Monday, February 28, 2011

LIBYA: The city came under the control of organized opposition to Gaddafi

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi said his country was "completely calm" on Sunday, while an "independent National Council" was created to represent the towns controlled by the protesters, including several cities in the west.

In Washington, the United States declared themselves "ready" to provide "any assistance" to opponents while London has asked the Libyan leader to go "now."

In an exclusive statement given by telephone to the Serbian television station TV Pink, Colonel Gaddafi, in power for nearly 42 years, said that "Libya is completely calm."

"People have been killed by terrorist bands that definitely belong to Al-Qaeda", he just recognized the 13th day of an unprecedented revolt, noting that a "small group" of opponents was currently "circled".

Earlier announced the creation of an "independent national council", Benghazi (east), second largest city and stronghold of the challenge to represent "all the liberated cities of Libya."

This body will be "the face of Libya during the period of transition," said a spokesman for the Council Abdelhafez Ghoqa.

"The city councils of each function and it is out of question to divide Libya in the north, south, west or east, or tribal bases.The Council is in Benghazi because it is a liberated city, "said Ghoqa.

"The rest of Libya will be released by the Libyan people," he added, reiterating that Tripoli was the capital of Libya."We rely on the army to liberate Tripoli.

Several towns in the west are "the hands of the people" for several days and "preparing a march to liberate Tripoli", told Nalout (230 km west of the capital), a VIP member of the Revolutionary Committee of the city.

"The city was liberated from February 19, since it is managed by a revolutionary committee + + February 17 communities designated by the city," he told AFP Chaban Abu Sitta, a lawyer for the city, s' is placed "under the authority of the interim government of Benghazi.

A Zawiyah, 60 km west of the capital, the authorities organized a press trip for journalists "invited" by the regime, have been unpleasantly surprised to see thousands of protesters march, chanting "Down regime, we want freedom ". Witnesses said anti-Gaddafi demonstrators seemed to control the city.

Meanwhile, the United States declared themselves "ready" to "any assistance" to the opposition."We are ready to offer any assistance that anyone could want from the United States' opponents in Libya," said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

In London, British Prime Minister David Cameron has held that "it is time for Colonel Qaddafi to go, and go now."

The record of violence was difficult to assess. The Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has spoken of a thousand deaths.A Benghazi alone, 256 people were killed and 2,000 injured, according to doctors quoted in this city on Sunday by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Britain has imposed a freeze on assets of the Gaddafi family, evaluated according to the newspaper The Telegraph about 20 billion pounds (23.4 billion euros).

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper also announced Sunday the freezing of assets of Gaddafi and his family and called for "an end to bloodshed" and resign.

In New York, the Security Council of the United Nations has adopted a series of tough sanctions against the Libyan leader and his relatives.

The resolution is "worthless," responded Colonel Gaddafi, sweeping and the freezing of assets abroad, a travel ban and an embargo on arms sales to Libya.

In Tripoli, crowds lined up at banks to withdraw the 500 dinars (about 400 dollars or 300 euros) promised the families by the government. This measure, announced Friday, was relayed by SMS in the city's most loyal to the regime.

At the airport in the capital of the huge crowds waiting to leave the country, "said airport director Yussef al-Jarbi.

Only drove into the town militia of Colonel Gaddafi, aboard 4X4.Checkpoints were set up in and around the capital, where bread and gasoline were rationed, according to a resident reached by telephone.

"There is no fire. The morale is good. Some young people want to hold a demonstration (...) but we are against, because if there are other events, Gaddafi will continue to kill us," said he said.

In the district of Tajoura, opponents were asked to shout "God is great" on rooftops in protest against the regime.

Faced with the chaos, the evacuation of foreign nationals still in difficult circumstances.Nearly 100,000 people, mostly Egyptian and Tunisian workers have already left the country through the Egyptian and Tunisian borders.

"More than 51,000 people of various nationalities have been repatriated since 21 February," the other said Youssef al-Jarbi, director of the Tripoli airport where huge crowds were waiting to leave Libya in mid-heap clothing left behind by those parties without their business.