BBC News Middle East
22 February 2011 Last updated at 16:21 GMT Defiant Gaddafi refuses to quit amid Libya protests Col Muammar Gaddafi on state TV (22 Feb 2011) Col Gaddafi said Libya would not surrender to foreign pressures Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi has refused to stand down amid widespread anti-government protests which he said had tarnished the image of the country. In his first major speech since unrest began, Col Gaddafi said the whole world looked up to Libya and that the protesters were "serving the devil". He said he would not leave the country and would "die a martyr". Rights groups say nearly 300 have been killed in violence since the protest began. A defiant and angry Col Gaddafi said that he had brought glory to Libya. As he had no official position in Libya from which to resign, he would remain the head of the revolution, he said. He blamed the unrest on "cowards and traitors" who were seeking to portray Libya as a place of chaos and to "humiliate" Libyans. The protesters had been given drink and drugs, he said. He called on "those who love Muammar Gaddafi" to come on to the streets in support of him, telling them not to be afraid of the "gangs". "Come out of your homes, attack them in their dens. Withdraw your children from the streets. They are drugging your children, they are making your children drunk and sending them to hell," he said. He added: "If matters require, we will use force, according to international law and the Libyan constitution." ------------------------------------ Post message: [email protected] Subscribe : [email protected] Unsubscribe : [email protected] List owner : [email protected] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
