So they had to retreat, Tuesday, April 5, east of the oil port of Brega, Libya strongly criticize the rebels NATO. They accuse the Atlantic Alliance does not act quickly enough to help them. The situation is particularly worrying in Misrata, their last in the West, the forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi bombed for seven hours on Tuesday, killing two and twenty-six wounded, reported the insurgents.
"The international media should support strongly the people of Misrata and call [using] NATO, which we believe to be of service by bombing here and there, so it leaves people in Misrata die every day" said Gen. Abdel Fattah Younis, the military leader of the rebels, at a press conference in their stronghold of Benghazi.
"If NATO is still waiting for one more week, it will be the end of Misrata. We will not find nobody there," said the former interior minister of Gaddafi, who joined the rebellion in February. Misrata third largest city, is located 214 km east of the capital Tripoli, Gaddafi regime stronghold.
For more than forty days, the insurgents defend relentlessly bombed the city and besieged by loyalist forces. According to the rebels, more than two hundred people died in the fighting. According to their commander, residents are now threatened Misrata "extermination in the true sense of the word." "The water is off, there is no electricity or food, there is no milk for children for forty days, while forces bombarded daily Gaddafi houses, mosques and hospitals heavy artillery (...).
The people are drinking sewage water, "he testified, before adding:" If NATO wanted to break the blockade of the city, she would have done so for several days ". These accusations, of unprecedented virulence, came just hours after the Atlantic Alliance has yet announced that it had made the defense of Misrata his "number one priority, because of what's happening on the ground." In Brussels, the Dutch general Mark van Uhm, head of Allied joint operations, praised the effectiveness of their strikes, saying that Gaddafi's army had lost a third of its potential after seventeen days of bombing.
The situation in Misrata "can not last," said Wednesday the French foreign minister, Alain Juppe, France Info radio, adding that he would inform the Secretary General of NATO, Anders Fogh Rasmussen. "NATO has a very clear mandate" UN "and we will do everything possible to protect civilians in Misrata, claimed his side the deputy spokesperson of NATO, Carmen Romero.
Misrata is our top priority one. " She confirmed that a telephone conversation was arranged between Mr. Juppe and Rasmussen in the day. Recognizing that in Libya, "the risk of getting bogged down there," the French foreign minister said he did not return to the international coalition "to start reclaiming the land." "We have formally requested that there be no collateral damage to civilians.
It makes operations more difficult because of Qaddafi's troops have understood things and tend to be closer to civilian populations," said he said. "We support all our strength the National Transitional Council [opposition]. It must also be organized. Finally, on the ground, everything will depend on them.
We are here to protect civilians, not to go back to the reconquest of the territory, "insisted the minister. According to the defense minister, Gerard Longuet, "the situation is extremely difficult to Misrata (...) We will ensure that between Libyans, relief comes in Benghazi and at no time did the military means Gaddafi can prevent it.
" He said include "the impatience of the insurgents." For its part, the Chief of Staff of the French army, Admiral Edouard Guillaud, said Wednesday on Europe 1 radio that the situation remained "quite complicated". "The whole party is in the hands of insurgents is based around Benghazi, and the West, not far from Tripoli, there are a number of cities, including the coastal town of Misrata, which are surrounded," he recalled.
"I prefer things to go faster, but protecting people is not to shoot them. That's the difficulty," said Admiral Guillaud. "We will continue to strike, to enforce no-fly zone," he added. And the coalition will "continue to enforce the embargo at sea on the transit of arms to Tripoli and finally protect the people pulling the armor or artillery shelling Misrata." The international coalition "that has seen boats insurgents from Benghazi and delivering food to Misrata could navigate and make deliveries," he said.
"Today we reopened to traffic in Benghazi and Tobruk, and then the boats will be able to Benghazi (...) deliver Misrata, because any action will prevent the coalition naval force Gaddafi," he indicated. On the diplomatic front, Chris Stevens, the U.S. envoy to the rebels, arrived in Benghazi, where he has begun consultations with the Transitional National Council, the representative body of rebels.
