Gadhafi's death should be probed, U.N. agency says

According to CNN Joe Sterling, the circumstances of late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's death are "unclear" and need to be investigated, the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said Friday.

"More details are needed to ascertain whether he was killed in the fighting or after his capture," the agency said.

"There seem to be four or five different versions of how he died. As you are aware, there are at least two cell-phone videos, one showing him alive and one showing him dead. Taken together, these videos are very disturbing."

The agency said it's important that "justice is done" to bring "closure on the legacy of Gaddafi's 42-year despotic rule, and on the bloody conflict this year." It said "human rights must be the cornerstone of all policies and actions" in a new Libya.

"The thousands of victims who suffered loss of life, disappearance, torture and other serious human rights violations since the conflict broke out in February 2011, as well as those who suffered human rights violations throughout Gadhafi's long rule, have the right to know the truth, to see the culture of impunity brought to an end, and to receive reparations," the office said.

"In order to turn the page on the legacy of decades of systematic violations of human rights, it will be essential for alleged perpetrators to be brought before trials, which adhere to international standards for fair trial, and for victims to see that accountability has been achieved."

Mahmoud Jibril, Libya's transitional prime minister, said Gadhafi was captured alive and unharmed on Thursday as troops from the National Transitional Council overran his hometown of Sirte. But a gunbattle erupted between transitional council fighters and Gadhafi's supporters as his captors attempted to load him into a vehicle, Jibril said, leaving Gadhafi with a wound to his right arm.

More shooting erupted as the vehicle drove away, and Gadhafi -- overthrown in August -- was hit in the head, Jibril said, Gadhafi died moments before arriving at a hospital in Misrata, Jibril said, citing the city's coroner.

Amnesty International urged the NTC "to make public" the "full facts" on Gadhafi's death.

"It is essential to conduct a full, independent and impartial inquiry to establish whether Colonel Gadhafi was killed during combat or after he was captured," the group said on Thursday.

Amnesty urged the NTC "to ensure that all those suspected of human rights abuses and war crimes" get humane treatment and are given fair trials if captured. That includes Gadhafi's family members and his inner circle.

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Libya Updates - Oil below $126 on mixed signals over Libya talks

(Reuters) - Brent crude oil retreated on Monday below $126 and U.S. crude futures slipped as the African Union signaled progress in Libyan peace talks yet government forces continued their bombardment of Misrata.

At 1337 GMT, ICE Brent crude for May was down 70 cents to $125.95 a barrel after hitting an intraday low of $124.69 a barrel, down almost $2.

U.S. crude for May delivery was down by 53 cents to $112.26 a barrel after earlier slipping to $111.53.

The African Union said Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi had accepted a roadmap to end the civil war in Libya, including an immediate ceasefire, but forces loyal to Gaddafi continued to shell the besieged town of Misrata.

A NATO official said the alliance would target Gaddafi's forces as long as they threatened civilians.

"It does not appear that this indication of a peace deal has any substance at this point," the official said.

An oil broker said the market was also selling off due to profit-taking. "The market looked very toppy indeed -- on Friday the market was 90 percent overbought on crude and I feel that needs to unwind a bit, which it is doing."

Analysts are skeptical about the Libyan peace deal. Commerzbank's Carsten Fritsch said: "We have seen such peace plans before... Unless Gaddafi steps down I think there is little room for discussion from the rebel side."

Even if an end to the civil war is in sight, it will be some time before Libyan exports return to pre-conflict levels.

"Some of Libya's oil fields, which have recently come under attack, have suffered severe damage, which is likely to have a long-lasting negative impact on the country's production profile," said Amrita Sen at Barclays Capital.

"We don't believe there is reason to be optimistic even if Gaddafi were to step down, as the power vacuum would be very large."

The conflict in Libya has cut the country's 1.6 million barrels per day oil output by around 80 percent, with much more of an impact on Brent prices than U.S. crude.

Brent surged over $4 on Friday to settle above $126 a barrel, its highest level in 32 months, as commodities rallied due to a weaker dollar and continued fighting in Libya.

