LIBYA: Muammar Gaddafi government ready for immediate negotiations with National Transitional Council, says government spokesman as rebels seize much of Tripoli

Record ID: 788891

  • Title: LIBYA: Muammar Gaddafi government ready for immediate negotiations with National Transitional Council, says government spokesman as rebels seize much of Tripoli
  • Date: 22nd August 2011
  • Summary: TRIPOLI, LIBYA (AUGUST 21, 2011) (AGENCY POOL) LIBYAN GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN MOUSSA IBRAHIM AT PODIUM (SOUNDBITE) (English) MOUSSA IBRAHIM, LIBYAN GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN, SAYING: "It's 11:15 local time (1015GMT) so almost 11 hours, 11 hours of violence. It's 1,300 people killed in Tripoli alone, with 5,000 injured. The hospital cannot even cope with such a death toll." JOURNALISTS DURING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) MOUSSA IBRAHIM, LIBYAN GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN, SAYING: "NATO is attacking the heart of a peaceful, civilian city. It's attacking an army that has taken defensive positions. It's attacking volunteers who came out of their houses, who left their mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers to defend their cities, and NATO gives direct air cover to these armed gangs who have no political project." JOURNALISTS DURING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) MOUSSA IBRAHIM, LIBYAN GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN, SAYING: "So we appeal to the world to the heart of this world. People in my city are being killed day in and day out without any possible way out, without any possible way for negotiation. We have talked before you cannot condition peace. You need to sit down and talk and then discuss everything. Who has the right to take agendas outside the talk, the peace talks, to take points and say "you cannot discuss this"? We said before that we accepted the African Road map, we accept negotiation, talks. We can sit down with all parties, achieve peace, agree on how to move forward for Libya but no one wants to listen because all that NATO cares about is to destroy this Libyan political system." JOURNALISTS DURING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) MOUSSA IBRAHIM, LIBYAN GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN, SAYING: "We are very resilient and still very strong and we have still thousands and thousands of fighters who have no way to go but to fight. So this will increase and increase the death toll because people are so scared of the revenge and hatred of the other side if they win. Each side actually is terrified of the other side. So let's suspend all military operation, all violence right now. NATO can order the rebels to stop immediately we can order our troops and volunteers to stop immediately and then we sit and just as the rebels have their leader or leaders who will lead the negotiations and without their leaders the rebels will be lost and destroyed, we have our leader who is Muammar Gaddafi, we need him to lead us for peace and for a way out of this. If we take Muammar Gaddafi out of the equation a whole side will collapse and become an easy prey for the other side." JOURNALISTS DURING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) MOUSSA IBRAHIM, LIBYAN GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN, SAYING: "NATO will be held responsible morally and legally for the deaths taking place in Tripoli this night, last night and the coming nights. They cannot say that this was not expected to happen. They are rocketing our city, and they have indeed killed many children, many women and many men. We will fight because we have the right to, and we have the leader Gaddafi. He led us in this confrontation for dignity, and our freedom from NATO's agendas and Gaddafi should lead us for our peace, and democracy and negotiations. Thank you very much." VIEW OF NEWS CONFERENCE ROOM
  • Embargoed: 6th September 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Libya
  • Country: Libya
  • Topics: Conflict,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAC6FHLFXJFK4XQO5UL4H0W75Z9
  • Story Text: Muammar Gaddafi's government is ready for immediate negotiations with rebels seeking to oust him, and has asked NATO to convince the rebel forces to halt an attack on Tripoli, a spokesman said on Sunday (August 21).
    Gaddafi was prepared to negotiate directly with the head of the rebel National Transitional Council, spokesman Moussa Ibrahim said.
    ".....let's suspend all military operation, all violence right now. NATO can order the rebels to stop immediately we can order our troops and volunteers to stop immediately and then we sit and just as the rebels have their leader or leaders who will lead the negotiations and without their leaders the rebels will be lost and destroyed, we have our leader is Muammar Gaddafi, we need him to lead us for peace and for a way out of this. If we take Muammar Gaddafi out of the equation a whole side will collapse and become an easy prey for the other side," Ibrahim said.
    He added that 1,300 people had been killed in fighting in Tripoli on Sunday.
    "NATO will be held responsible morally and legally for the death taken place in Tripoli this night, last night and the coming nights. They can not say that this was not expected to happen. They are rocketing our city, and they have indeed killed many children, many women and many men. We will fight because we have the right to, and we have the leader Gaddafi. He led us in this confrontation for dignity, and our freedom from NATO's agendas and Gaddafi should lead us for our peace, and democracy and negotiations," added Ibrahim.
    Ibrahim spoke moments before Gaddafi made a desperate call to his supporters on Libyan TV to come out and fight rebels on the streets of Tripoli.
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