The World

Libyan rebels outside Ajdabiya

As events unfold in Libya and across the wider region, the FT is running live coverage on Gideon Rachman’s blog.

By Johanna Kassel and Anora Mahmudova in New York, Helen Warrell in Hong Kong and Esther Bintliff in London. All times are London time, Libya is 2 hours ahead.

22.00 As we wind down the live blogging, here are the top Libya stories in tomorrow’s FT. If there is breaking news, the live blog will resume. Thank you for joining us for the last few days.

• Tripoli’s anti-Gaddafi voices re-emerge
• Gaddafi relies on narrow inner circle
• Q&A: Who’s who in Libya’s opposition
• Libya opposition lacks tools for counter-offensive
• Allies near accord on Libya operation

21.57 From our correspondent in Tripoli, Charles Clover:

At about 9:15 last night, 6 Tomohawk cruise missiles slammed into a naval base on Tripoli’s coast. One took out an electrical shop, one hit a mechanical warehouse, another caved in an oil dump, and another turned some Russian made B-20 rocket trucks into heaps of twisted metal.

“It is amazing, but no one was killed” said Lt Col Adel Mohammed, who was on the scene to speak to a group of foreign journalists brought there by the government on Tuesday. “I was about 100m away, in my office. Suddenly ‘boom!’ boom!’ ‘boom!’” he said, miming the blasts with his hands.

The Lt Col, with whom I spoke at length about the raid, had an interesting theory about why it was hit.

“This was our brothers in Benghazi” said, with a rueful grin. He is certain that the intelligence about the rocket trucks, which he said contained only “training missiles” had been given to the coalition by defecting Libyan forces who had sided with the rebels.

“The people who knew the rocket trucks were here are in Benghazi” he said “of this I am sure”.

The Pentagon has repeatedly denied any cooperation between the rebels and allied air power. On Monday, Gen Carter Ham, commander of US Africom briefed reporters that “Our mission is not to support any opposition forces. So while we have reports from people who are reported to be in the opposition, there is no official communication or formal communication with those in this so-called opposition that are opposing the regime’s ground forces.’

21.54 Round up of Tuesday’s events.

• There are reports of anti-aircraft fire and explosions in Tripoli for the fourth night. Coalition planes are enforcing the no-fly zone.
• There are unconfirmed reports that Gaddafi and his allies are exploring exile options, Hillary Clinton, US secretary of state, said in an interview with ABC.
• France and the US agree on how to use Nato’s command structure in supporting the coalition in Libya, President Nicolas Sarkozy’s office said in a statement. Nato agreed to enforce an arms embargo on Libya but the issue of who will take ultimate command of the mission has yet to be resolved.
• Gaddafi spoke to a crowd near midnight local time and vowed to fight on and said “we will be victorious in the end.”
• Gaddafi’s forces shelled two western towns, killing dozens.
• Brent crude contract is up 0.8 per cent at $115.92 a barrel as traders scan fresh developments out of Libya and the Mideast. The May Nymex oil contract is up 1.6 per cent at $104.
• A US F-15 Eagle warplane was found, having crashed in Libya on Monday. Both crew members ejected and were rescued.

21.40 Gaddafi addressed a crowd surrounding his compound and was broadcast on state television

“We will not surrender … We will defeat them by any means,” Gaddafi said in brief remarks in the capital Tripoli broadcast live on television. “We are ready for the fight, whether it will be a short or a long one … We will be victorious in the end.”

Foreign reporters in Tripoli were told the Libyan leader spoke at his Tripoli compound and was addressing supporters forming a human shield to protect him.

“I am staying here, my home is here, I am staying in my tent,” he told his supporters who waved green flags. “I am here, I am here, I am here.”

“There are demonstrations everywhere against this unjustified assault, which breaches the United Nations’ charter,” Gaddafi said of the international attacks. “This assault … is by a bunch of fascists who will end up in the dustbin of history.”

via Reuters

21.37 From Reuters:
Mr Obama expressed confidence the United States will be able to transfer control of the Libyan military operation to an international coalition in a matter of days.

“I have absolutely no doubt” that an agreement will be found soon, he said at a press conference in El Salvador.

“At the end of the day, the American people are going to feel satisfied that lives were saved and people were helped,” he said.

Unless Gaddafi is willing to step down, “there are still going to be potential threats toward the Libyan people,” he said later.

21.10 The White House has announced that President Obama will cut his trip to El Salvador short by two hours to head back to Washington. Before he leaves, he will hold a teleconference with his national security advisers to discuss Libya.

21.00 It is now 2300 in Libya and things seem to have quieted down, but we will be watching closely to see if coalition raids resume over the next hour or so.

