Libyan rebels claimed they had wrested control of the strategic oil refinery town of Brega, as a US official confirmed American envoys had met with members of Moamer Gaddafi’s regime. “The bulk of Gaddafi’s forces have retreated to Ras Lanuf,” rebel spokesman Shamsiddin Abdulmolah told AFP on Monday, referring to another oil hub some 50 kilometres (32 miles) to the west.
Even though the Libyan government insisted it still controlled northeastern Brega, capturing the town would be a major rebel victory, boosting morale and winning access to infrastructure key to the north African nation’s economic future. Amid mounting diplomatic pressure on Libyan strongman Gaddafi to step down after four decades in power, US envoys held a rare meeting with regime representatives over the weekend.
Saturday’s one-off meeting came a day after the United States and other Western and regional powers recognised the rebel Transitional National Council as Libya’s legitimate authority.
US officials “met with regime representatives to deliver a clear and firm message that the only way to move forward is for Gaddafi to step down,” a US official said in Washington on condition of anonymity. “This was not a negotiation. It was the delivery of a message,” the official said. “We have no plans to meet again, because the message has been delivered.”
The official would not say who was on Gaddafi’s side or where the meeting took place, other than that it was outside of Libya. But Mussa Ibrahim, a spokesman for Gaddafi’s regime in Tripoli, told CNN the talks took place in Tunisia and said it was the start of a diplomatic process.
“It was a first step in dialogue,” he told the network.
The rebels said Monday that loyalist forces had retreated from Brega leaving just 150-200 fighters pinned down in the refinery town, but the government insisted it had repulsed the rebel assault. Citing intercepted radio chatter, another rebel military source said the loyalist forces were led in retreat by their commander, Gaddafi’s son Mutassim, leaving just a few fighters with dwindling supplies. “Their food and water supplies are cut,” said Abdulmolah. “It’s a matter of time before they come to their senses, we hope to prevent some bloodshed.”
But Libyan government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim insisted Brega remained under the “full control” of loyalist forces.
US holds Libyan talks, rebels claim oil town’s capture
