Nato has acknowledged its air strikes in "may have" resulted in the deaths of rebel forces on the ground in Libya yesterday - but will not apologise.
The military alliance did not know the rebels were using tanks, spokesman Rear Admiral Russell Harding said after the attack, which killed at least five people.
But a rebel commander earlier claimed Nato had been told the rebels were moving T55 and T72 heavy tanks from Benghazi to Brega.
General Abdul Fatah Younis said at a news conference in Benghazi that fighters and medics were among the dead after the bombing "carried out in error".
Saleh Faraj, a former soldier fighting with the rebels, said at least three rebel tanks were hit in the air strike.
"There was no fighting anywhere. (The warplanes) flew back and forth and then they struck our forces," said Faraj.
The incident came ater the rebels criticised Nato for failing to provide the assistance it requires.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said on Thursday it was now only a question of how Gaddafi's regime meets its downfall rather than whether the Libyan ruler can survive in power.
ut General Carter Ham, the head of US Africa Command, said in Washington it was unlikely the rebel forces could push Gaddafi out.
Asked at a Senate hearing about the chances that the opposition could "fight their way" to Tripoli and replace Gaddafi, Ham replied: "Sir, I would assess that as a low likelihood."
His comments underscored growing concern in Washington and European capitals that the conflict is heading toward a stalemate, with Gaddafi firmly in control in Tripoli and the poorly organised rebels unable to turn the tide even under the cover of Nato-led air power.
Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan said "a real ceasefire should be settled immediately and military units of Gaddafi should remove the siege of some cities and withdraw back".
He also called for the creation of secure humanitarian corridors to allow the delivery of aid to the Libyan people.
Libya's deputy foreign minister Khaled Kaim minister accused British fighter bombers of being responsible for an attack on the Sarir oil field which killed three guards and wounded other workers.
The allegations came as Scottish authorities revealed they had interviewed defected Libyan foreign minister Musa Kusa over the Lockerbie bombing.
Nato has denied involvement in the attack on the Sarir oil field and there has been no comment from the Ministry of Defence.
However, an oil official in rebel-held east Libya said the attack was most likely the work of pro-Gaddafi forces.
Sky reporter Alistair Bunkall said: "You have got to wonder why British aeroplanes would come in from their bases in Italy and destroy an oil field. It would mark a change in tactics.
"Equally, you have the question of how the Libyan government know they were British aeroplanes, simply because they would be releasing their missiles from some distance.
"They do have different wing shapes from the French and other coalition aircraft but unless you have an eyewitness account it is very difficult to verify."
The British airstrike is said to have damaged the pipeline linking Al Sarir oil field - Libya's largest - and the rebel-held port of Tobruk.
The Sarir oilfield is located in Libya's Sirte basin, which contains around 80% of its proven reserves. The oilfield was discovered in 1961.
Meanwhile, the United States has dismissed a letter sent to President Barack Obama by Colonel Gaddafi, appealing for a ceasefire.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Scotland Interviews Former Libyan Foreign Minister
Scottish prosecutors and police have interviewed Moussa Koussa, the former Libyan foreign minister who last week defected to Britain, in connection with the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, a Crown Office spokeswoman said.
Last week, U.K. Foreign Secretary William Hague said that Mr. Koussa, won't be offered immunity from British and international justice.
Officers of Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary, supported by the Crown prosecution service, Thursday met Mr. Koussa in relation to the ongoing investigation into the Lockerbie bombing, a spokeswoman said in a statement.
The spokeswoman declined to comment further.
Scottish prosecutors have kept the investigation into the Lockerbie bombing open since former Libyan intelligence agent Abdel Baset al-Megrahi became the only person convicted of the bombing of a Pan Am airliner as it flew over the Scottish town of Lockerbie.
Mr. Koussa has at times been alleged to have had a role in the bombing. The regime of Col. Moammar Gadhafi always argued it had nothing to do with the attack, which killed 270 people, and that Mr. al-Megrahi was innocent. Mr. Koussa also played a role in negotiating the release of Mr. al-Megrahi on Aug. 20, 2009.
Last week, U.K. Foreign Secretary William Hague said that Mr. Koussa, won't be offered immunity from British and international justice.
