Gadhafi calls for cease-fire
Source: Agencies |
May 1, 2011, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
LIBYAN leader Moammar Gadhafi called for a cease-fire and negotiations with NATO powers in a live speech on state TV early yesterday, just as NATO bombs struck a government complex in the Libyan capital.
The targeted compound included the state television building and a Libyan official alleged the strikes were meant to kill Gadhafi.
However, the TV building was not damaged and Gadhafi spoke from an undisclosed location.
Since the start of the uprising against him in February, Gadhafi has made only infrequent public appearances.
In his rambling pre-dawn speech which lasted for more than an hour, he appeared both subdued and defiant, repeatedly pausing as he flipped through handwritten notes.
"The door to peace is open," Gadhafi said, sitting behind a desk. "You are the aggressors. We will negotiate with you. Come, France, Italy, UK, America, come, we will negotiate with you. Why are you attacking us?"
He said Libyans have the right to choose their own political system, but not under the threat of NATO bombings.
Rebel leaders have said they will only lay down their arms and begin talks on Libya's future after Gadhafi and his sons step aside. Gadhafi has repeatedly refused to resign.
Yesterday's pre-dawn air strikes targeted a government complex, and reporters visiting the scene were told the two damaged buildings housed a commission for women and children and offices of parliamentary staff.
One of at least three bombs or missiles knocked down a huge part of a two-story building. In another building, doors were blown out and ceiling tiles dropped to the ground. One missile hit the street outside the attorney general's office.
A policeman said three people were wounded, one seriously.
In his speech, Gadhafi lamented the air strikes, which began in mid-March under a UN mandate to protect Libyan civilians.
The strikes have mainly hit Libyan military targets, but three did hit Gadhafi's residential compound.
"Why are you killing our children? Why are you destroying our infrastructure," Gadhafi said yesterday, while denying that his forces had killed Libyan civilians. Even as he called for a cease-fire, he appeared to dismiss the possibility of one, saying his enemies were al-Qaida operatives who did not understand what a truce meant.
A TV transition tower stood near the buildings struck yesterday. During Gadhafi's speech the TV screen went dark three times, but he completed his address.
Moussa Ibrahim, a government spokesman, denounced the strikes as a crime and alleged they were meant to kill Gadhafi.
He said it had been announced earlier that Gadhafi would be speaking live. Coalition forces "thought he was speaking adjacent to the Libyan broadcasting center," Ibrahim said.
The targeted compound included the state television building and a Libyan official alleged the strikes were meant to kill Gadhafi.
However, the TV building was not damaged and Gadhafi spoke from an undisclosed location.
Since the start of the uprising against him in February, Gadhafi has made only infrequent public appearances.
In his rambling pre-dawn speech which lasted for more than an hour, he appeared both subdued and defiant, repeatedly pausing as he flipped through handwritten notes.
"The door to peace is open," Gadhafi said, sitting behind a desk. "You are the aggressors. We will negotiate with you. Come, France, Italy, UK, America, come, we will negotiate with you. Why are you attacking us?"
He said Libyans have the right to choose their own political system, but not under the threat of NATO bombings.
Rebel leaders have said they will only lay down their arms and begin talks on Libya's future after Gadhafi and his sons step aside. Gadhafi has repeatedly refused to resign.
Yesterday's pre-dawn air strikes targeted a government complex, and reporters visiting the scene were told the two damaged buildings housed a commission for women and children and offices of parliamentary staff.
One of at least three bombs or missiles knocked down a huge part of a two-story building. In another building, doors were blown out and ceiling tiles dropped to the ground. One missile hit the street outside the attorney general's office.
A policeman said three people were wounded, one seriously.
In his speech, Gadhafi lamented the air strikes, which began in mid-March under a UN mandate to protect Libyan civilians.
The strikes have mainly hit Libyan military targets, but three did hit Gadhafi's residential compound.
"Why are you killing our children? Why are you destroying our infrastructure," Gadhafi said yesterday, while denying that his forces had killed Libyan civilians. Even as he called for a cease-fire, he appeared to dismiss the possibility of one, saying his enemies were al-Qaida operatives who did not understand what a truce meant.
A TV transition tower stood near the buildings struck yesterday. During Gadhafi's speech the TV screen went dark three times, but he completed his address.
Moussa Ibrahim, a government spokesman, denounced the strikes as a crime and alleged they were meant to kill Gadhafi.
He said it had been announced earlier that Gadhafi would be speaking live. Coalition forces "thought he was speaking adjacent to the Libyan broadcasting center," Ibrahim said.
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