Tag: Gaddafi

BEIRUT - Libyan government forces struck the coastal city of Misrata with dozens of Grad rockets on Thursday, killing eight people, a rebel spokesman said.
Misrata, Libya's third-biggest city, is the only major rebel stronghold in the west of the country. It has been the scene of major fighting between rebels and Gaddafi's forces for several weeks.
"They fired Grads at a residential area called Kasr Ahmad near the port this morning. They fired at least 80 rockets on that

DOHA/TRIPOLI - A group of Western powers and Middle Eastern states called for the first time on Wednesday for Moammer Gaddafi to step aside, but North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) countries squabbled publicly over stepping up air strikes to help topple him.
In a victory for Britain and France, which are leading the air campaign in Libya and pushed for an unequivocal call for regime change, the "contact group" of some 16 European and Middle Eastern nations, plus the United

LONDON - Most Britons, Americans, French and Italians think the West should aim to oust Muammar Gaddafi, but concerns over costs, aims and the possible outcomes of the NATO mission in Libya highlight divisions in the alliance. A Reuters/Ipsos MORI poll found most people in Britain, Italy and the United States felt their country cannot afford military action, while a majority in all countries polled except France felt NATO action in Libya did not have clear objectives. The alliance's

BENGHAZI - Muammar Gaddafi accepted an African Union (AU) plan to end the Libyan civil war but rebels on Monday said there could be no deal unless he leaves power, and there was no sign of a let-up in the fighting. Rebels in the besieged western city of Misrata told Reuters Gaddafi's forces fired Russian-made Grad rockets into the city, while insurgents in eastern Libya were preparing to advance. South African President Jacob Zuma, head of an AU peace mission, said Gaddafi had

TRIPOLI - Muammar Gaddafi has accepted a roadmap for ending the conflict in Libya including an immediate ceasefire, the African Union said on Monday, but an opposition representative said it would only work if Gaddafi left power.
South African President Jacob Zuma, who met Gaddafi at the head of a delegation of African leaders, urged NATO to stop air strikes on government targets to "give ceasefire a chance".
Earlier truce offers from Gaddafi have come to nothing and the

TRIPOLI - A Libyan government spokesman said the country is open to political reforms and elections, but Muammar Gaddafi must remain as the Libyan leader.
"We are ready for political solutions: constitution, election, anything, but the leader has to lead this forward," Mussa Ibrahim said.
The spokesman said the Libyan people, rather than other countries, must decide the country's future and whether the Libyan leader should stay or go.
He added no conditions could be

ALGIERS - Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has sent a message to U.S. President Barack Obama "following the withdrawl of America from the crusader colonial alliance against Libya," Libya's official news agency JANA said on Wednesday.
No further details were given.

TRIPOLI - Libya's government said on Tuesday it was ready to negotiate reforms provided embattled leader Moammer Gaddafi was not forced out, as loyalists troops pushed rebel fighters back from the key oil port of Brega and the US military withdrew its fighter jets from the international air campaign in Libya.
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)-led air strikes had destroyed 30 percent of the regime's military capacity since the United Nations (UN)-backed bombing campaign

TRIPOLI - Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi warned on Thursday that the West has started something in Libya which it cannot control, the state news agency JANA reported.
"They have started something dangerous, something they cannot control. It will be out of their control no matter what methods of destruction they have at their disposal," Gaddafi said. He was referring to the Western coalition led by Britain, France and the United States which launched a military campaign against

LAHORE - Around 20,000 cricket fans, who had thronged the Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday where the Pakistan and India semi-final encounter was shown live on three big digital screens, left the stadium dejected and disappointed.
The crowd number continued to increase as the match was being played at the 30,000 capacity stadium in Mohali and by the end of the first innings in which India made 260 runs, the stadium was nearly full with thousands still queuing up to enter the stadium

LONDON/TRIPOLI - International powers meeting in London on Tuesday edged closer to an exile plan for embattled Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi, as France said it was ready to discuss military aid for rebels.
More than 40 countries and organisations including the United Nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) agreed to create a contact group to map out a future for Libya and to meet again as soon as possible in Qatar.
Meanwhile, Gaddafi's better-armed and

WASHINGTON - The international coalition's strikes on forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi have enabled Libyan rebels to regroup and attempt an advance west, but US officials maintain Washington will not take decisive sides in the conflict.
President Barack Obama sought in his speech Monday to reconcile the fact that he wants Gaddafi gone with the view that pursuing a policy of regime change through military means could spell disaster.
"If we tried to overthrow Gaddafi by force,

LONDON - International powers should offer Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi an exit strategy when they meet in London on Tuesday, political commentators said. Humanitarian aid for Libyans and plans to move to a post-Gaddafi future will be discussed when Britain hosts the conference to be attended by 35 nations. Britain, which has taken a lead role in military operations against Gaddafi's forces, said the meeting would reinforce the commitment to implement the U.N. Security Council

LAHORE - The Muttahia Qaumi Movement (MQM), after reaching an understanding with the Punjab government, on Saturday finalised Gaddafi Stadium as the venue for its upcoming Punjab chapter public meeting in Lahore on April 10. According to MQM sources, party leaders led by Dr Farooq Sattar were convinced by the Punjab government that owing to security risks, permission to hold the public gathering at Minar-e-Pakistan was not granted, as hundreds of party workers are likely to attend the

TUNIS - Libya's neighbor Tunisia has frozen assets belonging to the family of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Western countries, the United Nations and the European Union have already frozen Libyan government and Gaddafi family's assets as part of a package of sanctions imposed after Libya's crackdown on a revolt against Gaddafi's rule.
The freezing of assets in Tunisia is likely to have a significant impact because Libya has dozens of investments there, including hotels, a

TRIPOLI - "Western powers attacking Libya will end up in the dustbin of history," Muammar Gaddafi said as his troops held back poorly equipped rebel forces despite four nights of coalition air strikes.
While Western air power has grounded Gaddafi's warplanes and pushed back his forces from the brink of rebel stronghold Benghazi, disorganised and poorly equipped insurgents have failed to capitalise on the ground and are pinned down.
The rebels have been unable to dislodge

WASHINGTON/BRASILIA/PARIS - A coalition of the United States and four other nations launched military action against Libya on Saturday, officials said, as the West tries to force Muammar Gaddafi from power.
A US official told reporters on condition of anonymity that a coalition including the United States, France, Britain, Canada and Italy had begun launching strikes on Libya designed to cripple Gaddafi's air defenses. At least some Arab nations are expected to join the coalition