Italy says 1,000 killed in Libya unrest

Italy says 1,000 killed in Libya unrest
By Reuters
Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011 -- 8:53 am 
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Tags: Foreign, mass demonstrations, Muammar, muammar gaddafi, nicolas sarkozy, 
Oil, president nicolas sarkozy, rush hour traffic, state, violence
TRIPOLI  (Reuters) - Muammar Gaddafi's increasingly desperate attempts to crush 
a  revolt against his four-decade rule have killed as many as 1,000 people  and 
split Libya, Italy's Foreign Minister said on Wednesday.
As countries with strong business ties to Africa's third largest oil  producer 
scrambled to evacuate their citizens, and fear of pro-Gaddafi  gunmen emptied 
the streets of the capital Tripoli, France became the  first state to call for 
sanctions.
"I would like the suspension of economic, commercial and financial  relations 
with Libya until further notice," President Nicolas Sarkozy  said.
But in the latest sign of international division over how to deal  with Gaddafi, 
the prime minister of Qatar said he did not want to  isolate Libya, where 
several senior officials have declared their  backing for protests that began 
about a week ago.
A senior aide to Gaddafi's influential son Saif was the latest to change sides.
"I resigned from the Gaddafi Foundation on Sunday to express dismay  against 
violence," Youssef Sawani, executive director of the foundation,  said in a text 
message sent to Reuters.
Gaddafi called for mass demonstrations by his supporters on Wednesday  to try to 
cling to power. In the morning, only around 150 people  gathered in Tripoli's 
central Green Square, carrying the Libyan flag and  holding up Gaddafi's 
portrait.
Most streets were almost deserted at a time when they are normally  packed with 
rush-hour traffic. A handful of cafes appeared to be the  only businesses open 
despite government appeals for a return to work  sent to subscribers of Libya's 
two state-controlled mobile phone  companies.
"Lots of people are afraid to leave their homes in Tripoli and  pro-Gaddafi 
gunmen are roaming around threatening any people who gather  in groups," Marwan 
Mohammed, a Tunisian, said as he crossed Libya's  western border into Tunisia.
A British oil worker said he was stranded with 300 other people at a  camp in 
the east of Libya, where he said local people had looted oil  installations.
"We are living every day in fear of our lives as the local people are  armed," 
James Coyle told the BBC. "They've looted ... the German camp  next door, 
they've taken all their vehicles, all our vehicles ...  everything. So we are 
here desperate for the British government to come  and get us."
The British foreign office had no immediate comment.
CREDIBLE ESTIMATES
Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said he understood the  eastern region 
of Cyrenaica, where much of Libya's oil is located, was  no longer under 
Gaddafi's control after violent attempts to crush  protest there and elsewhere 
in the country.
Frattini said he could not be sure how many had been killed, adding: "We believe 
that estimates of about 1,000 are credible."
Human Rights Watch had estimated 233 had been killed, with 62 killed  in Tripoli 
in the past two days. Opposition groups had put the figure  far much higher.
On Tuesday, Gaddafi declared he was ready to die "a martyr" in Libya.  "I shall 
remain here defiant," he said on state television, refusing to  bow to calls to 
step down from some of his own ministers, soldiers and  protesters.
Popular protests in Libya's neighbors Egypt and Tunisia have toppled  entrenched 
leaders, but Gaddafi, who has ruled the mainly desert country  with a mixture of 
populism and tight control since taking power in a  military coup in 1969, said 
he would not be forced out.
In New York, the U.N. Security Council condemned the use of violence  and called 
for those responsible for attacks on civilians to be held to  account.
The turmoil in Libya, which stretches from the Mediterranean into the  Sahara 
and pumps nearly 2 percent of world oil output, sent Brent crude  futures above 
$108 a barrel to a 2 1/2 year high on Tuesday. They were  at $107.08 by 1000 GMT 
on Wednesday.
The White House said global powers must speak with one voice in  response to the 
"appalling violence" in Libya and U.S. Secretary of  State Hillary Clinton said 
the United States would take "appropriate  steps" in time.
But Washington has little leverage over Libya, which was a U.S.  adversary for 
most of Gaddafi's rule until it agreed in 2003 to abandon a  
weapons-of-mass-destruction program and moved to settle claims from the  1988 
Lockerbie bombing.