20.50 In more general news about the conflict in the middle east, the FT has an editorial running in tomorrow’s newspaper about Yemen.

Editorial: Failing Yemen
Politics, J.K. Galbraith once opined, “consists in choosing between the disastrous and the unpalatable”. In Yemen, propping up president Ali Abdullah Saleh has long been the unpalatable price the west chose to pay to prevent the country imploding into a breeding ground for al-Qaeda and its ilk. That calculation no longer holds. The west, and the US in particular, must end its support for Mr Saleh.

20.35 From Reuters: The United States expects more Arab nations in the next several days to contribute to the no-fly zone being imposed over Libya, a senior US official told reporters on Tuesday.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also said the United States was confident that it could find a way to use NATO military capabilities while bringing in countries from outside the Western security alliance.

Separately, there are reports that two aircraft promised by Qatar have arrived in Cyprus.

20.20 More information on the US Treasury’s announcement that 14 companies are subject to sanctions.

“The Libyan National Oil Corporation has been a primary funding source for the Gaddafi regime,” said Adam J. Szubin, Office of Foreign Assets Control Director. “Consistent with UN Security Council Resolution 1973, all governments should block the National Oil Corporation’s assets and ensure that Gaddafi cannot use this network of companies to support his activities.”

The Office of Foreign Assets Control identified the following as companies owned by of Libya’s National Oil Corporation:
1.      Arabian Gulf Oil Company
2.      Azzawiya Oil Refining Company
3.      Brega Petroleum Marketing Company
4.      Harouge Oil Operations
5.      Jamahiriya Oil Well Fluids And Equipment
6.      Mediterranean Oil Services Company
7.      Mediterranean Oil Services GMBH
8.      National Oil Fields and Terminals Catering Company
9.      North African Geophysical Exploration Company
10.  National Oil Wells Drilling and Workover Company
11.  Ras Lanuf Oil And Gas Processing Company
12.  Sirte Oil Company for Production Manufacturing of Oil and Gas
13.  Zueitina Oil Company
14.  Waha Oil Company

20.10 Claude Guéant, President Sarkozy’s former chief of staff and currently Interior Minister, has sparked a controversy by comparing France’s push for military intervention in Libya to a crusade.

“Happily the president took the lead of the crusade to mobilise the Security Council and then the Arab League and the African Union,” he said on the Talk Orange Le Figaro website.

19.55 UPDATED: President Obama gained British and French support for Nato involvement in enforcing the no fly zone in Libya.

The Elysée has just put out a statement saying that Sarkozy and Obama have agreed on the “details of the use of Nato command structures in support of the coalition” although without giving any more detail.

From Reuters:
Mr Obama, lobbying hard to hand off U.S. command of Libya operations to allies within days, telephoned British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy and all agreed that the Nato alliance would play an important role, the White House said.

But the allies have stopped short of explicitly endorsing Nato political leadership of the mission, which they fear could be a hard sell for Nato member Turkey and undercut shaky Arab support for the effort to bolster anti-Gaddafi rebels.

19.30 FT Alphaville has blogged about the situation in Yemen and how political unrest will affect (or not affect) oil prices in the region.

The FT has more on the political background and the importance of the resignation Monday of General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, commander of the First Armoured Division and the North-Western Military district. A state of emergency remains in place.

The rub, according to a disturbingly precise Eurasia Group note on Monday evening, is that President Ali Abdullah Saleh will be gone sooner rather than later

19.15 There are reports of renewed anti-aircraft fire and sound of loud explosions heard over Tripoli, according to BBC Breaking News

19.10 From Reuters: The US Treasury Department banned Americans from doing business with 14 companies that it said were owned by Libya’s National Oil Corporation and might be raising revenues for Libya.

The action by Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control was aimed at blocking National Oil Corporation from being a source of funding for Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The companies on Treasury’s list include Arabian Gulf Oil Company, Mediterranean Oil Services GMBH, Ras Lanuf Oil and Gas Processing Company and Waha Oil Company.

18.53 There are reports that a key Gaddafi battalion leader has been killed near Tripoli, according to Al Jazeera. This is awaiting confirmation.

18.45 In a press conference earlier today, Admiral Samuel Locklear, the US official coordinating the strikes in Libya, provided updates on the situation in Libya.

“We have diminished his ability, I think, from an air defence and an air force perspective to the point where I’m comfortable with a no-fly zone. And then we’re going to continue to pursue all actions necessary to make him comply with UN. Security Council Resolution 1973.”

“The 32nd Brigade we have recognized is a premier force for Colonel Gaddafi. We have been watching that closely. It initially had been widely arrayed around Tripoli in defense of Tripoli, and it appears to me that some of that force has moved to other areas to reinforce places that were being pressurised by the coalition.”