"Oil prices have now reached levels that are no longer justified," said Commerzbank's Fritsch. "It is largely being driven by fear at present and not by actual supply bottlenecks."

Only if another oil producer of Libya's size drops out of the market will spare capacities sink to a critical level, Fritsch said

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Libya Updates - African peace plan for Libya founders

(Reuters) - An African plan to halt Libya's civil war quickly foundered on Monday when fighting raged for the besieged city of Misrata and NATO refused to suspend its air campaign.

South Africa's Jacob Zuma, leading a delegation of five African presidents, announced early on Monday that Muammar Gaddafi had accepted the initiative, including a ceasefire, but it looked dead in the water a few hours later as Gaddafi's forces bombarded Misrata.

Western leaders expressed skepticism and said Gaddafi must step down, while NATO said its air strikes against government armor would continue as long as he targeted civilians.

A resident of the coastal city of Misrata, which has been under siege for six weeks, told Reuters heavy fighting was under way on the eastern approaches and in the center.

Rebels in Misrata told Reuters Gaddafi's forces fired Russian-made Grad rockets into the city, where conditions for civilians are said to be desperate.

Earlier Al Jazeera television quoted a rebel spokesman as saying five people died and 20 were wounded in Misrata, a lone rebel bastion in western Libya.

TALKS WITH REBELS

The African Union delegation held talks with the rebel leadership on Monday in the opposition's Benghazi stronghold but the insurgents said they would accept no plan that allowed Gaddafi to stay in power.

Zuma did not travel from Tripoli to Benghazi with the rest of the delegation, to the surprise of the rebels, but issued a statement when he got home saying the mission was "a huge success."

A rebel spokesman said Gaddafi must end his 41-year rule.

"The Libyan people have made it very clear that Gaddafi must step down, but we will consider the proposal once we have more details, and respond," spokesman Mustafa Gheriani told Reuters.

Libyan officials have repeatedly said that Gaddafi, who holds no official state position, will not quit.

The AU delegation was met in Benghazi by up to 3,000 demonstrators holding banners reading: "African Union take Gaddafi with you" and "Gaddafi has committed genocide."

They pushed up to the doors of the hotel where the talks were held, yelling "the people want the downfall of the regime."

Officials from NATO, which is bombing Libyan government armor under a United Nations mandate to protect civilians, said they took note of the African Union plan but the alliance would continue operations while civilians were at risk.

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Libya Updates - African Union Officials to Meet Qaddafi and Rebels

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – An African Union official says an A.U. committee will hold separate meetings with Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi and rebels during a two day visit.

Khellaf Brahan says the committee will meet with the two sides on Sunday and Monday. Brahan is the special assistant to peace and security commissioner Ramtame Lamamra.

The A.U. committee on Libya is seeking an immediate cease-fire, the free delivery of humanitarian aid, the protection of foreigners in Libya, and to open talks between the rebels and the government.

NATO planes have been carrying out airstrikes against Libyan government forces and fierce fighting between the two sides continues.

Source : Associated Press

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Asia stocks mixed amid uncertainty in Japan, Libya

(AP) BANGKOK –  Stocks in Asia were mixed following a retreat on Wall Street on Wednesday, as the staggering toll exacted by Japan's worst-ever earthquake came into sharper focus and uncertainties grew about the outcome of Western military action against Libya.

Japan's Nikkei 225 slid 1.2 percent in early trading to 9,496.21 after a strong day of gains after a newspaper reported that government estimates of damages from the catastrophic March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan's industrial northeast could exceed $300 billion.

The disaster also triggered a crisis at a nuclear power plant that forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people and forced power cuts due to the shutdown of 11 of Japan's 54 nuclear power plants.

Three of the country's biggest brands — Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co. and Sony Corp. — put off a return to normal production due to shortages of parts and raw materials because of earthquake damage to factories in affected areas.

