Gaddafi urged to halt Libya fight

24 August 2011 Last updated at 17:14 GMT William Hague: "It is time now for Colonel Gaddafi to stop issuing delusional statements"

Foreign Secretary William Hague has urged Col Muammar Gaddafi to tell his supporters to stop fighting, saying their numbers are "dwindling".

Mr Hague said he did not know where the Libyan leader was, but he had been "clearly rejected" by his own people.

While opposition forces control large parts of Tripoli, there are reports of gun battles with regime loyalists.

The UK and France have invited Libya's opposition political authority to an international conference next week.

Britain is also talking to humanitarian agencies about how to get emergency medical supplies into Tripoli.

Aid groups have warned that the city's hospitals and medical centres have been "overwhelmed with casualties" and that medicine and fuel supplies are running low.

The United Nations' envoy in Tripoli has said that opposition forces now control the vast majority of the capital, but there are reports of pockets of resistance from pro-Gaddafi forces.

Rebel forces say they expect to detain Col Gaddafi soon, but he has urged forces loyal to him to continue fighting to "cleanse the city".

After chairing a meeting of the National Security Council meeting - the third to be held in consecutive days over Libya - Mr Hague urged Col Gaddafi to stop making "delusional statements".

Battle for Tripoli

He said Col Gaddafi should accept the fact that he had "lost control" of most of Tripoli and large parts of Libya and would not be able to regain it.

"There is a clear, fundamental, decisive rejection of that regime by the people of Libya," he said.

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The National Transitional Council faces an important and significant challenge in translating a popular uprising into stable government for Libya”

End Quote Douglas Alexander Shadow foreign secretary "He [Col Gaddafi] should be telling his dwindling and remaining forces now to stand down."

He said the government remained "actively engaged" in both military and humanitarian efforts in Libya as well as United Nations moves to unfreeze £12bn Libyan assets in the UK held withheld since the conflict began.

Downing Street said David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy had invited Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC) to attend a conference on the country's future in Paris next week.

"This will be an opportunity for the NTC to set out how the international community can help them on the path to establishing a free, democratic and inclusive Libya and for all those who wish to support Libya to discuss the role that they can play to support this," a Number 10 spokesman said.

British nationals

As fighting continued in Tripoli, BBC journalists confined for days in a Tripoli hotel by armed guards loyal to the Gaddafi regime were released after representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross arranged for them to leave.

Those freed from the Hotel Rixos also included a US congressman and an Indian MP.

But amid concerns for the safety of the small number of British nationals still in Tripoli, it emerged that a Maltese vessel which the Foreign Office suggested that Britons could use to leave the capital had not reached its intended destination, instead returning to Malta.

The Maltese authorities said it was not considered "safe enough" to transfer passengers from the city centre to the port.

The UK government has advised all Britons still in Libya to leave the country immediately.

Security experts said they expected there to be continued attacks from remnants of the regime over the coming days and weeks amid fears of reprisals should pro-Gaddafi forces lay down their arms.

'Significant challenges' Demonstrators outside the Libyan Embassy in London wore wristbands showing the date the uprising began

For Labour, shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander said it was clear the days of Gaddafi rule were over and that he was "on the run".

But he said there was a lot of work to be done to bring stability to the country, to disarm combatants and to ensure the Libyan people could get access to basic amenities.

"Taking a city is not the same as running a city," he told the BBC.

"The National Transitional Council faces an important and significant challenge in translating a popular uprising into stable government for Libya."

Mr Alexander said the UK could play a role in supporting what he said must be a Libyan-led process in developing new constitutional arrangements for the country.

Military operations

Nato has said its military operations will continue until all pro-Gaddafi forces surrender.

The UK has taken a lead role in five months of strikes against the apparatus of the Gaddafi regime, in accordance with a UN mandate to protect Libyan civilians.

The UK has also been providing logistical advice and training to the anti-Gaddafi forces but has effectively ruled out sending in ground troops as part of a transition to a new government.

The only Conservative MP to vote against military intervention in Libya has continued to question the motives behind the campaign.