18.00 An update on some of today’s events:

• Following a thorny meeting on Monday, Nato ambassadors met again to discuss the military operations in Libya, but the issue of who will take ultimate command of the mission has yet to be resolved.
• A US F-15 Eagle warplane was found, having crashed in Libya yesterday. Both crew members ejected and were rescued. At the time of writing, it was unclear as to how a number of civilians near the plane had come to be injured following the crash.
• Pro-Gaddafi forces were reported to have been shelling the rebel-held town of Misrata. Four children were among the casualties, a resident told Reuters.
• Yemen’s president said the country would descend into “a civil war, a bloody war” if there was a coup. Separately, a spokesperson for President Saleh told AP that the president was prepared to stand down by the end of the year, but would not hand power to the military.
• Aid agencies are increasingly concerned about conditions in Libya. The UN’s World Food Programme said food prices had risen sharply, while the UN’s refugee agency reported shortages of medical supplies and basic commodities in the eastern part of the country.

17.44 The Guardian says its reporter Tom Kington has had a “100 per cent” denial from a US military spokesman that Libyan civilians were shot by a rescue mission for downed airmen.

“It didn’t happen, I can deny this 100 per cent,” said Captain Richard Ulsh, a spokesman for the US Marines.

However, earlier, US commander Admiral Samuel Locklear refused to deny that civilians were injured during the operation. Ewen MacAskill, The Guardian‘s Washington Bureau Chief says: “Asked if they had opened fire on villagers, he said he would restrict his comments to saying that an investigation was under way.”

17.35 Six civilians were shot and injured during the US operation to rescue a pilot whose plane crashed in Libya on Tuesday, according to the Telegraph. Lindsey Hilsum, Channel 4 News’ international editor, says she has visited the hospital where some of the injured were taken, and spoken to the father of a young boy who expects to have his leg amputated due to a bullet wound. “The local Libyans do not seem resentful, they still want the coalition forces to keep operating,” she reports.

17.28 UN agencies are preparing to “rush aid into eastern Libya” as rebels told a senior UN envoy on the ground that cities and towns were under siege and civilians were being targeted by Col Gaddafi’s forces.

17.15 A New York Times editorial on Tuesday argues that military intervention should not be used in the case of Bahrain or Yemen. But Libya is “a specific case”, asserts the editorial:

“There is no perfect formula for military intervention. It must be used sparingly — not in Bahrain or Yemen, even though we condemn the violence against protesters in both countries. Libya is a specific case: Muammar el-Qaddafi is erratic, widely reviled, armed with mustard gas and has a history of supporting terrorism. If he is allowed to crush the opposition, it would chill pro-democracy movements across the Arab world.”

17.04 Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, has reiterated the message that the US will hand over control of Libyan military operations “within a few days”, reports Reuters – in spite of the lack of consensus within Nato on who should lead the mission.

Robert Gates: “I don’t want to get out in front of the diplomacy that’s been going on but I still think that a transfer within a few days is likely.”

16.46 U.S. Admiral Samuel Locklear, aboard the USS Mount Whitney, has said Col Gaddafi’s air force is unlikely to have a negative impact on UN backed operations, having been weakened by military strikes, reports Reuters.

The Times of Malta also quotes him as saying Gaddafi is not yet complying with the UN resolution:

“It’s my judgement that, despite our success, that Gaddafi and his forces are not yet complying to the UN resolution due to the continued aggressive actions his forces have taken against the civilian population of Libya”.

16.18 A resident in the western town of Zintan has told Reuters that Col Gaddafi’s forces killed between 10 and 15 people in a bombardment of the town on Tuesday.

16.00 William Hague, UK foreign secretary, is speaking about Libya at the Times CEO Summit Africa. He says the effects of the crises in the Middle East are “rippling out” in some parts of sub-Saharan Africa, including Sudan and Zimbabwe.

William Hague: “These momentous events do not stop at the borders of the Arab world. One of the emerging lessons of the crises in the Middle East is that the demands for freedom will spread, and that undemocratic governments elsewhere should take heed.”

15.50 Peter Spiegel, the FT’s Brussels bureau chief, notes that today’s announcement that Nato will help enforce the arms embargo “is not a major breakthrough”, since the alliance’s defence ministers largely agreed to the mission when they met in Brussels earlier this month.

“The big outstanding issue is whether Nato will be given command and control of the operation, which hasn’t been resolved yet,” he says.

