Libya Live Blog - March 29

Libya Live Blog - March 29

As the uprising in Libya continues, we update you with the latest developments from our correspondents, news agencies and citizens across the globe. Al Jazeera is not responsible for content derived from external sites.

• Timestamp: 

  11:50pm

  That's it for tonight. Our rolling coverage of events in Libya continues with a brand new live blog for March 30. And you can stay up to date with it by clicking here.

• Timestamp: 

  11:11pm

  Evo Morales, the president of Bolivia, says human rights abuses in Libya must be "judged", adding that he does "not support repression in the face of criticism". He maintains his condemnation of the international military intervention.

• Timestamp: 

  11:10pm

  Al-Arabiya television reports that two explosions have shaken the Aziziyah gate area of Tripoli.

• Timestamp: 

  11:05pm

  Anita McNaught in Tripoli reports that the airstrikes in the Tajoura district of Tripoli targetted bases used by the Khamis brigade, one of the "better armed brigades" that is loyal to Muammar Gaddafi. She says these bases have been repeatedly targetted, and that this could be because they are said to have "underground facilities".

  She also says that very few people have been comfortable speaking to the press expressing opposition to Gaddafi, as doing so in February resulted in "unpleasant consequences" for many people. She reports that people who do speak, do so quietly, and say they are waiting for things to change.

   

• Timestamp: 

  10:55pm

  The images below were taken at a hospital in the town of Mizdah, about 180km south of Tripoli. They show the damage caused by an explosion at a nearby army ammunition depot. Libyan officials say the depot was hit by a coalition airstrike, and that the ensuing explosion damaged buildings up to 15km away. [Image credit: Reuters]

  

  

  Meanwhile, pro-Gaddafi demonstrations continue in the capital Tripoli, where protesters are calling for a halt to airstrikes. [Image credit: Reuters]

  

• Timestamp: 

  10:30pm

  Nick Clegg, the UK's deputy prime minister, says that the military intervention in Libya is fundamentally different from the war in Iraq. He has called for a new era of "multilateralism" during comments made in Mexico City.

  The lesson of Iraq is not that intervention in support of liberal aims is always wrong. The lesson of Iraq is that any such action must only and must always be multilateral sanctioned and driven by humanitarian concerns ... The action in Libya doesn't signal a return to the trigger-happy policies of the past. It represents a responsible collective decision to intervene on clear and moral grounds.

  "A new 'axis of openness' is forming."

• Timestamp: 

  10:27pm

  Carl Levin, a US Senator, says he may approach the US Congress seeking full congressional approval for US military action in Libya.

  Levin, a Democrat, says he will speak to Harry Reid, the Senate Majority leader, about the prospects for a vote on the military action, which so far, while hotly debated, has not faced any test of approval amongst US lawmakers.

  Levin says Barack Obama, the US president, has said that he would "welcome" a vote.

• Timestamp: 

  10:05pm

  Members of the Dutch parliament have blasted the cabinet over a botched rescue mission by three Dutch marines, who were easily captured by Libyan forces soon after their helicopter touched down near the town of Sirte on February 27.

  Harry van Bommel, an opposition lawmaker, called the operation "inexplicable and irresponsible", and Uri Rosenthal, the foreign minister, has admitted that a miscalculation may have been made.

• Timestamp: 

  9:12pm

  Reuters names the French envoy to Benghazi as Antoine Sivan, who will act as the diplomat "in charge of relations with the Libyan National Council". Alain Juppe, the French foreign minister, has confirmed that an envoy has been appointed, but did not name him.

• Timestamp: 

  9:06pm

  Anita McNaught, our correspondent in Tripoli, reports that the explosions reported in the capital earlier today were missile strikes on a military base in the Tajoura district.

• Timestamp: 

  8:56pm

  Cristina Kirchner, the president of Argentina, has denounced the international military campaign in Libya, labelling the countries involved as "so-called civilised countries". Venezuela's president, Hugo Chavez, echoed those statements, saying "We don't want any more wars here, no more bombs."  

• Timestamp: 

  8:53pm

  The Pentagon says that coalition forces launched 22 Tomahawk missiles overnight, while flying 115 strike sorties, Reuters reports.

• Timestamp: 

  8:41pm

  Reuters reports that Libyan opposition activists and fighters are facing dire shortages of food, water and medicines.

  In Misurata, the main hospital has been inundated with wounded people, and residents say electricity and water supplies have been cut off for over a week.

  "The humanitarian situation is catastrophic," said Sami, an opposition spokesman, via telephone. 

