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Libya's Turmoil Rages: Should World Powers Intervene?PBS/News Hour - March 4th, 2011
Taking the message to decision and policy makers in Washington, Strasbourg (the official seat of the European Parliament), and London to intervene in the early days of the Libyan revolution was paramount.
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Making the case for InterventionAl-Jazeera - March, 26th, 2011 (From Benghazi, Libya)
Sir David Frost Host of Frost on the World - Al-Jazeera English talks to Omar Turbi from Benghazi, on March 26th, 2011. a few days after NATO air campaign headed by France dislodged Qaddafi's forces that were about to attack the city of Benghazi.
"Benghazi is safe and life is returning to normal" Turbi reported from Benghazi on March 26th, 2011
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My most proud moments
CNN - February 23rd, 2011
Huge Rally in Benghazi, Libya February 23, 2011
Libya joined the Arab spring on February 17th, 2011 less than 8 weeks after the Tunisian and Egyptian uprising which ousted dictators, Ali Zain Alabedin, and Hussni Mubark respectively.
Benghazi where the Libyan revolution was born had always been a thorn in the Libya dictator Qaddafi's back.
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The Qaddafi regime mustered every possible arsenal to crush the growing revolution. Legitimizing the size of the revolution and taking it beyond the city of Benghazi was key. Turbi arranged for the safe entry of CNN news crew into the eastern part of Libya the first week of the February 17th revolution.
Appointed Advisor to the transional government
Photo:
March 26th, 2011, from right to left Omar Turbi, Counsel Mustafa Abdeljalil, NTC Chairman, Counsel Abdelhafeed Ghoga, NTC Vice Chairman, and Salwa Aldaghali, NTC Council Member. |
Turbi was appointed advisor to the National Transitional Council (NTC) on March 26th, 2011 - a Self appointed transitional government in Benghazi that was executing the revolution of February 17th, 2011. Throughout the first eights months of the revolution, Turbi diligently assisted the Libyan people with humanitarian and medical aid and served as an advisor to the National Transitional Council.
During the March 26th, 2011 session with 32 NTC members present Turbi discussed Libya relations with the U.S and U.S Congressional resolution HR188 with NTC members. HR188 was drafted by U.S members of Congress with help from Turbi where he pushed for recognition of the interim National Transitional Council (NTC) as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people .
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Since the start of the Libyan revolution in February, 2011, Turbi relentlessly lobbied the U.S and EU governments for intervention to save Libyan civilians, and remove the Qaddafi regime.
A History of activism |
"A man's true wealth is the good he does in the world."
Kahlil Gibran |
Turbi, is a prominent human rights activist with a keen interest in Libyan, Arab and western affairs. In March, 1985, Turbi, founded Libyan Human Rights Commission. The Commission gained prominence when it delivered the 1st ever, intervention speech in the history of the UN Human Rights Committee at its Conference in Geneva, Switzerland in February, 1989 on Libyan government human rights violations. The Commission also participated at the World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna in June 1993. Throughout the nineties the Commission helped hundreds of Libyans secure political asylum in Western Europe.
The year 1999 marked a turning point in Libyan history. The Libyan exiled community, and members of the opposition reached a level of hopelessness, and helplessness in trying to overthrow the dictatorship, and failed to affect democratic changes inside Libya. It became apparent to Turbi, and many Libyan exiles then that the only path for improving the lives of the Libyan people is working on change on the inside of Libya. Towards that end, Turbi began to promote constructive engagement between the U.S government and the Libyan regime.
In a testimony to the U.S House of representatives in July 1999 & participation in think tank forums on U.S Libya relations, Turbi sparked a debate in Washington, DC. He continued to advocate constructive engagement and dialogue with the Libyan regime, making normalization of relations between the United States and the Libyan regime inevitable. He laid out a vision then that served the mutual interests of the United States, and the Libyan people. During that period Turbi lobbied and encouraged many Libyans to return -
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Appeal for Libyans to work on the insideAl-Jazeera September 20th, 2004
Turbi’s agenda began with negotiations with the Libyan regime for the release of over 413 Libyan political prisoners in 2001, and the appeal in person to all members of the Libyan regime for the safe passage and return by members of the Libyan exiled opposition community.
Turbi's efforts paved the way for the safe entry by thousands of opponents to the Libyan regime into Libya for the next seven years.
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After working in exile for many years promoting democracy and human rights in Libya, he returned to Libya in July, 2004 to continue the same work on the inside. For the next seven years, He traveled into Libya as a U.S citizen, and continued a mission of engagement through political, educational and cultural exchanges. He was offered government posts as a U.S honorary Consul for Libya in 2004, and Executive Director of Libyan Economic Development Board (EDB) in 2008. Turbi declined both proposals.
Turbi’s testimony to the U.S Congress in March 2004 summed up the successes of his vision born in 1999. Only recently, and post the 2011 Libyan revolution, it was revealed that Turbi was instrumental in the overall design of a strategy to persuade the Libyan regime to give up its Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD’s).
Turbi is a distinguished Arab American, recognized for his support for democratic institutions, and Muslim causes in the United Sates. He is a member of the National Advisory Board of American-Arab Anti discrimination Committee , (AADC) the largest grassroots Arab American organization in the USA, an active member of the Republican Party, and a Chairman Emeritus of the Arab American Republican Club. He served on the board of Trustees of the World Affairs Councils of America, an organization widely recognized for successes in international affairs & foreign policy. Turbi is a frequent commentator on CNN, BBC & Al-Jazeera and other major TV and radio networks.
Turbi holds an engineering degree in power systems (BSEE) from the University of Wisconsin, in addition to graduate work in business and international relations. He worked for IBM, and later Motorola, where he learned Six Sigma Quality Systems and became expert in off shore high technology manufacturing. He set up several major plants in Asia. Turbi co-founded several high technology companies. He is currently President & CEO of Orbit Systems, Inc.
Turbi has three sons , Omar, Adam, and Zayd. His hobbies include, flying, skydiving, whitewater Rafting, skiing, horseback riding, fishing, and writing.
My vision for Libya!
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Speech before members of the British Parliament & diplomatic corp
Sponsored by - The European-Atlantic Group London, September 19, 2011 Turbi lays out a 5 year economic development plan for the future of Libya for reducing unemployment, improving Libya's vital infrastructure, improving Libya's international credit rating, and its relations with world community. |
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