Gaddafi called protesters "rats and mercenaries" who deserved the  death penalty 
in his 75-minute speech. He said he would call on people  to "cleanse Libya 
house by house" unless protesters surrendered.
He urged Libyans to take to the streets to show their loyalty. "All  of you who 
love Muammar Gaddafi, go out on the streets, secure the  streets, don't be 
afraid of them ... Chase them, arrest them, hand them  over," he said.
Libya's official news agency quoted him as telling Italian Prime  Minister 
Silvio Berlusconi that "Libya is fine, its people are ...  holding on to its 
security."
But British Foreign Secretary William Hague said there were "many  indications 
of the structure of the state collapsing in Libya." Britain  and other nations 
have said they are trying to evacuate nationals from  Libya by plane an ship.
In a sign of his camp's growing isolation, Libyan diplomats at the  United 
Nations and several countries broke ranks with Gaddafi's  leadership.
Peru suspended diplomatic relations with Libya.
Libya's Interior Minister Abdel Fattah Younes al Abidi defected, Al  Jazeera 
said. It aired video showing Abidi at his desk reading a  statement urging the 
army to support the people and their "legitimate  demands."
GOVERNMENT CONTROL?
A government spokesman accused international media of exaggerating the gravity 
of the situation in the country.
But swathes of Libya are no longer under government control.
In Sabratah, 50 miles west of the capital, the Libyan army had  deployed a 
"large number" of soldiers after protesters destroyed almost  all the security 
services offices, the online Quryna newspaper said.
Eastern Libya is no longer under Gaddafi's control, rebel soldiers in the city 
of Tobruk told a Reuters reporter there.
Tobruk residents said the city had been in the hands of the people  for three 
days. They said smoke rising above the city was from a  munitions depot bombed 
by troops loyal to one of Gaddafi's sons. There  was the occasional explosion.
(Reporting by Tarek Amara, Christian Lowe, Marie-Louise Gumuchian,  Souhail 
Karam; Brian Love, Daren Butler; Dina Zayed, Sarah Mikhail and  Tom Perry in 
Cairo and a Reuters correspondent in Libya; Henry Foy in  New Delhi; writing by 
Janet Lawrence and Philippa Fletcher; editing by  Giles Elgood)
 
Italy says 1,000 killed in Libya unrest
REUTERS
Reuters US Online Report Top News
Feb 23, 2011 07:14 EST
TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Muammar Gaddafi's  increasingly desperate attempts to crush 
a revolt against his  four-decade rule have killed as many as 1,000 people and 
split Libya,  Italy's Foreign Minister said on Wednesday.
<br/> 
As countries with strong business ties to Africa's  third largest oil producer 
scrambled to evacuate their citizens, and  fear of pro-Gaddafi gunmen emptied 
the streets of the capital Tripoli, France became the first state to call for 
sanctions.
"I would like the suspension of economic, commercial and financial relations 
with Libya until further notice," President Nicolas Sarkozy said.
But in the latest sign of international division over how to deal with Gaddafi, 
the prime minister of Qatar said he did not want to isolate Libya, where several 
senior officials  have declared their backing for protests that began about a 
week ago.
A senior aide to Gaddafi's influential son Saif was the latest to change sides.
"I resigned from the Gaddafi Foundation on Sunday to express dismay against 
violence," Youssef Sawani, executive director of the foundation, said in a text 
message sent to Reuters.
Gaddafi  called for mass demonstrations by his supporters on Wednesday to try to  
cling to power. In the morning, only around 150 people gathered in  Tripoli's 
central Green Square, carrying the Libyan flag and holding up  Gaddafi's 
portrait.
Most streets were almost deserted at a time  when they are normally packed with 
rush-hour traffic. A handful of cafes  appeared to be the only businesses open 
despite government appeals for a  return to work sent to subscribers of Libya's 
two state-controlled  mobile phone companies.
"Lots of people are afraid to leave their  homes in Tripoli and pro-Gaddafi 
gunmen are roaming around threatening  any people who gather in groups," Marwan 
Mohammed, a Tunisian, said as he crossed Libya's western border into Tunisia.
A  British oil worker said he was stranded with 300 other people at a camp  in 
the east of Libya, where he said local people had looted oil  installations.
