Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Libyan refugees flee fighting by land and sea (Reuters)

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - fighting between rebels and forces loyal to Muammar al-Gaddafi is forcing thousands of refugees to flee West of the Libya walk up to the Tunisian border and by ship to Europe, the United Nations said on Tuesday.


Rebels said that more than 40 Grad rockets had struck the city rebel-held Zintan in the mountains of the West late Tuesday, and aid deliveries to the port of Misrata West was hindered by artillery fire and minesnear the entrance of the port.


The rebel spokesman said fighting had flared again in the suburb of Misrata, but that of intense air strikes by NATO planes appeared to have won the port, lifeline of the city, a respite in the shelling by forces loyal to the Libyan leader.


In Tripoli, witnesses heard two explosions strong late Tuesday, but no there was no explanation for their cause.


Kadhafi, who took power in a 1969 coup, was not observed in public since an attack by NATO missile Saturday on a house in Tripoli which killed his youngest son and three grandchildren.


Kaim of Khaled Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs said Kadhafi was alive and in good health and had "not at all" was wounded in the NATO strike. "He now meets a number of tribal leaders," said Kaim.


Asked if Kadhafi would appear publicly in the questions on the issue of whether he survived the explosion, said Kaim "it is him, his people of security..." It has taken to target four times. ?


Turkish Prime Minister, Tayyip Erdogan, in his strongest public comments yet on the struggle for power in Libya, said "Gaddafi should resign immediately and leave administration for the Libyan people."


"The Libya is not the property of a single person or family", Erdogan told a press conference in Istanbul, appeal to Kadhafi to understand how his people were suffering. Erdogan has been urging Kadhafi quit since early March.


EXODUS OF THE MOUNTAINS


Refugees UNHCR, the UN agency said that an exodus of the mountains of the Western region resumed, with the Libyan families flee to the South of the Tunisia.


"The end of last week, more than 8,000 people, most of them ethnic Berber arrive Dehiba in the South of the Tunisia." Most are women and children, "spokesman for the UNHCR Adrian Edwards said a press briefing in Geneva." Tens of thousands have already fled.


Dehiba crossing point has changed hands several times in the last week, the fighting spilling Tunisian soil.


A sand storm that struck the region had been the most difficult situation. "The storm destroyed hundreds of tents and two huge portable warehouses," said Edwards.


"Most of the Libyan refugees leave the Libya tribal groups." Many choose to stay in the camps for a few days before moving on to stay with the Tunisian families, "he says.


During this time, more people have been fleeing the Libya by sea in Italy, after a break of 10 days due to bad weather conditions.


While a few rebel pockets such as Zintan and Misrata resist Gaddafi forces in the West of the Libya, is largely held by the rebels the most urgent is the cash to try to restore infrastructure and put in place a viable administration.


Rebels said that they expected billions of dollars in credit soon Western Governments to feed and provide their territories to the East and to support their campaign against Gaddafi.

Ali Tarhoni, head of the Finance of the national Council of the rebel Committee, said that wait for France, Italy and the United States to extend credit secured against the frozen assets of the Libyan State.

THE ECONOMY IN TATTERS

With the economy of the Libya in tatters after more than two months of the civil war, funds to pay for food, medicine and treatments of State which depend most people are running low.

"We discovered are still different segments that must be paid that we thought were paid," Tarhoni told journalists in the stronghold of the rebels in the East of Benghazi.

"At every single point that another necessity is felt in terms of food, medicine and people who are injured", he said. "I need about 2-3 billion dollars and we hope to get most or all this.".

British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, said countries in the contact group would discuss establishing a temporary financial mechanism to the talks in Rome this week for the Libya.

British Prime Minister David Cameron told Parliament there were "possibilities for tightening of sanctions on such things as oil and petroleum products to ensure that this regime... realizes he cannot go terrorizing his own people."

President Nicolas Sarkozy told the French weekly L'Express that France planned to organise a Conference of the "friends" of the Libya, including defectors and various political groups, to try to build a solution policy.

Insurgents had hoped a rapid reversal of Gaddafi, but its forces ASB better trained and immediately stopped the advance towards rebel West of their stronghold of Benghazi and forced a stalemate in the fighting.

The International Organization for migration, said that a ship assistance was still waiting off the coast of Misrata for mines to be cleared prior to delivery of supplies and foreign evacuees and injured Libyan. NATO said its minesweepers destroyed two mines laid by Government forces and were looking for a third party.











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