Rebels advance halted, fighting intense as world leaders meet on Libya
BENGHAZI—A rebel push that had been aided by international airstrikes was struggling and under heavy attack in Libya Tuesday, as senior diplomats from 40 countries met in London to consider their next steps
Video: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is imploring the world to speak with a single voice to Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi and tell him to leave power. (March 29)
The United States, NATO and its allies are exploring ways to ratchet up the pressure on Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi, 10 days after launching an air campaign to enforce a no-fly zone and arms embargo on the Libyan government.
But even as British Prime Minister David Cameron, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and others launched their talks, the opposition in Libya reported setbacks and grim fighting in contested areas.
Libyan government tanks and rockets drove back rebels who attempted an assault on Gaddafi’s hometown of Sirte, the Assocated Press reported, with some fleeing fighters pleading fruitlessly for foreign warplanes to protect them.
The fighters were pushed east toward the hamlet of Bin Jawwad, which was also under heavy fire from government loyalists. There were reports that the town had been wrested from rebel control, but an opposition spokeswoman said at least some fighters were hanging on.
“There aren’t a lot of us in Bin Jawwad right now,” Faisal Ali, a 20-year-old-rebel who had retreated, told the Associated Press.
Cars and trucks of fleeing fighters filled both lanes of the highway east to the oil port of Ras Lanuf, the Associated Press reported. Some fighters shouted “Sarkozy, where are you?” — a reference to French President Nicolas Sarkozy, one of the biggest supporters of the air campaign.
Al Jazeera’s English-language television station broadcast live footage of the rebels also leaving Ras Lanuf--which they had seized early in the revolt, only to be driven out by government loyalists last week. The rebels retook control days ago, after foreign airstrikes cleared the way.
West of Sirte, on the road to Tripoli, strong attacks were also reported in the contested city of Misurata, where fighting has been underway for weeks.
In London, the United States and its partners, including Arab states, are seeking to coordinate military strategy and humanitarian efforts for the weeks ahead, while also discussing how to help the rebels form a transitional government.
“The reason for being here is because the Libyan people cannot reach that future on their own,” Cameron said in his opening remarks. “We are all here in one united purpose, that is to help the Libyan people in their hour of need.”
Among the thornier issues is whether to provide weapons and other practical aid to a diffuse and ill-coordinated rebel army.
Clinton told the conference that the international effort was “at a turning point,” with a united NATO now in charge of a military mission that included protection of Libyan civilians.
Echoing President Obama, who gave a televised address on Libya Monday night, the chief U.S. diplomat ticked off a list of what the coalition had accomplished:
“We’ve prevented a potential massacre, established a no-fly zone, stopped an advancing army, added more partners to this coalition and transferred command of the military effort to NATO,” she said. “That’s not bad for a week’s work.”
Clinton said military and political pressure against Gaddafi would continue until the Libyan dictator complied with all U.N. resolutions. She also outlined a strategy for forcing Gaddafi out of power in the coming weeks, starting with robust sanctions and other measures to isolate the Libyan leader, and including unspecified support for the opposition.
Before speaking, Clinton met with Libyan opposition leader Mahmoud Jibril.
“As President Obama said last night, while our military mission is focused on saving lives, we must continue to pursue the broader goal of a Libya that belongs not to a dictator, but to its people,” Clinton said. “We cannot and must not impose our will on the people of Libya — but we can and must stand with them as they determine their own destiny.”
But with continued ground fighting in contested areas, helping the rebels remains a challenging and complicated goal. The coalition is already facing criticism from Russia and others about expansive nature of coalition attacks on Libyan ground troops. Intervening further in close combat would both increase the risk of civilian deaths and make the mission far more dangerous for coalition troops.
A senior U.S. official attending the London talks said said no decision has been made yet on whether to release billions of dollars in frozen Libyan assets to rebel groups.
“There is no evidence that Gaddafi is taking the kinds of steps the president has called for … including a cease-fire, withdrawal of forces and restoration of gas and electricity,” the official said.
Unity among world leaders in London would send a strong message, not only to Gaddafi but also to senior aides to the dictator who might be leaning toward defecting, the official said. “This is a moment when people around Gaddafi need to think very carefully about what’s in their interest,” he said.
Wilgoren reported from Washington. Warrick reported from London. Correspondent Liz Sly in Tripoli contributed to this report.
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