3 March 2011 Last updated at 05:37 GMT
Defiant Gaddafi pledges victory
Col Gaddafi appeared on Libyan TV making a defiant address to supporters
The Libyan leader, Col Muammar Gaddafi, has appeared at a site in Tripoli that
was recently attacked by the Western coalition and told his followers: "We will
be victorious in the end."
In a brief speech at the Bab al-Aziziya compound, targeted on Sunday, he said
"all Islamic armies" should join him.
Forces loyal to Col Gaddafi are engaged in fierce fighting with rebels.
The coalition is enforcing a UN Security Council resolution to protect
civilians and set up a no-fly zone.
Major partners in the alliance have been thrashing out a new command structure
that will tone down US leadership.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said people close to Col
Gaddafi are making contact with other states to explore options for the future.
"We've heard about other people close to him reaching out to people that they
know around the world - Africa, the Middle East, Europe, North America, beyond
- saying what do we do? How do we get out of this? What happens next?" she told
ABC News.
Click to play
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: Gadaffi aids 'exploring options'
"I'm not aware that he personally has reached out, but I do know that people
allegedly on his behalf have been reaching out."
However, Mrs Clinton did not give any specific examples.
'Crusader countries'
Col Gaddafi made a speech that lasted about three minutes and was carried on
state television.
He said there was a "new crusader battle launched by crusader countries on
Islam".
"Long live Islam everywhere. All Islamic armies must take part in the battle,
all free [people] must take party in the battle.... We will be victorious in
the end."
Col Gaddafi denounced the bombing campaign, saying: "We shall not surrender and
we shall not fear passers by. We jeer at their missiles. These are passing
missiles."
"In the short term, we will beat them. In the long term, we will beat them."
"The most powerful air defence, the most powerful air defence is the people.
Here are the people. Gaddafi is in the middle of the people. This is the air
defence," he added.
Click to play
The BBC's Allan Little visited the scene of a coalition strike in Tripoli
He concluded his address by saying: "I do not fear storms that sweep the
horizon, nor do I fear the planes that throw black destruction. I am resistant,
my house is here in my tent... I am the rightful owner, and the creator of
tomorrow. I, I am here! I am here! I am here!"
Western warplanes have flown more than 300 sorties over Libya and more than 162
Tomahawk cruise missiles have been fired, but Col Gaddafi's troops continue to
be engaged in fierce fighting with rebels.
Misrata - the last rebel-held city in western Libya - is one of the bloodiest
battlegrounds.
It has been under siege for weeks, and the situation is becoming increasingly
desperate with supplies of food, water and medicine running low.
"The situation in the local hospital is disastrous," a doctor said. "The
doctors and medical teams are exhausted beyond human physical ability and some
of them cannot reach the hospital because of tanks and snipers."
Saadoun, a resident, told the BBC that there was a daily pattern to the attacks
by government forces.
"The day starts with heavy shelling, and artillery fire through the city
centre, and the residential areas," he said.
"The tanks will then pave the way for snipers to climb on the top of tall
buildings in the city centre, and provide a good cover for the artillery, and
for the tanks to enter, or to try to enter into the city centre."
Continue reading the main story
"Start Quote
I am resistant, my house is here in my tent... I am the rightful owner, and
the creator of tomorrow. I, I am here!"
Col Muammar Gaddafi Libyan leader
As in Misrata, neither of the warring sides appears strong enough to hold the
eastern city of Ajdabiya.
The BBC's Ian Pannell, in eastern Libya, says the rebels there have divergent
strategies - some envision pushing west, perhaps even as far as Tripoli, while
others want to just take Ajdabiya and then consolidate their hold on the east,
hoping Libyans in other cities will rise up and liberate themselves.
Fighting was also reported on Tuesday in Zintan, near the Tunisian border, and
in Yafran, 130km south-west of Tripoli. Witnesses in the towns reported 10
deaths in each.
Overnight, a series of explosions were heard in the Libyan capital. It was not
known if the coalition was carrying out more air and missile strikes.
Monday night's strikes included a port area of Tripoli and a naval base at
Bussetta, about 10km (six miles) east of the capital.
Also on Monday, two US airmen were rescued after ejecting from their F-15E
Eagle warplane just before it crashed during allied operations in eastern Libya.
The plane appeared to suffer mechanical failure near the rebel stronghold of
Benghazi.
There were reports six villagers were shot and hurt in the US rescue effort.
'No doubt'
Meanwhile US President Barack Obama, UK Prime Minister David Cameron and French
President Nicolas Sarkozy spoke by telephone on Tuesday after Nato talks in
Brussels had failed to secure an agreement on how to proceed on a new command
structure.
The US has taken a leading role so far, but Mr Obama said on a visit to El
Salvador: "I have absolutely no doubt that we will be able to transfer the
control of this operation to an international coalition."
The US Africa Command, based in Germany, and joint task force commander US Adm
Samuel Locklear have effectively been in control.
Nato Awacs plane at Trapani airbase in Sicily, 22 March There have been
differences in Nato on a command structure
After the talks between the leaders, Mr Sarkozy's office said there was
agreement "on how Nato's command structure will be used to support the
coalition", without providing further details on the key question of whether
Nato would take over enforcement of the no-fly zone.
The White House and Mr Cameron simply said they had agreed that Nato should
play a key role in commanding the campaign.
The BBC's Chris Morris in Brussels said the earlier discussions there had
failed to reach an agreement on the command-and-control system, but that there
were indications that a form of words could be agreed that would allow Nato's
structures to take part.
France had expressed fears that a Nato lead would not please the Arab world.
Italy said it could withdraw its bases without a co-ordinated Nato structure
and Norway said its jets would not take part in the action as long as it was
unclear who was in overall command.
Turkey wanted limits on Nato involvement and said the air strikes had already
gone beyond the UN resolution.
However, one US official told Reuters news agency Turkish concerns had been
eased.
"I do believe the Turks have largely resolved the questions they had before,"
the official said.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe has now proposed a new body bringing
together foreign ministers of participating states and the Arab League to act
as a political overseer.
One matter Nato did resolve on Tuesday was how to enforce a UN arms embargo on
Libya. It will use aircraft and ships in the Mediterranean to "conduct
operations to monitor, report and, if needed, interdict vessels suspected of
carrying illegal arms or mercenaries".
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