Gadhafi Loyalists Launch New Attacks
Libyan Officials Propose a Transition As the West Lays Path for Intervention
MARGARET COKER SAM DAGHER JULIAN E. BARNES
Margaret Coker reports from Libya on the latest developments there, including an apparent rift among members of Gadhafi's inner circle on what Gadhafi's next move should be, including the possibility of stepping down.
Forces loyal to Col. Moammar Gadhafi have launched a new round of attacks on rebel positions, keeping up a counteroffensive to prevent the opposition from advancing toward the capital Tripoli, as Col. Gadhafi's inner circle is debating whether the man in charge of Libya since 1969 should remain in power or relinquish his role.
Libyan warplanes launched at least five strikes Tuesday near the oil port of Ras Lanouf, the Associated Press reported, with no immediate word on casualties.
Rebel fighters speed away with their pick-truck toward the site of an air strike in the oil-rich town of Ras Lanuf on Tuesday.
On a separate front, a witness said Col. Gadhafi's loyalists have launched an attack on Zawiya, the city closest to Tripoli that had fallen into opposition hands after heavy shelling by tank artillery and mortars. The witness told the AP that Col. Gadhafi's tanks and fighting vehicles were roaming the city 30 miles west of Tripoli and firing randomly at homes.
"The city is in ruins," he said. "Some buildings have been entirely destroyed and everyone on the street is shot on sight. There are many wounded but the hospitals are running out of supplies," he said, describing conditions in the city after the regime's counteroffensive on Monday. The offensive on Zawiya is thought to be spearheaded by an elite unit led and named after one of Gadhafi's sons, Khamis.
The latest attacks Tuesday come as Col. Gadhafi's government invited rebels and tribal leaders to negotiate a political solution, and Western nations continued to take steps to prepare for a possible military intervention.
In Tripoli, reform-minded officials in the government were lobbying for a plan that calls on Col. Gadhafi to cede power to a council of technocrats who could shepherd a transition toward democratic reforms and a government based on modern institutions, according to a person familiar with the situation.
Under this plan, Col. Gadhafi would be given an honorary title reflecting his service to the country, but be removed from day-to-day decision-making, according to this person.
Members of Col. Gadhafi's family have been briefed on the plan, according to this person. The threat of prosecution at an international criminal court could deter Col. Gadhafi from agreeing to a negotiated solution, a U.S. official said.
It is unclear which camp within Col. Gadhafi's inner circle—hard-liners or reformists—has more sway. Two of the leader's sons are commanders of the brigades leading military assaults against opposition-held positions.
As the fighting continues, Col. Gadhafi is coming under mounting pressure from Western nations as well as some Arab countries. On Monday, President Barack Obama said the U.S. was discussing military options with allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
WSJ's Margaret Coker reports on major battles between forces loyal to Col. Moammar Gadhafi and rebel in key cities along Libya's coast. Oil prices have breached $106/barrel as a result. Also, Jon Hilsenrath on demand for U.S. grain outpacing supply.
Britain and France, permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, began drafting a U.N. resolution this week supporting a no-fly zone over Libya—a move that would require military intervention. A British diplomat said the draft would be ready in the event of a serious attack on civilians by Libyan air power.
Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa repeated his government's assertions that its military has acted within the law and hasn't been indiscriminately shooting at civilians. Mr. Koussa said that his government would welcome international fact-finding missions to investigate these allegations.
The Libyan government called on the United Nations and possibly the European Union to send a fact-finding team to investigate the violence during the country's bloody uprising, a senior EU official said Tuesday.
An assessment by NATO of what would be necessary to impose a no-fly zone and how to enforce an arms embargo on Libya should be ready for consideration by alliance defense ministers in Brussels on Thursday, said U.S. Ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder.
Gadhafi Loyalists on the Attack
![[SB10001424052748704758904576188310156209354]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-MX633_0308li_D_20110308091649.jpg)
An anti-Gadhafi rebel carrying a rocket-propelled grenade stood near the scene of an air strike in the eastern Libya city of Ras Lanouf Tuesday.
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Mr. Daalder said a no-fly zone wouldn't have much of an effect on Libyan government helicopters and ground assaults, the military operations doing the most damage to the rebels.
He said NATO decided to start round-the-clock surveillance of Libyan air and ground traffic using aircraft that had been operating 10 hours a day.
"I can't imagine that the U.N. and international community will stand idly by," said NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
The Gulf Cooperation Council, a grouping of Arab states allied with the U.S., on Monday called on the Security Council to approve a no-fly zone over Libya.
A U.S. official said the U.S. was "in discussions" with allies at the U.N. and NATO about the possibility of a no-fly zone, but stressed that it wasn't the only option on the table.
China and Russia, permanent members with veto power at the Security Council, have been cool to the idea of foreign military intervention into the Libyan crisis. Chinese and Russian officials in New York couldn't be immediately reached to comment. NATO member Turkey has also opposed such a move.
U.S. officials said Western allies of the U.S. are trying to step up pressure on aides close to Col. Gadhafi to force him from power. European diplomats have also tried to reach out to members of his inner circle to urge them to pressure the colonel to leave office, U.S. officials said.
Mr. Obama on Monday repeated that those close to Col. Gadhafi are in a position to decide which side they are on, and would be held accountable for their actions.
"People around [Gadhafi] are getting nervous, and they should," said a U.S. official.
The person familiar with the government reform proposal said "more than 60%" of officials within government were supportive of a change in government and national reconciliation.
It was unclear where the proposed national dialogue would take place or how many people have been invited to attend. Government officials have told foreign journalists that they weren't allowed to cover the event.
U.N. aid officials launched a $160 million appeal to international donors on Monday for humanitarian assistance for up to one million people.
"This appeal is based on planning scenario projecting up to 400,000 people leaving Libya—including the 215,000 who have left to date—and another 600,000 people inside Libya expected to need humanitarian aid to varying degrees," said Valerie Amos, the U.N.'s emergency relief coordinator.
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