• Timestamp: 

  8:10pm

  Alain Juppe, the French foreign minister, says his country is read to begin discussing the possibility of arming the Libyan opposition with its partners.

• Timestamp: 

  8:08pm

  Musa Ibrahim, a Libyan government spokesman, says that Iman al-Obeidi, a woman who stormed into a Tripoli hotel where foreign journalists were staying to accuse Libyan soldiers of raping her, has been accused of "defamation" by her alleged attackers.

• Timestamp: 

  8:06pm

  Anita McNaught, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Tripoli, says there is a sense of "silent anticipation" in the city, but there is also a sense of fear to speak out - unless, of course, one is expressing full-throated support for Muammar Gaddafi.

• Timestamp: 

  7:52pm

  Hillary Clinton says that while the US has not made a decision on whether or not to provide the Libyan opposition with weapons, it is prepared to extend financial help.  

• Timestamp: 

  7:33pm

  Franco Frattini, the Italian foreign minister, says that participants at the London summit agree that Muammar Gaddafi must step down.

   A consensus has been reached, participants at the meeting unanimously said that Gaddafi must leave the country.

  "Beyond that, it depends on the country which may offer to welcome Gaddafi. There is as yet no formal proposal, no country has formulated such a plan, even the African countries which may be ready to make one."

• Timestamp: 

  7:18pm

  Clinton says that those at the summit discussed the need to deliver humanitarian assistance, to pressure and isolate the Gaddafi government, and the need to support efforts by Libyans who are working to achieve the political changes they seek. 

• Timestamp: 

  7:15pm

  Clinton says she met with members of the Libyan opposition national council in London, where she reiterated the support of the US on behalf of President Barack Obama for the "legitimate aspirations of the Libyan people and our commitment to helping them achieve those aspirations".

  She said that in meetings with David Cameron, the British prime minister, and William Hague, the British foreign minister, she expressed her gratitude for their "critical leadership" in building the international response to the crisis. She consulted on the military, political and humanitarian dimensions of the issue, and also events and broader trends in the Middle East, as well as ongoing efforts in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

• Timestamp: 

  7:13pm

  Clinton says that a decision has not been made on whether or not the US will be arming the opposition in Libya.

  She says it is the US's interpretation that the UN Security Council resolution 1973 "amended or overrode the absolute prohibition of transfer of arms to anyone in Libya, so that there could be transfer of arms".

• Timestamp: 

  7:10pm

  Clinton says that consultations today focused on the military, political and humanitarian dimensions of the crisis in Libya.

  She says that on the military track, those at the summit agreed to hand over sole executive authority over military operations to the North Atlantic Council. On the political track, they established the Libyan contact group.

• Timestamp: 

  7:06pm

  US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton now speaking to the press at the summit in London.

• Timestamp: 

  7:00pm

  Qatari Prime Minister Hamad Bin Jassim Al Thani says that the participation of Arab countries "should be more serious", but also that he is happy that this coalition involves countries from the region. He says the nature of the coalition in unprecedented.

• Timestamp: 

  6:58pm

  Responding to a question, William Hague says that the possibility of arming the opposition was not discussed at today's conference.

• Timestamp: 

  6:56pm

  "There is no future for Libya with Gaddafi in charge," says FM Hague. On the Arab involvement , Hamad Jassim Al Thani says he hopes the Arab involvement in international efforts will increase, and that the Arab League will in the future develop mechanisms to deal with these sorts of crises.

• Timestamp: 

  6:51pm

  William Hague, the British foreign minister, says that the key conclusions of the summit in London include a reaffirmation of the importance of full, swift implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution on Libya, and that the Libyan government will be judged by its actions and not its words.

  He says additional sanctions will be enforced on the Gaddafi government and its allied individuals and institutions. 

  Hague says a "broad-based coalition" has taken part in action that has been "successful at protecting countless civilians", and that the Gaddafi government has "lost its legitimacy".

• Timestamp: 

  6:44pm

  That press conference is on now. Watch live here.

• Timestamp: 

  6:34pm

  William Hague, the British foreign minister, and Hamad Bin Jassim Al Thani, the Qatari prime minister and foreign minister will address press conference in London shortly.

• Timestamp: 

  6:30pm

  Echoing US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's remarks from earlier today, world leaders at the London summit say they have agreed to continue the military intervention in Libya until Muammar Gaddafi complies with UN Resolution 1973. 

• Timestamp: 

  6:20pm

  The first meeting of the contact group to coordinate all international action on Libya will be held in Qatar, according to the British Foreign Office. Participating countries will take on a rotating chairmanship of the group.

