Defiant Gaddafi hangs on in Libya
In a second televised speech, the dictator has pledged he will remain in the country "until the end."
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is determined to cling to power and in a second televised speech has pledged he will remain in the country "until the end."
He made the rambling speech from a residence in Tripoli that was bombed by US air strikes in the 1980s but left unrepaired.
He blamed outsiders for the anti-government demonstrations and showed no regret for his security forces' violent crackdown, at one point reading from a green-covered book that listed the death penalty for various crimes against the state.
"It is not possible that I leave this place," he said. "I will be a martyr at the end." He described himself as "a fighter, a revolutionary from tents," but denied responsibility for the violence.
"I have not yet ordered the use of force, not yet ordered one bullet to be fired," he said. "When I do, everything will burn."
The earlier, much briefer speech, broadcast early on Tuesday morning, showed Gaddafi emerging from a car, holding a white umbrella. He said: "I am in Tripoli, not in Venezuela. Do not believe these channels – they are dogs" – a reference to western news reports that he had fled the country.
Libya remains closed to foreign media but eye witness reports are being sent out through satellite phones. Other forms of communication, including cellphones and the internet, have largely been shut down.
Meanwhile, large swathes of eastern Libya, including the main oil producing areas, are under the control of anti-Gaddafi forces and tribes opposed to the central government.
Reports from sources within Libya also say the central government has also lost control of half of western region.
The New York-based Human Rights Watch says witnesses in Gaddafi’s stronghold of Tripoli have described of mercenary and militia forces firing "randomly" at protesters in the capital over the past couple of days.
According to the Zawya Dow Jones news service, two hospitals in Tripoli have reported at least 62 bodies were brought into their morgues since Sunday. Other reports put the total death toll at up to 300 since the demonstrations began last week.
In Bahrain, tens of thousands of Shiite-led protesters filled the central district of Manama in the largest demonstration since a campaign against the government began eight days ago.
Some members of the opposition are now openly calling for the overthrow of the Sunni-aligned royal family.
Nevil Gibson
Wed, 23 Feb 2011
Wed, 23 Feb 2011
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Defiant Gaddafi hangs on in Libya
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