John Baron described the action as the "longest assassination attempt in history" and said he remained concerned that successors to the Gaddafi regime might not prove committed to democracy.

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Rebels appeal for Gaddafi capture

25 August 2011 Last updated at 04:34 GMT The BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes came under fire as fighting continued in Gaddafi's compound

Libyan rebels have announced an amnesty for anyone within Col Muammar Gaddafi's "inner circle" who captures or kills him, and a $1.7m (£1m) reward.

Col Gaddafi's whereabouts are unknown, though rebels have said they think he is still in or around Tripoli.

Rebels fighters have fought running battles in the capital, where pockets of pro-Gaddafi resistance remain.

The fugitive leader has vowed in an audio message to fight until victory or martyrdom.

His sprawling Bab al-Aziziya compound was overrun on Tuesday, though firefights within the complex have continued.

Col Gaddafi's forces are still firmly in control of his birthplace - the strategic coastal city of Sirte - as well as several key bases in southern Libya.

'Huge incentive'

The head of the National Transitional Council (NTC), Mustafa Abdel Jalil, announced the amnesty offer from the eastern city of Benghazi.

"Gaddafi's forces and his accomplices will not stop resisting until Gaddafi is caught or killed," he said.

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Libyan rebels as well as Nato officials will be hoping that the hunt for Col Muammar Gaddafi does not turn into a protracted affair. ”

End Quote Gordon Corera Security correspondent, BBC News He added that the NTC supported an offer by a group of businessmen to pay $1.7m for Col Gaddafi, "dead or alive".

Rebel spokesman Guma el-Gamaty told the BBC that those around Col Gaddafi were "heavily implicated with him in crimes against humanity and crimes against the Libyan people".

"Now there is a huge psychological incentive for them. If they don't want to go down with him and save their skin, they will be immune from prosecution if they hand him over or kill him," he said.

The rebel leadership have also offered Col Gaddafi safe passage out of the country, if he renounces his leadership.

Mr Gamaty said such a possibility was remote.

"I think [Col Gaddafi] would rather die or be captured than do that," he said.

'Tactical move'

Despite thousands of rebel fighters overrunning Col Gaddafi's Bab al-Aziziya compound in Tripoli on Tuesday, they were still meeting fierce resistance from well-armed loyalists a day later.

Rebel spokesman Guma el-Gamaty explains the amnesty for anyone who captures or kills Col Gaddafi

Col Gaddafi is also believed to retain a strong following in two other cities - Sirte, his hometown 450km (280 miles) to the east of the capital, and Sabha, 650km to the south in the desert.

A rebel spokesman told the BBC that negotiations were going on with local leaders in both locations seeking a peaceful end to the conflict.

The NTC estimates that about 400 people have been killed and thousands injured in the battle for Tripoli since Sunday.

Earlier, Col Gaddafi said in an audio message that his decision to leave his Bab al-Aziziya compound was a "tactical" move.

He said he had "been out a bit in Tripoli discreetly, without being seen".

Libyan Foreign Minister Abdul Ati al-Obeidi told the UK's Channel 4 News that it appeared Col Gaddafi had exhausted all his options, including fleeing abroad, and that his rule "was over".

And the deputy head of Libyan intelligence, Gen Khalifa Mohammed Ali, declared his allegiance to the rebels in an interview with Saudi-owned al-Arabiya TV channel.

Meanwhile, the head of the NTC's cabinet, Mahmoud Jibril, said it was seeking $2.5bn in immediate aid.

Its immediate priority is to pay employees' salaries and cover humanitarian costs, though in the longer term, money will be needed to repair Libya's oil infrastructure, correspondents say.

Diplomats say the US will present a draft resolution at a meeting of the UN Security Council on Wednesday evening asking it to release $1.5bn of assets for humanitarian needs. A vote is expected on Thursday or Friday.

But South Africa has been stalling Washington's attempts, saying it wants to wait for guidance from the African Union, which has not recognised the rebel leadership as Libya's legitimate authority.