• Timestamp: 

  6:10pm

  The Associated Press reports that world leaders at the London summit on Libya have agreed to set up a "contact group" on the country's future.

• Timestamp: 

  6:06pm

  Jean Ping, the commission chairman of the African Union, has written to William Hague, the British foreign minister, urging him and other world leaders at the summit in London to throw their weight behind an AU-formulated roadmap for transition.

• Timestamp: 

  5:55pm

  Earlier today, US forces attacked three Libyan ships earlier today, barring them from firing at commercial vessels docked at Misurata's port. The US Sixth Fleet says that a Libyan Coast Guard ship was damaged. One of two other small ships was destroyed, and the other abandoned.

  The attack was launched by a destroyer and fighter aircraft.

• Timestamp: 

  5:43pm

  NATO does not have a representative on the ground in Libya to liase with opposition fighters, Admiral James Stavridis tells the US Senate. He also says that there are no immediate plans to arm the opposition.

• Timestamp: 

  5:41pm

  Three explosions have been heard in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, AFP and Reuters correspondents report. It is unclear what the nature or exact location of the explosions are.

• Timestamp: 

  5:35pm

  Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel-Hamid reports from about 20km east of Ras Lanuf that pro-Gaddafi forces have begun shelling the city, forcing opposition fighters to retreat east once again.

   

  Well, we had to evacuate Ras Lanuf about half an hour ago. We are about 20km away from there, that's because we starting hearing all of a sudden the 'crump' of explosions getting closer and closer, and again there was a wave of retreat. Hundreds of cars of the opposition fighters down this road, they've just gone by, probably you might see some more come by as we talk.  

  "So certainly what we can say at this stage is that Bin Jawad is not any more in the hands of the rebels, actually the Gaddafi forces now are managing to pound Ras Lanuf and are getting closer and closer to them, pushing the opposition fighters eastwards more and more. I think this is an exact repeat of what happened about three weeks ago."

  She said that pro-Gaddafi forces were not using tanks or airstrikes in this offensive, indicating that they were more reliant on artillery and mortars. 

   

• Timestamp: 

  5:23pm

  Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel-Hamid reports from a road outside of Ras Lanuf that pro-Gaddafi forces are pushing the opposition's fighters into another "wave of retreat", and that they are now targetting Ras Lanuf itself.

• Timestamp: 

  4:50pm

  The Associated Press reports that some opposition fighters who are fleeing Bin Jawad are shouting "Sarkozy, where are you?" as they head down the road back to Ras Lanuf.

• Timestamp: 

  4:43pm

  A German refinery owned by Tamoil, a Libyan government owned and operated oil company, continues operations, while similar plants in Switzerland and Italy have closed down.

  Tamoil says it will be taking the two firms operating its refineries in those countries to court. A spokesperson for Tamoil Deutschland, a petrol station group, said that the company was working to ensure that no person or institution affected by international sanctions was receiving profits from operations, and that the company was cooperating with authorities in this regard.

  Said the spokesperson:

  It is business as usual. There also has not been any negative customer feedback."

   

• Timestamp: 

  4:40pm

  Here are some clips from the comments made by David Cameron, the British prime minister, Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, and Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general.

• Timestamp: 

  4:39pm

  Admiral Stavridis goes on to say that it appears that the Libyan opposition consists of  "responsible men and women" who are fighting Gaddafi.

• Timestamp: 

  4:38pm

  Admiral Stavridis says the US is unable to say whether there is a "significant al-Qaeda presence" in the Libyan opposition, Reuters reports.

• Timestamp: 

  4:36pm

  More from that testimony from Admiral Stavridis, as it happens. He says that the US and other countries are closely examining the composition of the Libyan opposition, Reuters reports.

• Timestamp: 

  4:33pm

  Cuba's Fidel Castro has once again slammed military intervention in Libya, terming it a "fascist" war. In an article published in the Cuban media, Castro calls on Gaddafi to fight to  his "last breath".

  If Gaddafi honours his people's traditions and decides to fight to the last  breath as promised with the Libyans who are facing the worst ever bombing a country has ever suffered, it will spell a mire of shame to NATO and its criminal projects ... Now, the criminal and discredited NATO is telling a 'beautiful' story  about its 'humanitarian' bombing."

• Timestamp: 

  4:30pm

  There is a "more than reasonable chance" of Gaddafi leaving power if the international intervention in Libya applies a full range of military pressure on him, says a top US military chief.

