done by one country."
Senators receptive to Libya no-fly zone
WASHINGTON, March 6 (UPI) -- The chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee said Sunday he did not consider a no-fly zone over Libya to be military intervention in the crisis.
Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said on CBS "Face the Nation" that the fledgling Libyan opposition appeared to be against the idea of foreign military forces joining the fray, but providing air cover for the rebels could be acceptable to everyone.
"The last thing we want to think about is any kind of military intervention," said Kerry. "And I don't consider the fly zone stepping over that line."
The U.S. military leadership has cautioned that establishing a no-fly zone in Libya would require a full-scale air war against anti-aircraft installations; however, Kerry said raiding government airfields and grounding planes used to attack defenseless civilians could be a sufficient step.
It's not a very big air force," Kerry said. "We're not talking about, you know, this gargantuan kind of force that we face."
Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the Republican leader in the Senate, said such a strategy was worth considering but was more cautious about committing U.S. forces to toppling Moammar Gadhafi.
"I'm not sure it's in our vital interest for him to go," McConnell said. "But I think we certainly ought to look for ways to be helpful to those who are seeking to overthrow dictators, certainly short of sending in our own military personnel."
Parties $50B apart on U.S. budget cuts
WASHINGTON, March 6 (UPI) -- Congressional leaders remained $50 billion apart Sunday on how much the federal budget should be cut.
Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., the deputy majority leader of the Senate, and Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, chairman of the House Republican Conference, appeared on "Fox News Sunday," and neither gave an inch.
Republicans want to cut $61 billion from the current budget, while Democrats have proposed $10.5 billion.
"We're going to have a vote," Durbin said. "I think we have to demonstrate to the House Republicans … what will happen to their proposal when it comes to the Senate. And my guess is it will not come close to passage."
Hensarling said, "House Republicans put forth a proposal that would keep the government open. The Senate, frankly, has had plenty of time to consider it. They wanted more time, so we gave them two more weeks, but I hope that they would join us."
Durbin decried the House GOP plan for taking all of its cuts out of 12 percent of the budget, discretionary domestic spending, including education, medical research and border security.
Hensarling responded, "Dick says everything has to be on the table, but under their plan, nothing is on the table."