"We are living every day in fear of our lives as the local people are armed," 
James Coyle told the BBC.  "They've looted ... the German camp next door, 
they've taken all their  vehicles, all our vehicles ... everything. So we are 
here desperate for  the British government to come and get us."
The British foreign office had no immediate comment.
CREDIBLE ESTIMATES
Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said he understood the eastern region 
of Cyrenaica, where much of  Libya's oil is located, was no longer under 
Gaddafi's control after  violent attempts to crush protest there and elsewhere 
in the country.
Frattini said he could not be sure how many had been killed, adding: "We believe 
that estimates of about 1,000 are credible."
Human Rights Watch had estimated 233 had been killed, with 62 killed in Tripoli 
in the  past two days. Opposition groups had put the figure far much higher.
On  Tuesday, Gaddafi declared he was ready to die "a martyr" in Libya. "I  shall 
remain here defiant," he said on state television, refusing to bow  to calls to 
step down from some of his own ministers, soldiers and  protesters.
Popular protests in Libya's neighbors Egypt and Tunisia have toppled entrenched 
leaders, but Gaddafi, who has ruled  the mainly desert country with a mixture of 
populism and tight control  since taking power in a military coup in 1969, said 
he would not be  forced out.
In New York, the U.N. Security Council condemned the use of violence and called 
for those responsible for attacks on civilians to be held to account.
The  turmoil in Libya, which stretches from the Mediterranean into the  Sahara 
and pumps nearly 2 percent of world oil output, sent Brent crude  futures above 
$108 a barrel to a 2 1/2 year high on Tuesday. They were  at $107.08 by 1000 GMT 
on Wednesday.
The White House said global powers must speak with one voice in response to the 
"appalling violence" in Libya and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said 
the United States would take "appropriate steps" in time.
But Washington has little leverage over Libya, which was a U.S. adversary for 
most of  Gaddafi's rule until it agreed in 2003 to abandon a  
weapons-of-mass-destruction program and moved to settle claims from the  1988 
Lockerbie bombing.
Gaddafi  called protesters "rats and mercenaries" who deserved the death penalty  
in his 75-minute speech. He said he would call on people to "cleanse  Libya 
house by house" unless protesters surrendered.
He urged  Libyans to take to the streets to show their loyalty. "All of you who  
love Muammar Gaddafi, go out on the streets, secure the streets, don't  be 
afraid of them ... Chase them, arrest them, hand them over," he said.
Libya's official news agency quoted him as telling Italian Prime Minister Silvio 
Berlusconi that "Libya is fine, its people are ... holding on to its security."
But British Foreign Secretary William Hague said there were "many indications of 
the structure of the state collapsing in Libya." Britain and other nations have 
said they are trying to evacuate nationals from Libya by plane an ship.
In a sign of his camp's growing isolation, Libyan diplomats at the United 
Nations and several countries broke ranks with Gaddafi's leadership.
Peru suspended diplomatic relations with Libya.
Libya's Interior Minister Abdel Fattah Younes al Abidi defected, Al Jazeera 
said. It aired video showing Abidi at his desk reading a statement  urging the 
army to support the people and their "legitimate demands."
GOVERNMENT CONTROL?
A government spokesman accused international media of exaggerating the gravity 
of the situation in the country.
But swathes of Libya are no longer under government control.
In  Sabratah, 50 miles west of the capital, the Libyan army had deployed a  
"large number" of soldiers after protesters destroyed almost all the  security 
services offices, the online Quryna newspaper said.
Eastern Libya is no longer under Gaddafi's control, rebel soldiers in the city 
of Tobruk told a Reuters reporter there.
Tobruk  residents said the city had been in the hands of the people for three  
days. They said smoke rising above the city was from a munitions depot  bombed 
by troops loyal to one of Gaddafi's sons. There was the  occasional explosion.
(Reporting by Tarek Amara, Christian Lowe, Marie-Louise Gumuchian, Souhail 
Karam; Brian Love, Daren Butler; Dina Zayed, Sarah Mikhail and Tom Perry in 
Cairo and a Reuters correspondent in Libya; Henry Foy in New Delhi; writing by 
Janet Lawrence and Philippa Fletcher; editing by Giles Elgood)