15.44 The UK’s operations in Libya are expected to cost “in the order of the tens of millions” of pounds, rather than hundreds of millions of pounds, according to George Osborne, the chancellor. He has also told MPs the cost will come out of the Treasury, not the defence budget. (via PA)

15.35 The territorial waters of Libya have been declared a “warlike operations area” by the Chamber of Shipping (the trade association for the UK shipping industry).

15.30 Via Reuters: An Al Jazeera correspondent has reported that Western warplanes attacked a military aircraft belonging to Col Gaddafi’s armed forces which was flying towards Benghazi.

15.20 Along with Italy (see update from 12.54), Norway is also keen for the coalition to sort out leadership of the Libya mission. Eskil Grendahl Sivertsen, a spokesman for Norway’s ministry of defense, told Bloomberg that six Norwegian fighter planes would remain grounded on the island of Crete until the chain of command was clear.

15.04 Part of Egypt’s Interior Ministry in Cairo is on fire. Jon Jensen, a reporter on the scene, has posted a photo here. CNN said the ministry was the site of a peaceful protest on Tuesday morning and afternoon, but that protestors denied setting the fire.

14.53 Nato has “completed plans to help enforce the no-fly zone… if needed”, according to a statement from Anders Fogh Rasmussen, secretary-general. The statement also says the alliance’s ambassadors have agreed to help enforce the arms embargo against Libya using Nato warships and aircraft.

NATO has completed plans to help enforce the no-fly zone — to bring our contribution, if needed, in a clearly defined manner, to the broad international effort to protect the people of Libya from the violence of the Gaddafi regime.

14.40 Reuters has picked up a report from Algeria’s state news agency, stating that the Algerian foreign minister has called for an immediate end to Western military intervention in Libya.

“We judge this intervention to be disproportionate in relation to the objective set out by the United Nations Security Council resolution,” the APS news agency quoted Algerian Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci as saying. “(We demand) an immediate cessation of hostilities and foreign intervention.”

14.24 Iona Craig, a reporter working for The Times in Yemen, tweets:

Five victims of Friday’s shootings are still in intensive care and a 12 year-old boy has lost both his eyes

52 people died when gunmen loyal to President Saleh opened fire on demonstrators on Friday, according to Reuters.

14.22 Sir Menzies Campbell, the former Liberal Democrat leader, has offered a helpfully precise set of scenarios under which he believes Col Gaddafi might be a “legitimate target”, in an interview on BBC Radio 4′s The World at One:

“Let me offer you a legal opinion rather than a political one. If Col Gaddafi is, for example, in the lead tank in a column of tanks attacking a town filled with civilians, then that tank and Col Gaddafi would be a legitimate target.

“If he were in a command and control centre exercising detailed and overall responsibility for military action contrary to the terms of the resolution, then he would be a legitimate target. But he is not a legitimate target from the point of view of assassination.”        (via PA)

14.06 Nato’s council has resumed debate on the Libya situation, says Reuters. A meeting of Nato ambassadors on Monday failed to agree on whether the alliance should run the no-fly zone in Libya, with the French and German ambassadors walking out after Anders Fogh Rasmussen – secretary general – criticised France for impeding Nato involvement and Germany for not actively participating.

13.54 Nigeria’s foreign minister has accused the international community of double standards by imposing a no-fly zone in Libya while doing little to end abuses in the Ivory Coast, reports Reuters.

13.46 The UN’s World Food Programme says it is worried about access to food inside Libya. The agency cites reports that food prices have risen sharply in recent weeks, and that 95 per cent of shops in areas like Zawiya and Misrata were closed.

13.35 President Obama spoke to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey last night about Libya. The White House has released a “readout” of the call, in which Obama expressed gratitude for Turkey’s help in securing the release of the NY Times journalists, and the two leaders “reaffirmed” support for the UN resolutions to protect the Libyan people.

13.20 The New Statesman blog highlights two contradictory polls on whether the UK public supports military action in Libya. A Yougov poll for the Sun shows 45 per cent of people support action, while 36 per cent stated it was wrong. But a ComRes/ITN poll showed 35 per cent in favour of action and 43 per cent opposed.

Blogger Samira Shackle concludes:

“We mustn’t be too hasty about declaring that the public is opposed to or in favour of the war, as many news outlets have been doing this morning…

All today’s polls tell us is that the public is still unsure: there is no widespread opposition to it, but nor is there a swell of support”.

13.15 A picture of the American plane that crashed in Libya last night. Both crew members are safe, according to the US military.

12.54 The Italian Embassy in London has emailed a statement about Italy’s position on Libya, calling for Nato to lead the operation and saying Gaddafi must leave power. If Nato does not assume control, Italy said it would consider setting up its own “Command and Control Centre” to operate the country’s seven airbases.

