Italy calls for break in Libya fighting
As Italy calls for fighting in Libya to be suspended so aid can reach victims, one charity tells Channel 4 News reports of landmines in western regions are making aid deliveries “very difficult”.
Italy’s foreign minister Franco Frattini said that “the end of military operations is essential to allow for immediate aid”.
His comments are being seen as the first sign of a possible split within Nato about the way ahead in Libya.
Mr Frattini said people in areas around Misrata and Tripoli, which have been bombarded during months of fighting, were in need of aid.
His comments follow those from the head of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, who said there should be a ceasefire and talks with Colonel Gaddafi.
In an interview with the Guardian, Moussa said: “You can’t have a decisive ending. Now is the time to do whatever we can to reach a political solution.”
Save the Children, which is operating inside Libya, told Channel 4 News that aid was getting through more easily to Misrata since a safe channel to the port had been cleared, but distribution within the city was difficult while fighting continued.
The charity’s Jenny Humphreys, who is in Benghazi, said some areas are even worse than Misrata: “The real concerns lie in the western regions, such as the Nafusa Mountains, where the high levels of insecurity, continued and intense fighting, and more recent reports of antipersonnel landmines being in place, mean that aid deliveries are very difficult.
“These are also areas where we are concerned that needs for children and their families are increasing.”
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has been in Misrata since April. The charity’s Meinie Nicolai has just returned from Libya and told Channel 4 News the situation was “very tense”.
“Over the last few days, the fighting has got closer to the city and you can hear heavy shelling almost 24/7.
“As the war goes on, the situation for people on both sides of the frontline is becoming increasingly difficult.”
She added: “We are also trying to access areas west of Misrata, including the capital Tripoli, where our offers to establish activities have thus far been declined.”
The call from Italy to suspend fighting comes days after Nato admitted killing Libyan civilians.
The Libyan Government said nine people, including children, were killed when a Nato missile hit a residential area of Tripoli.
Mr Frattini said: “With regard to Nato, it is fair to ask for increasingly detailed information on results as well as precise guidelines on the dramatic errors involving civilians.”
Elsewhere China lavished praise on the Libyan rebel council saying it had become an “important dialogue partner” – a shift that could complicate Colonel Gaddafi’s efforts to hold on to power.
Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi made the comments as Gaddafi forces landed rockets in the rebel-held city of Misrata for the first time in several weeks.
“China sees you as an important dialogue partner,” Yang told Mahmoud Jibril, diplomatic chief of the National Transitional Council based in Benghazi in eastern Libya, during a visit to Beijing. The comments were published in a statement on the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s website.