Libyan fighters retreat from key town after shelling

An AFP reporter saw dozens of rebels pulling out of the coastal town of Brega and heading for Ajdabiya, 80 kilometers (50 miles) away on the road to the main rebel cities of Benghazi and Tobruk.

Arab foreign ministers urged the U.N. Security Council "to assume its responsibilities in the face of the deteriorating situation in Libya and take the necessary measures to impose an air exclusion zone for Libyan warplanes."

Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa said the League, meeting in Cairo on Saturday, had decided that "serious crimes and great violations" committed by the government

Fighters say a no-fly zone is vital to ground Gaddafi’s air force.

However, a mutiny slowed the advance of a crack Libyan brigade commanded by Gaddafi’s son Khamis as it advanced on Misrata, with 32 soldiers joining the rebels holding the city, a rebel there said. He said one defector was a general.

Rebel spokesman Gamal added that the brigade, stalled about 10-15 km (6-9 miles) south of the city and broke out in a fire-fight after dozens of troops balked at the idea of killing civilians in the impending attack.

The events could not be confirmed independently. Journalists have been prevented from reaching the city by the authorities.

"There is a hard core of al-Qaeda fighters there," he said. "It looks like a Zawiyah scenario. Some people will give up, some will disappear … Tribal leaders are talking to them. Those who stay behind, we will deal with them accordingly."

It took a week of repeated assaults by government troops, backed by tanks and air power, to crush the uprising in Zawiyah, a much smaller town 50 km (30 miles) west of Tripoli.

The death toll in Zawiyah was unknown but much of the town was destroyed, with buildings around the main square showing gaping holes blown by tank rounds and rockets. Gaddafi’s forces bulldozed a cemetery where rebel fighters had been buried.

The rebels in Misrata were heavily outgunned.

"The international community is unified in sending a clear message that the violence in Libya must stop, and that the Gaddafi regime must be held accountable," he said.

"The United States will continue to advance our efforts to pressure Gaddafi, to support the Libyan opposition, and to prepare for all contingencies, in close coordination with our international partners," he added.

But he stopped short of giving full support for the no-fly zone which is being pushed for by Britain and France especially, reflecting divisions in the administration of President Barack Obama.
Obama’s Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Saturday that the United States and its allies could impose such a zone militarily but it remained unclear if it would be a "wise" move.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was leaving Washington on Sunday for an overseas tour to find ways to help Libya’s opposition and maintain the momentum of pro-democracy revolutions in the region.

She is due first in Paris for talks with Mahmud Jibril, a member of the
opposition national council, before going on to Tunisia and Egypt, where she will become the highest-level US official to visit since their presidents were toppled in January and February respectively.

In Paris on Monday, Clinton will also meet her counterparts from host France as well as Russia, Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy and Japan to discuss combat-torn Libya amid divisions over calls for foreign military intervention.

The United States has agreed to name a special envoy to deal with the opposition, but has refrained from recognizing any particular leader or group as it struggles to understand the nebulous movement.

Clinton has said a plan for a no-fly zone over would be presented to NATO on Tuesday.

Britain and France have drawn up a U.N. Security Council resolution on a no-fly zone but the resolution faces opposition from veto-wielders China and Russia as well as splits within the European Union.

"NFZs are one option being considered as part of international contingency planning to respond quickly to events on the ground as they develop. This planning does not pre-judge any particular outcome," a Foreign Office spokeswoman added.

"The outcome of today’s Arab League meeting shows Gaddafi’s actions do not have support in the region," she said.

"In brutally repressing a popular uprising by his own people, it is clear he is isolated and ignoring the will of the international community."

Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon also hailed the Arab League’s move, saying, "In light of the grave and deteriorating situation in Libya, and Muammar Gaddafi’s reckless disregard for the lives of the Libyan people, this resolution clearly signals that Gaddafi does not have support in the region."

A U.N. envoy arrived in Tripoli on Saturday to discuss with Libyan officials access to the country for humanitarian relief efforts, the United Nations said.

Tripoli has so far made no mention of a mission by former Jordanian foreign minister Abdul Ilah Khatib, dispatched by U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon to raise international concerns about Gaddafi’s uncompromising response to the uprising.

Khatib, due in Tripoli early next week, would put across to the regime "in no uncertain terms the concerns of the United Nations and the international community," Ban told reporters in New York.