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Tuesday, March 29, 2011

World Powers keep up Pressure as Gaddafi Beats Back Rebels

TRIPOLI (AFP) - World powers vowed Tuesday to continue military action until Moammar Gaddafi stops his "murderous attacks" on Libyan civilians, as loud blasts rocked his stronghold in Tripoli.

At a meeting of more than 35 nations in London, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and British Prime Minister David Cameron said that allied air strikes would go on until the Libyan leader met UN demands for a ceasefire. Meanwhile, two loud explosions rocked the area close to Gaddafi's tightly-guarded residence, an AFP correspondent in the Libyan capital said.

France, a driving force behind the air campaign, was prepared to hold discussions with its allies over arming the rebels, Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said after the three-hour London meeting. His Italian counterpart Franco Frattini told AFP that "A consensus has been reached. Participants at the meeting unanimously said that Gaddafi must leave the country."

Gaddafi's forces had earlier checked the westward progress of anti-regime rebels towards his hometown of Sirte, an advance which began when Britain, France and the United States started air strikes on March 19.

On Tuesday, the rebels retreated 40 kilometres (25 miles) from their frontline positions to Nofilia, 100 kilometres from Sirte, which is the next big target in their efforts to oust Gaddafi as they head west towards Tripoli.

His forces unleashed barrages of artillery fire, triggering a stampede of rebel fighters, many fleeing aboard their pickup trucks.

Analysis: "Col. Gaddafi continues to show his superior firepower and military personnel when it comes to head-on clashes with rebels. Without support from NATO airstrikes, rebel forces are at an extreme disadvantage against Gaddafi, and it appears that NATO will need to increase its support of rebel fighters if Gaddafi's exit is to be ensured."

Read the Full Article here: http://www.afp.com/afpcom/en/taglibrary/thematic/actuality

Syrian Government Resigns

DAMASCUS, Syria (CNN) - The Syrian government resigned Tuesday amid an unusual wave of unrest that has roiled the nation, state TV reported.

President Bashar al-Assad accepted the resignations Tuesday, the same day that tens of thousands of Syrians poured onto the streets of Damascus to demonstrate in favor of the government. A new government should be named in a few hours, said Reem Haddad, a spokeswoman for the Syrian Information Ministry.

Meanwhile, the president plans to make "a very important speech" on Wednesday, she said. The speech will "reassure the Syrian people," the state-run SANA news agency has reported.

The pro-government rally on Tuesday followed violent clashes between protesters and security forces in the cities of Daraa and Latakia in recent days. At least 37 people have been killed since last week, according to the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Many demonstrators at the pro-government rally held posters of the president. Others waved Syrian flags, while some painted their faces and chests in national colors. Crowds filled the square in front of the Central Bank and jammed all roads leading to it, aerial pictures on state TV showed.

There were also pro-government rallies in the cities of Aleppo, Hama, and Hasaka, the broadcaster said.

Analysis: "President Assad is employing a tactic used by Mubarak in Egypt and King Abdullah in Jordan, to different effects. In Jordan, a majority of protesters were at least temporarily satisfied by the move. In Egypt, however, the ire of the opposition was too focused on Mubarak, and concessions were too late. By appointing a new government relatively early in the opposition movement, Assad may delay or stop the spreading of major protests throughout Syria, giving the government time formulate a major concession package."