United Nations
... aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society...
Secretary-General the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon, United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton,
... sometimes described as the Smartest Woman in the World and at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as
Another Chateaubriand...
the vaporous Arab League, the African Union and around 40 foreign ministers were scheduled to join the talks, seeking to ratchet up pressure on Qadaffy.
Italy's foreign minister Franco Frattini said several nations planned to put forward a deal which would propose a cease-fire, exile for Qadaffy and a framework for talks, between Libya's tribal leaders and opposition figures, on the country's future.
Did Qadafy's FM bail? Or is he negotiating?
One of Libya's brass hats, meanwhile, abruptly made a "private visit" to Tunisia late Monday, according to the official news agency there.
It is not clear if Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa was defecting, but it has raised suspicions over further cleavages within the embattled regime.
No representative from Libya's opposition was expected to attend the conference, but an official familiar with planning for the talks said an envoy was expected to travel to London to meet with British diplomats on the sidelines.
The official demanded anonymity to discuss the meeting with the opposition envoy ahead of a formal announcement.
Rebels in a better position
Aided by international
But the rebels remain woefully outgunned by Qadaffy's forces and it is unclear how they can take the stronghold of Sirte without further aggressive international air support. Attacks on Monday were repelled by heavy mortar and rocket fire.
Rebels acknowledged they could not have taken so much ground without the air and cruise missile strikes. Libya state television reported.
... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
new NATO
"We're only here to protect the civilians..."
NATO insisted that it was seeking only to protect civilians and not to give air cover to an opposition march.
But that line looked set to become even more blurred. The
Russers bitch, moan, complain
There was growing criticism from Russia and other countries that the international air campaign is overstepping the bounds of the UN resolution that authorized it. The complaints came at a critical transition in the campaign from a US to a NATO command. That threatens to hamper the operation, as some of the 28 NATO member nations plan to limit their participation to air patrols, rather than attacks on ground targets.
Stalled on the other side of Bin Jawad
On Monday, rebel fighters moved about 70 miles (110 kilometers) west from the coastal oil terminal and town of Ras Lanuf to just beyond the small town of Bin Jawwad, where their push was halted by government fire along the exposed desert highway and the heavily mined entrance to Sirte.
The rebels are currently just 60 miles (100 kilometers) from Sirte, the bastion of Qadaffy's power in the center of the country, beyond which is the largely rebel-held city of Misrata -- and then the capital.
Sirte could therefore see some of the fiercest fighting of the rebellion, which began on Feb. 15.
Some residents were fleeing Sirte, as soldiers from a brigade commanded by Qadaffy's son Al-Saadi and allied forces of Evil streamed to positions on the city's outskirts to defend it, witnesses said.
The city is dominated by members of the Libyan leader's Gadhadhfa tribe. But many in another large Sirte tribe -- the Firjan -- are believed to resent his rule, and rebels are hoping to encourage them and other tribes there to help them.
Fighting in such a densely populated area is likely to complicate the rebels' advance and add to the ambiguity of the NATO-led campaign, authorized by a Security Council resolution to take all necessary measures to protect civilians.
In Russia, which abstained from the UN vote, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said strikes on Qadaffy's forces would amount to taking sides in what he called Libya's civil war, and thus would breach the mandate that was initially envisaged as establishing a no-fly zone only to protect civilians.
But the inclusion of language allowing "all necessary means" opened the door to
Cameron, Sarkozy urge Qadaffy supporters to bail
Britain and La Belle France have been the most vocal supporters of the rebellion. In a joint statement, British Prime Minister
David Cameron... British PM Cameron describes himself as a
modern compassionate conservativeand has spoken of a need for a new style of politics that doesn't involve calling people names. He has stated that he is
certainly a big Thatcher fan, but I don't know whether that makes me a Thatcherite,which means he's probably not. He has also claimed to be a
liberal Conservative, and
a very tall short person. Since he is not
deeply ideologicalhe lacks core principles and is easily led. He has urged politicians to concentrate on improving people's happiness and
general well-being, instead of focusing solely on
financial wealth, which is easy for a stockbroker's kid to say. Ask him to lend you ten quid and see how that works out. He has been described as
certainly not a Pitt, Elder or Younger, but he does wear a nice suit so maybe he's Beau Brummel ...
and President Nicolas Sarkozy
...23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. Sarkozy is married to singer-songwriter Carla Bruni, who has a really nice birthday suit...
of La Belle France said Qadaffy loyalists should abandon the dictator and side with those seeking his ouster.
"We call on all his followers to leave him before it is too late," the two leaders said. "We call on all Libyans who believe that Qadaffy is leading Libya into a disaster to take the initiative now to organize a transition process," the statement said.
Misrata continues under siege
Qadaffy is not on the defensive everywhere. His forces continued to besiege Misrata, the main rebel holdout in the west and Libya's third-largest city. Residents reported fighting between rebels and loyalists who fired from tanks on residential areas.
Libyan officials took foreign journalists on a tour of the city's outskirts but not into the center, indicating government control did not extend far. Explosions and gunfire echoed through empty streets lined with burned out tanks and bullet-scarred buildings.