  Speaking during testimony before the US Senate, James Stavridis, NATO's supreme allied commander in Europe and also the commander of US European Command, said:

  If we work all the elements of power, we have a more than reasonable chance of Gaddafi leaving, because the entire international community is arrayed against him."

• Timestamp: 

  4:10pm

  Tim Friend, Al Jazeera's correspondent in London, reports that the international leaders at the summit are far from united, as there remain unanswered questions regarding how far the NATO-controlled military intervention is to go. Friend also referred to apparent contradictions within the US administration itself - Susan Rice, the US ambassador to the UN says she could not rule out arming the opposition, while NATO has been stressing that it is "impartial" in the conflict.

• Timestamp: 

  4:07pm

  The Libyan rebel council says that the United States has appointed an official envoy to the National Council in Benghazi. More details on this as and when they become available.

• Timestamp: 

  4:03pm

  Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel-Hamid reports from Ras Lanuf that the news from Bin Jawad is that the city has fallen to pro-Gaddafi forces, and opposition fighters are now retreating to Ras Lanuf. 

  She also says that the opposition's military commanders are complaining that their fighters "do not want to be" disciplined or act in a structured way.

  Furthermore, the rebels' supply lines are stretched.

• Timestamp: 

  3:46pm

  The Pentagon says the military intervention in Libya has cost the United States about $550 million so far, mostly on bombs and missiles. 

  This represents the added cost to the US Defense Department - that is, money beyond that which it would have spent anyway.

• Timestamp: 

  3:41pm

  Sweden plans to send up to eight fighter aircraft to help enforce the no-fly zone over Libya, Fredrik Reinfeldt, the Swedish prime minister, says. 

  JAS-39 Gripen planes will be used, but they will not be mandated to fire on Gaddafi's forces, unless they are fired upon first.

• Timestamp: 

  3:30pm

  Mahmoud Jibril, a leading member of Libya's transitional National Council, will be holding a press conference at the British Foreign Office in about an hour's time, we are told.

• Timestamp: 

  3:28pm

  Reiterating many of the points that President Obama made last night, Clinton said that military operations in Libya will continue until Gaddafi "complies" with UN Security Council Resolution 1973.

• Timestamp: 

  3:25pm

  Clinton emphasises that the priority at the moment is to deliver humanitarian assistance to the Libyan people, to pressure the Gaddafi government through sanctions and further isolation, and helping Libyans achieve "political change".

• Timestamp: 

  3:24pm

  Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, is now speaking at the summit in London.

  She says that the international community has "prevented a potential massacre, established a no-fly zone, stopped an advancing army", added partners and transferred operational control to NATO.

  She says the meeting is occuring at a "turning point", as NATO takes over command of the military operations.

• Timestamp: 

  3:22pm

  AFP reports, citing an anonymous French official, that France will send an "ambassador" to Benghazi, the opposition's stronghold.

• Timestamp: 

  3:19pm

  David Cameron, the British prime minister, has just spoken after the summit on Libya in London. He says Gaddafi "continues to be in flagrant breach of the UN security council resolution", and that there has been "widespread support" from both Libyans and the international community for intervention.

  "It has saved lives, it is saving lives," he said.

  He also points out that it is important for world powers to plan "coordinated action" to support peace and rehabilitation in Libya over the long term.

• Timestamp: 

  1:55pm

  The Libyan opposition's Transitional National Council has released a two-page political platform, called "A Vision of a Democratic Libya."

  Among other principles, the document calls for a national constitution that separates government into executive, legislative and judicial branches, a guarantee of the freedom of expression, and "a state that draws strength from our strong religious beliefs in peace, truth, justice and equality."

• Timestamp: 

  12:30pm

  Reuters: US President Barack Obama told Americans in a televised address that US forces would not get bogged down trying to topple Gaddafi, but he stopped short of spelling out how the military campaign in Libya would end.

• Timestamp: 

  11:08am

  The US State Department will soon send diplomat Chris Stevens to Benghazi "to establish better ties" with the opposition Transitional National Council, the AP reports. Stevens' mission does not constitute formal recognition of the opposition as representatives of the Libyan people, and it's unclear exactly when he will go.

  Stevens is a career foreign service officer, having worked at the State Department since 1991 after graduating from Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, Calif, according to his LinkedIn profile. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of California - Berkeley.

  Stevens has already been in communication with the rebels. State Department spokesman Mark Toner mentioned his name in a March 21 press briefing, saying Stevens and Gene Cretz, the ambassador to Libya, had both been in touch with the opposition.

  Stevens has previously worked at the US embassy in Tripoli, the Libyan capital; his name appears on many of the embassy's diplomatic cables, which were released by WikiLeaks.  