Meanwhile, the NTC says it has started the process of moving its headquarters from Benghazi to Tripoli, but that with Gaddafi loyalists still fighting back, a full move has been postponed until next week at the earliest.

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US rebuffs letter sent by Gaddafi

7 April 2011 Last updated at 00:52 GMT Rebel forces kept up attacks in the west on Wednesday The US has rebuffed a personal appeal from Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to US President Barack Obama, repeating that he must resign and go into exile.

"Mr Gaddafi knows what he must do," US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, commenting on the three-page letter received by the president.

Colonel Gaddafi urged Mr Obama in his letter to end an "unjust war".

An unconfirmed report from Libya says a coalition air strike has damaged a disputed oil pipeline.

Khaled Kaim, a deputy foreign minister in Col Gaddafi's government in Tripoli, told reporters that three guards had been killed and other staff injured during an air strike by British jets on the Sarir oilfield in the Sirte basin.

Tim Wilcox spoke to one of the opposition leaders, who wished to remain anonymous

However, the oilfield has been under rebel control, and the rebels reported attacks this week by Libyan government forces in the area, which forced a halt to oil production.

There was no immediate official comment from the UK's Ministry of Defence on the Libyan government report.

But on Wednesday afternoon, it reported that British jets had hit targets around Sirte and Misrata, attacking armoured fighting vehicles and tanks.

'Our son'

A White House spokesman responded to Col Gaddafi's letter, a copy of which was obtained by the Associated Press news agency, by saying actions, not words, were needed from the Libyan leader.

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I don't think there is any mystery about what is expected from Mr Gaddafi at this time”

End Quote Hillary Clinton US secretary of state American warplanes are no longer involved in the air strikes on Libya - a fact hailed by Col Gaddafi in his letter.

Referring to Barack Obama as "our son", the Libyan leader urged the US leader to end an "unjust war against a small people of a developing country", and dismissed the rebels as "al-Qaeda" militants.

His nation, he said, had been been hurt "morally" more than "physically".

Mrs Clinton said in Washington: "I don't think there is any mystery about what is expected from Mr Gaddafi at this time.

"There needs to be a cease-fire, his forces need to withdraw from the cities that they have forcibly taken at great violence and human cost...

"There needs to be a decision made about his departure from power and... his departure from Libya."

In another development, a former US congressman has arrived in Tripoli at the invitation of the Libyan government.

Curt Weldon says he will urge Mr Gaddafi to "step aside", and is suggesting that his forces pull back from western cities under siege while rebel fighters do not try to advance any further from the east.

The White House was informed about the visit in advance but a spokesman stressed that Mr Weldon was not an official envoy.

Change of tactics

Nato has promised to do everything it can to protect civilians in the west Libyan city of Misrata which is besieged by Col Gaddafi's forces.

Rebel leaders have predicted a massacre there within a week unless Nato takes more decisive action.

The BBC's Wyre Davies reports from rebel-held eastern Libya that rebel forces remain enthusiastic but ill-disciplined, despite attempts by the few former regular soldiers among their ranks to try to coordinate their operations.

It is a safe bet that after firing off their rockets and mortars in the general direction of the enemy, the same rebels will come charging back, unable or unwilling to dig in and take on Col Gaddafi's better-trained troops, our correspondent says.

Meanwhile, government forces have adapted their efforts to frustrate Nato air strikes, no longer using tanks or other military vehicles that could easily be identified and attacked.

They are using the same pick-up trucks and civilian guise as the rebel fighters, our correspondent says.

Col Gaddafi's opponents are still not in immediate danger of losing strongholds like Benghazi but nor are they in any shape to make significant advances on the ground without more Nato air strikes, he adds.

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Gaddafi digs in as protests mount

24 February 2011 Last updated at 11:21 GMT British oil worker Bryan Richards describes scenes of 'mass hysteria' at Tripoli Airport (The amateur video accompanying this interview is purportedly recent footage of the scene in Libya)

The area controlled by Libya's embattled leader Col Muammar Gaddafi is shrinking, reports say, as the opposition consolidates its gains.