Toyota and Honda said they would extend a shutdown of auto production in Japan that already is in its second week, while Sony said it was suspending some manufacturing of popular consumer electronics such as digital cameras and TVs. The production slowdowns hit their stock prices: Toyota drooped 1.5 percent; Honda was down 1.4 percent, and Sony lost 0.8 percent.

Elsewhere, South Korea's Kospi index was up 0.1 percent to 2,016.35, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index dropped 0.3 percent to 22,798.01.

Meanwhile, investors had a separate worry: the crisis in Libya and the real possibility that Moammar Gadhafi could stave off military action by Western powers intended to keep Gadhafi from overwhelming rebel forces trying to end his four-decade rule.

Oil prices hovered near $105 a barrel Wednesday in Asia as violent uprisings in the Middle East kept traders nervous about possible crude supply disruptions. OPEC-member Libya, which produces enough oil to meet nearly 2 percent of world demand, has almost totally stopped shipping it.

On Wall Street, stocks edged lower Tuesday, ending a three-day rally that had lifted the Dow Jones industrial average above 12,000 for the first time since an earthquake hit Japan more than a week ago.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 17.90 points to close at 12,018.63. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 4.61, or 0.4 percent, to 1,293.77. The Nasdaq composite index fell 8.22, or 0.3 percent, to 2,683.87

In currencies, the euro dropped to $1.4169 from $1.4207 late Tuesday in New York. The yen was unchanged against the greenback at 80.90.

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Libya Updates - Qaddafi Vows to 'Beat' Coalition Forces, but Clinton Says He May Be Considering Exile

(FoxNews) Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi made his first public appearance in a week on Tuesday, assuring his country that they will “beat” the international coalition striking his military forces, but U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton suggested he really may be looking for ways to slip out the back door.

The defiant strongman spoke to a crowd of supporters from a balcony at his Bab Al-Azizya residential compound in a suburb of Tripoli – the target of a cruise missile strike on Sunday night.

"In the short term, we'll beat them, in the long term, we'll beat them,” he said.

The speech came after heavy anti-aircraft fire lit up the skies over Tripoli and the sound of loud explosions echoed through the Libyan capital after nightfall on Tuesday. The gunfire appeared to signal a fourth night of U.S. and European air operations over Libya to enforce a U.N.-authorized no-fly zone.

This latest coalition assault came following a push by Qaddafi's forces as they shelled rebels regrouping in the desert dunes outside a strategic eastern city earlier Tuesday, and his snipers and tanks roamed the streets of the last major opposition-held city in the west. 

But behind the scenes Qaddafi’s confidence may not be as strong, Clinton said Tuesday in a TV interview.

"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?" Clinton told ABC News. "I'm not aware that he personally has reached out, but I do know that people allegedly on his behalf have been reaching out."

Clinton hinted at Qaddafi’s possible search for exile and also said she heard reports of one of the leader’s sons being killed in the airstrikes. But she could not confirm either.

"A lot of it is just the way he behaves. It's somewhat unpredictable. But some of it, we think, is exploring. You know, what are my options, where could I go, what could I do,” Clinton said. “And we would encourage that."

Clinton would also not comment on whether or not the U.S. believes Qaddafi can be ousted from power.

"I don't want to make any predictions because we are taking this one step at a time. I don't want to jump beyond where we are right now," she said. "Now obviously, if we want to see a stable, peaceful, hopefully someday democratic Libya, it is highly unlikely that can be accomplished if he stays in power as he is."

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and others said the U.S. military's role will lessen in coming days as other countries take on more missions and the need declines for large-scale offensive action like the barrage of Tomahawk cruise missiles fired Saturday and Sunday mainly by U.S. ships and submarines off Libya's coast.

France has proposed that a new political steering committee outside NATO be responsible for overseeing military operations over Libya.

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe says the new body will bring together foreign ministers of participating states -- such as Britain, France and the United States -- as well as the Arab League. It is expected to meet in the coming days, either in Brussels, London or Paris.

A U.S. defense official told Fox News the U.S. has fired 161 Tomahawk cruise missiles into Libyan territory since military strikes began, with 24 missiles being fired overnight Monday into Tuesday.