The aim of the international mission is to protect the civil population of Libya. However, it is clear to us that Gaddafi is no longer a credible and legitimate political interlocutor, as it has been established by the European Council. Gaddafi must leave power.

We believe it is fundamental to keep the highest level of multilateral cohesion, both at political and military level, to ensure a successful planning and outcome… Therefore NATO should lead the planning of the operations.

…Should NATO member states fail to reach an agreement to this regard, Italy will consider the option of setting up a national Command and Control Centre. This Centre would coordinate those military operations aimed at the implementation of the UNSCR 1973 that contemplate the use of those seven airbases that Italy has made available for the international mission.

12.30 In Yemen, General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, the Islamist-allied commander who yesterday sided with the anti-regime demonstrators, has said he is not seeking to topple the rule of President Saleh, reports Bloomberg. His comments came in an interview with Al Jazeera television. Earlier, President Saleh said that a coup could lead to civil war.

12.05 Abeer Allam, the FT’s correspondent in Riyadh, says:

Saudi Arabian-backed Al Arabiya television is now describing the situation in Yemen as “Change in Yemen.” Until recently,  it was “Turmoil in Yemen”. The shift may signal the Saudi government’s mood about the events in Yemen.

11.58 Turkey has agreed to perform consular and diplomatic functions in Libya on behalf of the US, the UK, Italy and Australia, Bloomberg reports. Selcuk Unal, foreign ministry spokesman, said Turkey maintained contact with the Libyan regime through its embassies in Tripoli and Ankara.

11.30 The US has issued a press release on the crash of a plane (an F-15E Strike Eagle) in Libya last night. From which:

• Both crew members ejected and are safe
• The aircraft, based out of Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, was flying out of Aviano Air Base at the time of the incident
• The cause of the incident is under investigation
• Identities will be released once the next of kin have been notified

11.15 President Ali Abdullah Saleh has warned that a coup could lead to “civil war” in Yemen, reports Reuters. In a speech to his army commanders on Tuesday that was later broadcast on state television, President Saleh said:

Those who want to climb up to power through coups should know that this is out of the question. The homeland will not be stable, there will be a civil war, a bloody war. They should carefully consider this…

I say clearly to the brother officers (who resigned) as a result of weakness and media intimidation: The media has terrorised them until they fell like autumn leaves and they shall regret it.

11.05 Yemen’s embattled president Ali Abdullah Saleh is ready to step down by the end of the year, reports the Associated Press.

The president’s press secretary, Ahmed al-Sufi, made the statement in a phone interview. He told the AP that Saleh had met with senior Yemeni officials, military commanders and tribal leaders on Monday night, and vowed not to hand power to the military.

10.56 The Telegraph has published photos of the American plane that crashed in Libya last night. Telegraph reporter Rob Crilly found the plane after tweeting:

@robcrilly: wow, good day to follow up a dodgy sounding tip

10.45 Pro-Gaddafi forces are shelling the western city of Misrata, a resident told Reuters. The resident, called Mohammed, said that among the casualties were 4 children, killed when the car they were in was hit.

10.40 More detail on the crashed American plane: both crew members ejected; one has been rescued and the search is “ongoing” for the second crew member. Kenneth Fidler at the US Africa Command told Bloomberg:

“indications are that [the crash] was not due to hostile action”.

10.30 A US spokeswoman for the US Africa Command in Germany has confirmed that a US plane crashed in Libya last night, according to Bloomberg.

“There was an incident last night,” the spokeswoman, who did not give her name, said when contacted by telephone. When asked whether a U.S. plane had crashed, she replied: “Yes.”

10.20 Following the release on Monday of the four New York Times journalists who were held captive by pro-Gaddafi forces in Libya, the NYTimes has published an article detailing their ordeal.

Separately, The Committee to Protect Journalists says it remains “deeply concerned” about 13 other journalists who are either missing or reported in Libyan government custody.

09.52 A US F-15 Eagle warplane has been found crashed in a field after an apparent mechanical failure, according to The Telegraph. The pilot is said to have been rescued by rebels.

09.46 Reuters is reporting that US defense secretary Robert Gates has arrived in Moscow for talks on Libya. On his flight to Russia, Gates praised strengthening ties with Moscow and noted that Russian leaders “despite their reservations” allowed the UN Security Council resolution authorising military action in Libya.

However, the visit will be complicated by the fact that Mr Gates will not meet Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who was  publically rebuked by President Medvedev on Monday for comparing the West’s call for action in Libya to the crusades.

