... a proud Arab institution for 42 years ...
are bringing civilians from nearby towns to the rebel-held city of Misrata to use as human shields, a rebel front man told Rooters on Monday.
The report could not be independently verified and there was no immediate comment from Libyan officials. The front man also said seven people were killed in Misrata in fighting on Sunday, while a resident put the figure at eight.
The Misrata resident also told Rooters that armed pro-Qadaffy forces, dressed in civilian clothes, were in the centre of the city. He said the city, 200 km (130 miles) east of Tripoli, was surrounded by Qadaffy's troops and water supplies were still cut off.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and Arab League Secretary-General
Jerry Lewis doppelgänger Amr Moussa... who has been head of the Arab League since about the time Jerry and Dean split up ...
addressed the situation in Libya during a Monday speech in Cairo, as Western forces continued air strikes on Libyan Leader Muammar Qadaffy's forces.
"We fear a humanitarian crisis; thousands of lives are at risk" in Libya, Ban said.
He welcomed Arab league support at what he called a "critical juncture," adding that "we need one global voice" in order to maintain a no-fly zone.
"The UN stands read to help protect civilians and promote reform," Ban said, mentioning Yemen and Bahrain, as well as Libya. "You cannot hold back demands for democracy and reform."
Amr Moussa says the vaporous Arab League "does not want to see any bloodshed among civilians as we have seen." He added that Libya has been suspended from the League.
"We decided that the Arab League will ask the UN to issue a resolution to have a no-fly zone that will protect civilians," Moussa explained. "This was clear, and we are committed to that."
Moussa said the Arab League "respected" the UNSC decision. "We have no objection to that because it specified that there will be no land troops occupying Libya."