TRIPOLI – U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on
Wednesday for an "immediate, verifiable ceasefire" in Libya where
rebels are fighting to end Muammar Gaddafi's 41 years in power.
Ban was speaking in Geneva after talking with Libya's Prime Minister
Al-Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmoudi. There was no immediate direct response
from the rebels or government.
Gaddafi's government has made several ceasefire declarations but has
continued its attacks on the besieged western city of Misrata and other
rebel-held areas.
"He (Mahmoudi) even suggested the Libyan government was willing to have
an immediate ceasefire with a monitoring team to be established by the
United Nations and the African Union," Ban told a news conference.
"But first and foremost there should be an end to the fighting in
Misrata and elsewhere. Then we will be able to provide humanitarian
assistance and in parallel we can continue our political dialogue," Ban
added.
Rebels said on Tuesday they made gains by driving back Gaddafi's troops
on the eastern and western edges of Misrata and encircling them at the
airport.
The rebels also said they had taken the town of Zareek, about 25 km (15
miles) west of Misrata, but no independent verification of their
statements was available.
Misrata, besieged by Gaddafi's forces for eight weeks, is the only major city the rebels hold in the west of the country.
NATO launched missile strikes on Tuesday in the Tripoli area on targets
that appeared to include Gaddafi's compound, witnesses said. NATO said
later it carried out a strike against a government command and control
post in the capital. Reuters