09.27 Although Italian jets joined the UN-sanctioned raids on Libya on Sunday, prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has been tepid in his criticisms of Italy’s economic partner and former colony. FT Rome correspondent Giulia Segreti sent in these comments, made by the premier after a dinner in Turin:

Mr Berlusconi said he was “grieved for Gaddafi” and that he was “sorry” for the European allies intervention in Libya. “I relate personally to what is currently happening,” he said.

The centre-right leader attended an emergency cabinet meeting on Libya on Monday morning in Rome but still has not addressed the nation on the issue.

09.03 Britain’s armed forces minister, Nick Harvey, has told the BBC that raids on Libya are only targeting military facilities.  Mr Harvey said that an attack on Libyan leader Col Gaddafi’s compound on Sunday actually hit a military capability within the compound.

08.48 In its editorial on Tuesday, the FT says the coalition operating the no-fly zone must avoid the temptation of widening the Libya mission to include regime change:

There can be no further truck with a man who refers to civilians as “rats” and “dogs” and mounts vicious military attacks under the cloak of a ceasefire he had himself mendaciously proclaimed.

In doing so, however, the coalition must be mindful of the warrant it has received from the UN. This is to prevent Col Gaddafi harming the Libyan people; it does not extend to pursuing the replacement of his tyrannical regime.

08.36 Since coalition air strikes began, debate has raged about the ultimate purpose of the operation: is it to protect Libyan civilians from attack, or to remove their leader from power? PA reports Colonel Richard Kemp, former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, speaking on ITV’s Daybreak programme:

“It is quite clear to me that the removal of Gaddafi is the strategy that’s being pursued here. It’s not necessarily the stated strategy but I think it’s the intention of the west at least, not necessarily by directly attacking him or killing him, but by creating a division whereby he can be brought down by his opposition in the country, that would be probably the ideal situation…

He needs to be removed before we can be sure that we are going to succeed in our objective of protecting the civilian population from attack.”

08.19 The view from Shat al-Bedin (50 kms west of Benghazi)

Libyan rebels gather around a burning T-72 tank belonging to forces of Libyan leader Muammer Gaddafi, which were targeted the day before by a French air strike

08.07 China’s calls for an end to fighting in Libya have been upgraded to demands for an “immediate ceasefire”, according to Bloomberg.

07.48 Pakistan has expressed its “serious concern” over developments in Libya following military strikes, via a statement on the ministry of foreign affairs website:

Peaceful political solution needs to be evolved by the Libyan people themselves in the spirit of mutual accommodation and national reconciliation. Stability, peace and unity of Libya are of paramount importance.

It is imperative that humanitarian norms are respected by all concerned in letter and spirit. Reports of civilian casualties are extremely distressing and raise serious questions and could have far-reaching implications about interpretation and implementation of humanitarian principles.

07.43 Further to the news that Qatar is sending six Mirage jets to Souda airbase in Crete – supposedly en route to join the coalition forces in Libya – Reuters is reporting that the United Arab Emirates had also requested refueling at Souda for 12 F-16 jets and 12 Mirage jets. The UAE contingent is headed for Sicily but it is not clear when and if they would arrive, a Greek defence ministry official said.

07.26 Now for an update on the oil markets from the FT’s commodities editor, Javier Blas, in London:

Oil prices have stabilised at $115 a barrel, little changed from Monday, as the market takes stock of another night of bombing in Libya. In early trading on Tuesday, Brent crude moved between $115.50 and $114.41 a barrel.

The London-based Centre for Global Energy Studies, headed by former Saudi oil minister Sheik Yamani, said that the Libyan oil crisis “looks like rumbling on” until Col Gaddafi capitulates or the western powers are thwarted.

The oil market is braced for a long disruption which the International Energy Agency has said could extend months, rather than weeks. Before the start of the crisis, Libya was the world’s 12th largest oil exporter, pumping 1.58m barrels a day.

07.15 NEW China has once again called again for an end to fighting in Libya, expressing “deep concern” at reported civilian casualties and warning of a “humanitarian disaster”, according to Reuters reports of a news breifing by foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu.

China’s official newspapers had already stepped up their criticism of Western air attacks on Libya on Monday, accusing nations backing the strikes of breaking international rules and courting new turmoil in the Middle East.

07.08 Five observations on Libya and the UN from a blog post for Foreign Policy by international security expert Paul Miller.

06.42 Arab military support for the Libya coalition (so far composed of US, British and French forces) appears to be on its way. Reuters is quoting a Greek defence ministry official who says that six fighter aircraft from Qatar are due to land at a military base on the island of Crete on Monday or Tuesday:

“The jets from Qatar are expected at the Souda base in Crete and we will facilitate them if and when they arrive,” he said, adding that Qatar had earlier requested permission for four Mirage jets but changed its request.