He said the strikes overnight effectively extended the area covered by the no-fly zone, but declined to describe how large the zone had become.

However, not all NATO members are in favor of the no-fly zone and airstrikes against Libya.

Juppe says not all members of the military coalition are members of NATO and "this is therefore not a NATO operation." But he says the coalition would use the NATO's "planning and intervention capabilities."

Misrata, the last western city held by rebels, was being bombarded by Qaddafi's forces on Tuesday, his tanks and snipers controlling the streets, according to a doctor there who said civilians were surviving on dwindling supplies of food and water, desperately in search of shelter. Up to 40 people were said to have been killed in the rebel-held city, including four children, according to Sky News.

Adm. Samuel Locklear, who is running Operation Odyssey Dawn, confirmed that Qaddafi's forces are attacking civilians in Misrata.

Locklear says the U.S. will "pursue all actions necessary" to stop these attacks.

The Libyan leader has ruled the North African nation for more than four decades and was a target of American air attacks in 1986.

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Libya Updates - Libyans Use Journalists as Human Shields

(Foxnews) An attack on the compound of Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi on Sunday had to be curtailed because of journalists nearby, Fox News has learned.

British sources confirmed that seven Storm Shadow missiles were ready to be fired from a British aircraft, but the strikes had to be curtailed due to crews from CNN, Reuters and other organizations nearby. Officials from Libya's Ministry of Information brought those journalists to the area to show them damage from the initial attack and to effectively use them as human shields.

The curtailment of this mission led to a great deal of consternation by coalition commanders, sources told Fox News, but they opted to call off the mission to avoid civilian casualties.

During a Pentagon briefing on Monday, coalition commanders said the huge compound was targeted due to its air defense systems on the perimeter and a military command and control center. It was not targeted to kill Qaddafi, commanders said.

Meanwhile, U.S. military officials said on Monday that Qatar is sending six planes to Libya to participate in support missions, becoming the third Arab nation to send aircraft to the African nation. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) also announced on Monday that its role in Libya is "strictly confined" to the delivery of humanitarian assistance in Libya.

In coordination with Turkey, the United Arab Emirates has sent a ship loaded with medical and humanitarian aid to Libya -- in addition to two UAE planes sent to the country last week.

The U.N.-approved no-fly zone over Libya is working and will soon be expanded to Tripoli as aircraft from additional coalition countries arrive in the region, the head of U.S. Africa Command said on Monday.

U.S. Army General Carter Ham told a Pentagon briefing that coalition air forces were continuing missions to sustain the no-fly zone and that Libyan ground forces were moving south from rebel-held Benghazi showing "little will or capability" to operate.

Ham said U.S. and U.K. forces launched another 12 Tomahawk cruise missiles over the past 24 hours at sites controlled by Qaddafi. The targets included regime command and control facilities, a surface-to-surface missile site and an air defense station, according to Ham, the operation commander who added that there was no direct coordination among allies and anti-Qaddafi rebels.

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Libya Updates - The United Nations authorized military attacks on Muammar Gaddafi's forces

(Reuters) - The United Nations authorized military attacks on Muammar Gaddafi's forces, but his forces closed in on the Libyan rebels and he vowed to storm their stronghold with "no mercy, no pity."

French diplomatic sources said action could follow within hours, and could include France, Britain and possibly the United States and one or more Arab states. A U.S. military official said no immediate U.S. action was expected.

Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam said on Friday that Libya was "not afraid" of the U.N. move, Al Arabiya television reported.

Time was running short for Benghazi, the eastern city that has been at the heart of Libya's month-old revolt.

But Gaddafi's troops did not fulfill his threat to overrun the rebel base overnight after their rapid counter-offensive brought them to within 100 km (60 miles) of the eastern city.

"We will come. House by house, room by room," Gaddafi said in a radio address to Benghazi late on Thursday.

