The Libyan government late Friday rejected a rebel ceasefire offer as “crazy.” The opposition Interim Transitional National Council (ITNC) had said the rebels would seek conditional ceasefire. ITNC chairman Mustafa Abdel Jalil said they would agree to a ceasefire if Muammar Qadhafi withdrew his forces from all of Libya’s cities and respected the rights of Libyans to choose sides.
“The world will see that they will choose freedom,” Mr. Jalil told a press conference with Abdelilah al-Khatib, United Nations special envoy to Libya, who was on a short visit to Libya’s eastern front.
Government spokesman Musa Ibrahim rejected the rebel demands, insisting that Mr. Qadhafi’s forces would stay put.
“If that’s not crazy, I don’t know what is,” Mr. Ibrahim said. “We will not relinquish our cities.” The rebels moved Friday to fortify the key north-eastern city of Ajdabiya. An important stop between the capital Tripoli and the rebel stronghold of Benghazi, Ajdabiya was bracing for a possible attack by Mr. Qadhafi’s forces as rebels struggled to recapture key eastern cities they lost earlier this week.
Rebels are now fighting to regain the key oil port of al-Burayqa, according to broadcaster Al-Jazeera.
The main goal of the ITNC is for Mr. Qadhafi, who has been in power for 42 years, to step down and for a new government formed by officials from within the rebel council take charge during a transition to free elections.
The rebels have appealed to the international community for more weapons to fight Mr. Qadhafi’s heavily armed forces.
Reports emerged that a coalition airstrike had killed seven civilians, mostly children, and wounded another 25 people on Wednesday near the town of Brega, according to a Libyan doctor quoted by the BBC.
The opposition on Thursday voiced confidence that coalition airstrikes, now led by NATO as part of a U.N.-authorised no-fly zone, would help them reclaim lost territory.
NATO said Friday that 74 airstrikes had been carried out against Libya on Thursday, the first day the Western alliance commanded military operations.
NATO took over from an impromptu coalition coordinated by the United States, with France and Britain playing leading roles.
Both Germany and China called Friday for renewed efforts toward a political, non-violent solution of the conflict. Both countries abstained from a U.N. Security Council vote two weeks ago that approved a no-fly zone over the conflict-ridden country.