06.14 The BBC is reporting that 10 RAF combat jets have arrived in southern Italy’s Gioia del Colle airbase, which was used by the British during the Kosovo conflict. Other coalition forces are using bases in Sicily and Sardinia.

05.03 The New York Times has this analysis on whether the Libyan uprising is the clash of a brutal dictator against a democratic opposition, or a tribal civil war.

04.42 In the markets: Bloomberg reports that gold is gaining for a fifth day as a result of prolonged unrest in Libya and the Middle East, and lingering concern over the impact of Japan’s nuclear crisis. These events are apparently fuelling demand for gold as a safe haven:

Immediate-delivery bullion rose 0.2 per cent to $1,430.63 an ounce at 11:36 a.m. in Singapore, near a two-week high of $1,435.01 reached yesterday. Gold futures for April delivery in New York gained 0.3 percent to $1,430.50 an ounce.

“The current uncertainties are fertile ground for precious metals,” Eugen Weinberg, Frankfurt-based head of commodity research with Commerzbank AG, wrote in a note to clients. “We expect the price of gold to rise further in the current climate and reach its record level.”

03.51 Time for an update on the anti-regime uprising in Yemen, whose efforts to oust President Ali Abdullah Saleh are intensifying after weeks of protest. Al Jazeera has this list of the defections and resignations so far:

Army Officers:
Brigadier Ali Mohsen Saleh, head of the North Western Military Zone
Brigadier Hameed Al koshebi, head of brigade 310 in Omran area
Brigadier Mohammed Ali Mohsen, head of the Eastern Division
Brigadier Nasser Eljahori, head of brigade 121
General Ali Abdullaha Aliewa, adviser of the Yemeni supreme leader of the army
General Faisal Rajab, based in the southern province of Lahij

Diplomats:
Abdel-Wahhab Tawaf, Ambassador to Syria
Mohammed Ali al-Ahwal, Ambassador to Saudi Arabia
Ambassador to Jordan
Ambassador to Egypt
Ambassador to Kuwait
Ambassador to China
Ambassador to Algeria
Ambassador to Indonesia
Ambassador to Iraq
Ambassador to Qatar
Ambassador to Belgium
Ambassador to Pakistan
Ambassador to Czech Republic
Ambassador to Spain
Ambassador to Germany
Ambassador to Oman
Ambassador to the UN
Charge d’affairs to Tunisia
Representative to the Arab League
All embassy staff in Washington except the ambassador

Local Officials:
Ahmed Qaatabi, Governor of Yemen’s southern province of Aden
Himyar al-Ahmar, Deputy Speaker of Parliament
Mayor of Aden
3 MPs
Advisor to Yemen’s premiership

03.27 Some analysis on the strength of Libyan opposition forces from AP:

Disorganisation among the rebels could hamper their attempts to exploit the turn of events. Since the uprising began, the opposition has been made up of disparate groups even as it took control of the entire east of the country.

Regular citizens – residents of the ‘liberated’ areas – took up arms and formed a ragtag, highly enthusiastic but highly undisciplined force that in the past weeks has charged ahead to fight Gadhafi forces, only to be beaten back by superior firepower.

Regular army units that joined the rebellion have proven stronger, more organised fighters, but only a few units have joined the battles while many have stayed behind as officers struggle to get together often antiquated, limited equipment and form a co-ordinated force.

03.06 The Atlantic has these pictures of the air strikes on Libya over the past few days.

02.41 For those joining us, here is a recap of events in Libya:

• Anti-aircraft attacks and explosions heard in Tripoli for the third consecutive night
• International coalition forces struck radar installations at two air defence bases, Al-Jazeera reports
• Strikes on Libya set to slow, says US general
• Misrata rebels say Gaddafi using human shields
• Obama says the US will transfer command to allies in days
• NATO fails to resolve differences over Libya role
• Gaddafi forces bombard western Libyan town of Zintan
• Arab League chief says respects UN resolution
• Oil rises on Libya conflict, Mideast unrest
• China intensifies condemnation of air strikes
• Qatar to take part in military action
• Russia’s Medvedev criticises Putin’s “crusade” comparison

02.18 UN correspondent Harvey Morris says the Security Council will meet on Thursday to discuss implementation of Resolution 1973 on the protection of Libyan civilians. The Security Council today turned down a Libyan request for a special meeting to discuss Western air strikes on the country following the council’s imposition of a no-fly zone, while Col Gaddafi’s rebellious diplomatic mission in New York distributed a Saturday statement from the opposition Transitional National Council welcoming last week’s UN resolution.

Vitaly Churkin, Russian envoy to the UN, said Monday’s talks had not been called at his country’s request. “They were purely in response to Tripoli’s request,” the ambassador said.