Officers of Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary, supported by the Crown prosecution service, Thursday met Mr. Koussa in relation to the ongoing investigation into the Lockerbie bombing, a spokeswoman said in a statement.
The spokeswoman declined to comment further.
Scottish prosecutors have kept the investigation into the Lockerbie bombing open since former Libyan intelligence agent Abdel Baset al-Megrahi became the only person convicted of the bombing of a Pan Am airliner as it flew over the Scottish town of Lockerbie.
Mr. Koussa has at times been alleged to have had a role in the bombing. The regime of Col. Moammar Gadhafi always argued it had nothing to do with the attack, which killed 270 people, and that Mr. al-Megrahi was innocent. Mr. Koussa also played a role in negotiating the release of Mr. al-Megrahi on Aug. 20, 2009.
Japanese workers return to the fight at crippled nuclear plant
Tokyo (CNN) -- Workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station returned to the plant Friday after a strong aftershock forced them to leave a day earlier, the plant's owner said. 
The quake forced crews at the plant to evacuate as it rattled northern Japan late Thursday night. They returned to the plant about eight and a half hours later, and no fresh damage to the facility had been reported Friday afternoon, the Tokyo Electric Power Company said. Before the quake, engineers had been injecting non-flammable nitrogen into the No. 1 reactor containment shell to counter a buildup of hydrogen in the chamber. That process continued while the plant was evacuated, and so did the pumping of fresh water into that reactor and units 2 and 3, said Hidehiko Nishiyama, a spokesman for the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency. Hydrogen buildup is a symptom of overheated fuel rods in the cores of the reactors, which plant workers have been struggling to keep under control since the earthquake and tsunami. The nitrogen injections are aimed at displacing oxygen in the reactor shell, reducing the possibility of an explosion -- a chance Tokyo Electric called "extremely low." Edano, the Japanese government's point man on the crisis, said the country may set standards for long-term radiation exposure that would effectively extend the evacuation zone around the damaged plant. "It is time for the government to consider setting another category for accumulated exposure," Edano told reporters. "The safety of the people is the first priority, and social needs come after that." There is no timetable for a decision, Edano said. Readings released Thursday by the country's science ministry from areas outside that zone indicated that long-term exposure could top the government's one-time standards for an evacuation within a few months. Some of those are in towns to the northwest, where prevailing winds have blown radioactive particles released from the Fukushima Daiichi plant. The recorded doses are far below those that would cause radiation sickness but could pose a long-term risk of cancer, according to medical experts. The anti-nuclear group Greenpeace and the International Atomic Energy Agency raised alarms about the spread of radioactivity beyond the 30-kilometer zone in late March.
The quake forced crews at the plant to evacuate as it rattled northern Japan late Thursday night. They returned to the plant about eight and a half hours later, and no fresh damage to the facility had been reported Friday afternoon, the Tokyo Electric Power Company said. Before the quake, engineers had been injecting non-flammable nitrogen into the No. 1 reactor containment shell to counter a buildup of hydrogen in the chamber. That process continued while the plant was evacuated, and so did the pumping of fresh water into that reactor and units 2 and 3, said Hidehiko Nishiyama, a spokesman for the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency. Hydrogen buildup is a symptom of overheated fuel rods in the cores of the reactors, which plant workers have been struggling to keep under control since the earthquake and tsunami. The nitrogen injections are aimed at displacing oxygen in the reactor shell, reducing the possibility of an explosion -- a chance Tokyo Electric called "extremely low." Edano, the Japanese government's point man on the crisis, said the country may set standards for long-term radiation exposure that would effectively extend the evacuation zone around the damaged plant. "It is time for the government to consider setting another category for accumulated exposure," Edano told reporters. "The safety of the people is the first priority, and social needs come after that." There is no timetable for a decision, Edano said. Readings released Thursday by the country's science ministry from areas outside that zone indicated that long-term exposure could top the government's one-time standards for an evacuation within a few months. Some of those are in towns to the northwest, where prevailing winds have blown radioactive particles released from the Fukushima Daiichi plant. The recorded doses are far below those that would cause radiation sickness but could pose a long-term risk of cancer, according to medical experts. The anti-nuclear group Greenpeace and the International Atomic Energy Agency raised alarms about the spread of radioactivity beyond the 30-kilometer zone in late March.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)