• Timestamp: 

  10:00am

  Al Jazeera's Nazanine Moshiri, reporting from Tunisia, says that Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa might be trying to head to Italy, though a Tunisian foreign ministry source says he's still in the country. 

  Koussa crossed into Tunisia last night through the Ras Ajdir crossing on a "private visit".

• Timestamp: 

  8:52am

  The story of Eman Al Obeidi is fast becoming a rallying cry for Libya's women. 

  After Obeidi pled with journalists to tell her story of rape and abuse at the regime's hands, spokesman Moussa Ibrahim claimed Obeidi - a lawyer - was actually a prostitute. But it seems very few are buying it.

  "We will never leave you alone, Eman, we will sacrifice our lives just for you and we're all, old and young, supporting you," said one woman at a protest.

• Timestamp: 

  8:44am

  Al Jazeera's Patty Culhane wraps up our coverage of President Obama's speech on Monday night:

• Timestamp: 

  8:43am

  Rand Paul, a Republican US senator from Kentucky, has released a video response to President Obama's speech on Libya last night.

  In it, he criticises Obama for failing to consult Congress before launching a military action and questions whether the Libyan opposition is a force the United States shiould support, suggesting it might contain elements of al-Qaeda.

  "The problem with sending the US military to help rebels in Libya, or anywhere else, is that we are taking sides in a conflict and on behalf of people whom we know nothing about," Paul said. "When or if there is regime change in Libya, what kinda of leadership will replace Gaddafi? Who are the Libyan rebels exactly?"

• Timestamp: 

  7:17am

  Responding to Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa's "private visit" to Tunisia, University of Texas political science professor and Libyan dissisdent Mansour el-Kikhia said that even if Koussa is trying to flee into exile and might look like a palatable figure from the regime who can do business with the West, "I don't think many Libyans can do business with him".

  Kikhia said it's too early to draw a conclusion on Koussa while Gaddafi's regime is still in power.

• Timestamp: 

  7:08am

  Amnesty International says that more than 30 bloggers, political activists and opposition sympathizers have disappeared in Libya since before protests began.

  Atef ‘Abd al-Qader Al-Atrash, a blogger and father of two, was last seen attending a gathering at Benghazi's port on February 17. A relative told Amnesty someone with a western Libyan accent answered his phone and said "This is what happens to those who throw stones at us."
• Timestamp: 

  6:31am

  The mother of the woman who appealed to journalists in Tripoli to tell her story of abuse and rape at the hands of 15 Gaddafi militiamen says she was offered cash or a new home if she could convince her daughter to change her story.

  Aisha Ahmad, the mother of Eman Al Obeidi, told reporters in an interview that she received latenight call from someone at "Gaddafi's compound" who promised the gifts and that Obeidi would be freed immediately if she changed her story.

  Sky News broadcast the interview on Monday, but it was unclear were it was filmed, Reuters reported.

• Timestamp: 

  3:45am

  Reports coming in that Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa is currently in Tunisia on a private visit.

• Timestamp: 

  2:30am

  AJE correspondent Patty Culhane comments on Barack Obama's speech:

  I think we saw two pretty striking contradictions with the president saying we must stand alongside those who work for freedom and at the same time he said we cannot be the policemen of the world only when it applies to our national interest ... the president [seems to] be trying to explain why we have seen a lesser response to allies like Bahrain or Yemen.

  One of the things that was striking was what wasn't said ... he said nothing about the exit strategy [as in] how does this end for the US military and he did not really mention anything about the cost, so this was a broad speech to the American public. but for those people, especially members of congress who have some very pointed questions, I don't know if they are going to feel if they got the answers they were looking for. 

• Timestamp: 

  2:10am

  President Barack Obama told Americans on Monday the United States would work with its  allies to hasten the day when Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi leaves power, but would not use force to topple him.

• Timestamp: 

  2:01am

  Gaddafi forces intimidate pro-democracy fighters

• Timestamp: 

  1:50am

  Barack Obama:

  Last month, Gaddafi's grip of fear appeared to give way to the promise of freedom. In cities and towns across the country, Libyans took to the streets to claim their basic human rights.
  As one Libyan said, "For the first time we finally have hope that our nightmare of 40 years will soon be over

• Timestamp: 

  1:47am

  Obama says "we must stand alongside those with same principles and interests"

  

• Timestamp: 

  1:30am

  Obama addresses the US nation over military intervention in Libya. He fiercely defended US involvement in Libya, saying that when America's interests and values were at stake "we have a responsbility to act."