02.00 Some of the images from Libya:

Libyans wave the French flag as they parade on a 155mm Howitzer belonging to Muammer Gaddafi forces in Benghazi

A Libyan rebel mans a heavy machinegun while waiting to launch an attack to take the town of Ajdabiya

Libyan school children with portraits of Gaddafi and a green flag with the Arabic slogan: “God, Muammer and Libya.. only”

Libyan onlookers in Al-Wayfiyah, at the site where Gaddafi forces were targeted by a French air strike

01.50 Via CNN - Cable news channel’s correspondent Nic Robertson has called a Fox News report that he and other journalists were used as human shields by the Libyan government to prevent a missile attack on Gadhafi’s compound “outrageous and hypocritical,” adding that a Fox staffer was among the journalists on the trip – which was not mentioned in the Fox report – and that the journalists in the group were hurried through their trip by their minders.

“If they wanted to use us as human shields … they would have kept us there longer,” Robertson said. “That’s not what happened.”

01.37 An interactive map on FT.com:

01.15 Air attacks on Libya are likely to slow, a US general said, as Washington holds back from being sucked into the Libyan civil war – via Reuters:

“My sense is that  – that unless something unusual or unexpected happens, we may see a decline in the frequency of attacks,” said General Carter Ham, who is leading US forces in the Libyan operation

01.03 Brazil’s Foreign Ministry put this statement on their website:

“The Government of Brazil regrets the loss of life due to the conflict in Libya expresses the hope that a ceasefire will be implemented as soon as possible.

Brazil reiterates its solidarity with the people of Libya in their search for greater participation in the shaping of the future political direction of the country, in an environment that is conducive to the protection of human rights.

Brazil reaffirms its support for the special envoy of the Secretary General of the United Nations to Libya, Abdelilah Al Khatib, and the high-level Ad Hoc Committee established by the African Union to find a negotiated and lasting solution to the crisis.”

00.34 Reuters via Al-Jazeera: International coalition forces struck radar installations at two air defence bases belonging to Muammer Gaddafi’s forces in eastern Libya. The two bases are located east of the rebels’ stronghold of Benghazi, the channel said. There was no immediate confirmation from Western powers that they had targeted the installations.

00.23 From Reuters: Anti-aircraft fire and explosions reverberated across Tripoli for a third night and state television said several sites had come under attack in the capital. Coalition countries had no immediate confirmation they had launched fresh strikes on Tripoli in a campaign to target Libyan air defences and enforce a no-fly zone.

23.52 While David Cameron has wide support from his MPs, the US president Barack Obama is facing criticism from both parties. Republicans who advocated for action on Libya are now questioning why the president did not make his plans clear, while Democrats want him to come back to Congress for authorisation to use force.

23.45 British PM David Cameron has won overwhelming support from Parliament for his decision to commit British forces to the military operation in Libya. Lawmakers voted by 557 to 13 in favor of using the armed forces to enforce a United Nations resolution to use ‘all necessary measures’ to protect civilians in Libya, according to AP.

23.25 From Reuters: The UN Security Council today turned down a Libyan request for a special meeting to discuss Western air strikes on the country following the council’s imposition of a no-fly zone, diplomats said.

23.18 President Barack Obama on Monday said that the US will cede control of the assault on Libyan forces in days, even as divisions in Europe fueled speculation US leadership would be protracted.

From Reuters: “We anticipate this transition to take place in a matter of days and not in a matter of weeks,” Obama told a news conference during a visit to Chile.

23.04 From Reuters: International coalition forces struck radar installations at two air defence bases belonging to Muammer Gaddafi’s forces in eastern Libya, Al Jazeera news channel said on Monday. The two bases are located east of the rebels’ stronghold of Benghazi, the channel said.

Highlights from the FT’s Libya coverage today:

• Witnesses reporting more heavy shelling of Zintan in western Libya by pro-Gaddafi forces
• Tensions are rising among the coalition members as French attempts to sidestep Nato at the outset of military operations have angered the US and Britain and are hampering efforts to transfer command of the operation to Nato.
• Charles Clover reports on Tripoli’s rhythm of bombs and anti-aircraft fire.
• Gideon Rachman looks at the temperamental divide in the Western world between the “hotheads” (French president Nicolas Sarkozy and British prime minister David Cameron) and the “ditherers” (US president Barack Obama – “ditherer-in-chief” – and German chancellor Angela Merkel.
• The international community has targeted Col Gaddafi with sanctions and asset freezes, but he’s sitting on a pot of literal gold, write Jack Farchy and Roula Khalaf.
• On Energy Source, Kiran Stacey asks why oil markets care about Libya.