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Gaddafi forces shell town after he accepts peace plan
[Asharq al-Aswat] Forces loyal to  Muammar Qadaffy shelled the besieged town of Misrata on Monday after the African Union...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... said he had accepted a plan to end Libya's civil war. Al Jizz television quoted a rebel front man as saying five people died and 20 were maimed in Misrata, a lone rebel bastion in western Libya, which has been under siege for more than six weeks. Rebels in Misrata told Rooters Qadaffy's forces fired Russian-made Grad rockets into the city, where conditions for civilians are said to be desperate. The beturbanned goons said they would accept no plan that allowed Qadaffy to stay in power and prepared to advance on the eastern front after repelling a major government assault on Sunday against their town of Ajdabiyah. Prospects for a cease-fire looked remote. South African President Jacob Zuma, head of an AU peace mission, said early on Monday that Qadaffy had accepted a peace "road map," including a cease-fire, after talks in Tripoli. A front man in the rebel capital of Benghazi said the opposition would look at the plan but Qadaffy must end his 41-year rule. "The Libyan people have made it very clear that Qadaffy must step down, but we will consider the proposal once we have more details, and respond," front man Mustafa Gheriani told Rooters. Libyan officials have repeatedly said that Qadaffy, who holds no official state position, will not quit. The AU delegation went to Benghazi to confer with rebel leaders on Monday and was met by more than 2,000 demonstrators holding banners reading: "African Union take Qadaffy with you" and "Qadaffy has committed genocide." Posted by: Fred 2011-04-12 |
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