Washington is considering the possibility of recognizing the council as a legitimate interlocutor, an option already taken by France, Qatar and Italy. 
"The international media should support strongly the people of Misrata and call [using] NATO, which we believe to be of service by bombing here and there, so it leaves people in Misrata die every day" said Gen. Abdel Fattah Younis, the military leader of the rebels, at a press conference in their stronghold of Benghazi.
"If NATO is still waiting for one more week, it will be the end of Misrata. We will not find nobody there," said the former interior minister of Gaddafi, who joined the rebellion in February. Misrata third largest city, is located 214 km east of the capital Tripoli, Gaddafi regime stronghold.
For more than forty days, the insurgents defend relentlessly bombed the city and besieged by loyalist forces. According to the rebels, more than two hundred people died in the fighting. According to their commander, residents are now threatened Misrata "extermination in the true sense of the word." "The water is off, there is no electricity or food, there is no milk for children for forty days, while forces bombarded daily Gaddafi houses, mosques and hospitals heavy artillery (...).
The people are drinking sewage water, "he testified, before adding:" If NATO wanted to break the blockade of the city, she would have done so for several days ". These accusations, of unprecedented virulence, came just hours after the Atlantic Alliance has yet announced that it had made the defense of Misrata his "number one priority, because of what's happening on the ground." In Brussels, the Dutch general Mark van Uhm, head of Allied joint operations, praised the effectiveness of their strikes, saying that Gaddafi's army had lost a third of its potential after seventeen days of bombing.
The situation in Misrata "can not last," said Wednesday the French foreign minister, Alain Juppe, France Info radio, adding that he would inform the Secretary General of NATO, Anders Fogh Rasmussen. "NATO has a very clear mandate" UN "and we will do everything possible to protect civilians in Misrata, claimed his side the deputy spokesperson of NATO, Carmen Romero.
Misrata is our top priority one. " She confirmed that a telephone conversation was arranged between Mr. Juppe and Rasmussen in the day. Recognizing that in Libya, "the risk of getting bogged down there," the French foreign minister said he did not return to the international coalition "to start reclaiming the land." "We have formally requested that there be no collateral damage to civilians.
It makes operations more difficult because of Qaddafi's troops have understood things and tend to be closer to civilian populations," said he said. "We support all our strength the National Transitional Council [opposition]. It must also be organized. Finally, on the ground, everything will depend on them.
We are here to protect civilians, not to go back to the reconquest of the territory, "insisted the minister. According to the defense minister, Gerard Longuet, "the situation is extremely difficult to Misrata (...) We will ensure that between Libyans, relief comes in Benghazi and at no time did the military means Gaddafi can prevent it.
" He said include "the impatience of the insurgents." For its part, the Chief of Staff of the French army, Admiral Edouard Guillaud, said Wednesday on Europe 1 radio that the situation remained "quite complicated". "The whole party is in the hands of insurgents is based around Benghazi, and the West, not far from Tripoli, there are a number of cities, including the coastal town of Misrata, which are surrounded," he recalled.
"I prefer things to go faster, but protecting people is not to shoot them. That's the difficulty," said Admiral Guillaud. "We will continue to strike, to enforce no-fly zone," he added. And the coalition will "continue to enforce the embargo at sea on the transit of arms to Tripoli and finally protect the people pulling the armor or artillery shelling Misrata." The international coalition "that has seen boats insurgents from Benghazi and delivering food to Misrata could navigate and make deliveries," he said.
"Today we reopened to traffic in Benghazi and Tobruk, and then the boats will be able to Benghazi (...) deliver Misrata, because any action will prevent the coalition naval force Gaddafi," he indicated. On the diplomatic front, Chris Stevens, the U.S. envoy to the rebels, arrived in Benghazi, where he has begun consultations with the Transitional National Council, the representative body of rebels.
Washington is considering the possibility of recognizing the council as a legitimate interlocutor, an option already taken by France, Qatar and Italy.
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