Al Jazeera television showed thousands of people listening to the speech in a central Benghazi square, then erupting in celebration after the U.N. vote, waving anti-Gaddafi tricolors and chanting defiance of the man who has ruled for four decades.

Fireworks burst over the city and gunfire rang out.

The U.N. Security Council, meeting in emergency session, passed a resolution endorsing a no-fly zone. It also authorized "all necessary measures" -- code for military action -- to protect civilians from Gaddafi's forces.

While other countries or NATO may play roles in military action, U.S. officials expect the United States with its extensive air and sea forces to do the heavy lifting in a campaign likely to include air strikes on tanks and artillery.

Gaddafi warned Benghazi residents that only those who laid down their arms before his advancing troops would be spared the vengeance awaiting "rats and dogs."

"It's over. The issue has been decided," Gaddafi said. "We are coming tonight ... We will find you in your closets.

"We will have no mercy and no pity."

AIR STRIKES

Residents said the Libyan air force unleashed three air raids on the city of 670,000 on Thursday and there was fierce fighting along the Mediterranean coastal highway.

Ten of the Council's 15 member states voted in favor of the resolution, while Russia, China and Germany were among the five that abstained. The resolution was co-sponsored by France, Britain, Lebanon and the United States.

Apart from military action, it expands sanctions against Gaddafi and associates. Among firms whose assets it orders frozen are the Libyan National Oil Corp and the central bank.

U.S. President Barack Obama called his British and French counterparts David Cameron and Nicolas Sarkozy and agreed to coordinate closely on their next steps.

Libya said the resolution, which also demands a ceasefire by government forces, was not worth the paper it was written on.

Rebel National Council head Mustafa Abdel Jalil told Al Jazeera television air strikes, beyond the no-fly zone, were essential to stop Gaddafi.

"We stand on firm ground. We will not be intimidated by these lies and claims... We will not settle for anything but liberation from this regime."

Some in the Arab world sense a Gaddafi victory could turn the tide in the region against pro-democracy movements that have unseated autocrats in Tunisia and Egypt and inspired mass protests in Bahrain, Yemen and elsewhere.

Gaddafi's Defence Ministry warned of swift retaliation, even beyond Libyan frontiers, against hostile action.

"Any foreign military act against Libya will expose all air and maritime traffic in the Mediterranean Sea to danger and civilian and military (facilities) will become targets of Libya's counter-attack," the ministry said in a statement.

RETALIATION

Foreign military action could include no-fly and no-drive zones, a maritime exclusion zone, jamming army communications and intelligence help. Air strikes would almost certainly be launched to knock out Libyan radar and air defenses.

An Italian government source told Reuters Italy was ready to make its military bases available. The airbase at Sigonella in Sicily, which provides logistical support for the United States Sixth Fleet, is one of the closest NATO bases to Libya.

The U.N. resolution followed a sharp shift in tone by the United States, which had resisted calls to military action. Diplomats said Washington's change of mind was influenced by an appeal to action by the Arab League.

"Mission creep" worries some. Western powers, chastened by protracted wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, would be wary of getting drawn into any ground action in Libya.

Germany abstained on the U.N. resolution, saying it saw "considerable dangers and risks" and that German troops would not take part in military action.

Rebels have retreated over the last two weeks as Gaddafi has brought air power and heavy armor to bear.

Residential areas of Ajdabiyah, a strategic town on the coast road to Benghazi, were the scene of heavy fighting on Thursday and around 30 people were killed, Al Arabiya reported.

On the approaches to Ajdabiyah, burned-out cars lay by the roadside and government forces showed the foreign media artillery, tanks and mobile rocket launchers -- much heavier weapons than those used by the rebels.

In Libya's third city Misrata, 200 km (130 miles) east of Tripoli, rebels and residents said they were preparing for a new attack by government troops.

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LIBYA updates - Thousands of foreigners evacuted from Libyan port

(AP) Thousands of foreign workers are being evacuated from Libya's second-largest city, as Europe, the United States and the United Nations donate more than $30 million to help a chaotic exodus of almost 200,000 who have fled the North African nation.