Witnesses say the capital, Tripoli, is heavily guarded by pro-Gaddafi forces, with tanks deployed in the suburbs.

Oil prices have hit their highest level since 2008 as many oil firms in Libya partly suspend production.

Thousands of foreigners are meanwhile still trying to flee Libya through ports, airports and overland.

The US, China and many European countries have sent in planes, ships and ferries to help people flee.

The town of Zuara, 120km (75 miles) west of Tripoli, has reportedly become the latest area to fall to the opposition.

There are no police or soldiers left in Zuara, witnesses crossing out of Libya have told journalists on the border with Tunisia.

Martin Chulov from the Guardian described the scene from within Benghazi

'Mayhem'

Thousands of people, many of them African migrants, have also poured across Libya's land borders, in vans piled high with furniture and luggage.

British oil worker Bryan Richards was evacuated to Warsaw on what he was told was the Polish presidential plane.

He described Tripoli airport as "mayhem. No sanitation. Nothing to eat. People have been there for days".

He told the BBC: "We've come in on Tuesday from the desert. And we walked in to the terminal and couldn't believe what we could see. We couldn't see the end of the terminal for people."

The BBC's Jim Muir, at Libya's western border with Tunisia, says most of the 3,000 to 4,000 people who crossed out of Libya on Wednesday were Tunisian or Egyptian migrant workers, not Libyans.

He says that Libyan border guards have been seizing cameras and mobile phones to prevent images getting out of the country.

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi said everything was "normal" (photo: AFP/Libyan TV)

Germany has sent three warships with 600 soldiers on board to the sea area between Malta and Libya, reports the German magazine Spiegel. About 160 German nationals are still in Libya, Spiegel says.

Oil prices have continued to climb.

Brent crude hit $119.79 (£74.08) a barrel in early Thursday trade, before falling back to $116.80. Oil firms - including Total, Repsol, OMV and Wintershall - have been suspending all or part of their production in Libya this week.

Last stand?

In the eastern city of Benghazi, residents have been queuing to be issued with guns looted from the army and police in order to join what they are calling the battle for Tripoli.

A number of military units in the east say they have unified their command in support of the protesters.

The BBC's Jon Leyne, in eastern Libya, says Col Gaddafi appears to be in control of an ever smaller area, possibly readying himself for a last stand at his home in Tripoli.

Reports indicate the area is heavily guarded by loyalists, including armed militiamen in vehicles, our correspondent says.

Continue reading the main story The Foreign Office is advising against all but essential travel to LibyaUK nationals in Libya wishing to get on the charter flight are advised to call the following numbers:020 7008 0000 from the UK or 021 3403644/45 from within LibyaThe total number of deaths has been impossible to determine. Human Rights Watch says it has confirmed nearly 300 deaths, but the International Federation for Human Rights says at least 700 people have been killed, while Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said estimates of 1,000 dead were "credible".

A French doctor working in Benghazi, Gerard Buffet, told the BBC the death toll there was at least 2,000.

He said Col Gaddafi's forces used jet fighters, mortars and rockets to fire on the opposition.

Col Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam has denied claims that the government launched air strikes against opposition-controlled cities.

He also said reports of deaths among protesters were exaggerated. US President Barack Obama has denounced the Libyan government's actions as "outrageous and unacceptable".

He said he had ordered his administration team to prepare the "full range of options" for dealing with the crisis, but gave no details.

In other developments:

Several provincial governors are reported to have defected to the oppositionPro-Gaddafi forces have reportedly clashed with the opposition in the western cities of Zawiya, Sarathra and Ajdabiya, on the road to Col Gaddafi's hometown of SurtOpposition supporters have celebrated in the eastern cities of Benghazi and Tobruk, waving flags and setting off fireworks to mark their control over the areaUS Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will join a meeting of foreign ministers at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on MondayThe UN has stripped Col Gaddafi's daughter Aisha of her role as a goodwill ambassador?

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VIDEO: What next for Libya and Gaddafi?

22 February 2011 Last updated at 12:16 GMT Help

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