THU 28 - 3 - 2024
 
Date: Mar 14, 2011
Source: The Daily Star
Gadhafi's forces take eastern oil town, vow to 'bury' rebels

Monday, March 14, 2011
Mohammed Abbas
Reuters

 

AJDABIYAH, Libya: Moammar Gaddafi’s troops seized the strategic Libyan oil town of Brega Sunday, forcing rebels to retreat eastward and putting extra pressure on world powers still deliberating on a no-fly zone.
The government offensive had already driven the rebels out of Ras Lanouf, another oil terminal 100 kilometers to the west on the coast road, and the seizure of Brega and its refinery deprived the rebels of more territory and yet another source of fuel.


The government, in a message on state television, said it was certain of victory and threatened to “bury” the rebels, who it linked to Al-Qaeda and “foreign security services.”
A United Nations humanitarian coordinator sent to Tripoli told Reuters he wanted access to areas on both sides of the conflict to assess the impact of the violence on civilians.


On the diplomatic front, France said it would intensify its efforts to persuade world powers to impose a no-fly zone on Libya, where Gaddafi’s troops seemed to have gained the initiative in their struggle with rebels seeking an end to his four-decade rule.
Meanwhile Libya said it would welcome an African Union panel that will try to help resolve the crisis, but condemned an Arab League call for a no-fly zone over the country.


“Brega has been cleansed of armed gangs,” a Libyan government army source told state television.
State television carried a confident message from the authorities. “We are certain of our victory, whatever the price,” it said.
“Those acts of division will be buried together with those who committed them, who are linked to foreign security services and the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda,” it said.


Rashid Khalikov, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Libya, said in an interview he wanted unimpeded access: “The situation is changing from one day to another,” he said. “The main concern is to find out what’s going on, which we don’t know. There are various reports about the humanitarian impact of recent events. The civilian population is suffering a lot.”

The speed of the government advance may overtake drawn-out diplomatic wrangling on whether or how to impose a no-fly zone.


The United States said the Arab League’s call for a U.N. no-fly zone to protect Libyan cities was an “important step,” but Washington remained cautious about military intervention.
Arab League Secretary-General
Amr Moussa said the League had “officially asked the U.N. Security Council to impose a no-fly zone against any military action against the Libyan people.”


France said the call demonstrated the willingness of the international community to protect Libyan civilians, and promised to step up its efforts in consultation with the European Union, the Arab League, the U.N. Security Council and the Libyan National Council.


Arab support satisfies one of three conditions NATO set on Friday for it to take on the task of policing Libyan air space. The others are proof that its help is needed, and a U.N. Security Council resolution. Even if the Security Council meets to discuss a no-fly zone, it is far from clear whether it would pass a resolution as veto holders Russia and China have both publicly opposed the idea.


Fresh from crushing the revolt in Zawiya, west of Tripoli, elite government troops and tanks turned to Misrata, the only pocket of resistance outside the east.
Rebels said a mutiny among government troops stalled their advance Sunday for a second day, but this was impossible to confirm independently.



 
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