Tens of thousands more were massing at the borders just inside Libya, perched in camps or roughing it outside while awaiting evacuation, safe passage or asylum. Those who did so braved cold weather, lack of food and water, and other dangers. Thousands more were frozen in place, fearful of the intense fighting.

President Barack Obama announced Thursday he has approved the use of U.S. military aircraft and civilian flights to get people out. "The violence must stop. Moammar Gadhafi has lost the legitimacy to lead and he must leave," Obama said.

Immigration officials began evacuating 5,500 foreign workers Thursday from the eastern Libyan port of Benghazi, now held by rebels opposed to Gadhafi's regime.

The European Union said it is donating euro10 million ($14 million) to help Tunisia evacuate tens of thousands of refugees who have been pouring across the border as they flee Libya's escalating civil war. A roughly equal number is crossing from Libya into Egypt.

The U.S. provided $10 million, the U.N. $5 million, and European Commission is giving euro3 million ($4.1 million) to help the evacuations. Switzerland also pitched in a half-million francs.

International Organization for Migration officials said almost 200,000 have now crossed from Libya into Tunisia, Egypt and Niger. It said nine flights provided by Britain and the U.N. refugee agency based in Geneva were flying nearly 1,700 people from Djerba, Tunisia, to Cairo, on Thursday.

Those efforts will help bring another 2,250 stranded Egyptians home over the next five days as France lends two planes to the effort.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said after a conference call Thursday with Mideast, African, European, U.N. and migration officials that much more help was getting to the refugees in the last 24 hours. He said he would soon name a special envoy to handle the crisis.

However, the U.N. says a ship carrying more than 1,000 metric tons of food aid bound for Libya's opposition stronghold of Benghazi has turned back without unloading because of security fears. The World Food Program appealed for a safe humanitarian corridor to make sure all aid gets to those in need.

The Rome-based agency said the ship bringing in wheat at the request of the Red Crescent in eastern Libya returned to Malta on Thursday because bombings had been reported outside Benghazi's port. Benghazi is held by Libya's opposition.

WFP chief Josette Sheeran said the agency is preparing contingency plans in case needs grow inside Libya. The WFP is already providing food aid to people who have crossed into Tunisia and Egypt.

Relief agencies based in Geneva provided a grim account of the situation in Libya and along its borders.

At Benghazi's port and surrounding warehouses, the first to be airlifted out were about 200 women, children and medical patients. Evacuees-in-waiting were mostly from Bangladesh, India and Sudan, and a few from Syria and Ghana.

Most were too afraid of being shot in the fighting, or didn't know there was help waiting at the Egyptian border. And many, particularly those from sub-Saharan African, are undocumented, making a border crossing more difficult. Libyan port authorities, out from under Gadhafi's yoke, also were trying to help.

Libyan Red Crescent aides and international immigration officials were escorting small groups by road to the Egyptian border at Salum. About 3,000 people had reached there from inside Libya, and were waiting until ships could be found to take them to Alexandria in Egypt.

But about 3,000 Bangladeshis and 1,000 northern Sudanese were trapped in a no-man's land between Libya and Egypt, where emergency workers were trying to bring them food, water and medicine.

Countless people were stuck near the Egyptian, Tunisian, and Niger borders, lacking food or shelter in freezing weather. Others who had managed to escape Libya were similarly stranded without food or proper gear in Turkey, Malta and Greece.

An International Organization for Migration official in Geneva said one Nigerian migrant worker reported that 6,000-10,000 other foreigner laborers, families and pregnant women were trapped in Al Khums, a town on the Mediterranean coast of Libya. He said the group included West Africans, Chinese and Filipinos.

The officials said food supplies were low, illness was spreading and fear of reprisals against foreigners were keeping them indoors.

Filipinos, Vietnamese, Sri Lankans, Nepalese and many other Africans were stranded in large numbers in Sirt, Tripoli, Wazem and Misrata, Libya. Many are without documents and passports, which were taken by their employers.

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