Libya Fuel OS Report

3-28-11 - In Tripoli, fuel shortages and endless queues are compounding an atmosphere of gloom in a city already worn out by weeks of conflict. At one Tripoli filling station, hundreds of honking cars formed a queue of more than one kilometer long on Sunday. Exhausted motorists waited for hours to fill up their tanks.

3-28-11 – A rebel leader said most of the 100,000 to 130,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude the rebel-held eastern oil fields are capable of producing will be exported because the refining capacity in eastern areas is still relatively low. He also said some areas in the rebel-held east faced fuel shortages, but the region as a whole was operating at about 70 percent of normal.

3-28-11 - In Tripoli, officials said the port had been closed to ships carrying refined fuel as well as food and other goods. Gasoline was in increasingly short supply, and lines of cars at gas stations stretched for several blocks.

3-28-11 – Reports and images of rebel fighters scooping fuel from depleted tanks at Ras Lanuf, which they have just taken from pro-Gaddafi forces. Source2

3-27-11 - The official JANA news agency has insisted that oil distribution companies have enough fuel to cover existing demands. However, long lines and insufficient fuel remain problems at Tripoli area petrol stations.

3-25-11 - The official Libyan news agency Jana urged state and private fuel distribution firms on March 25 to resume work and make deliveries of the North African country's "plentiful supplies of fuel" to meet demand.

3-25-11 - Fuel reserves in Libya are sufficient to meet demand and some refineries in the North African country are operating again, Libyan state television al-Libya said on March 25, quoting a government official.

3-24-11 – A Libyan official told Reuters that Libya is suffering from a shortage of fuel and needs to import fresh supplies, but a ship with fuel now bound for Tripoli may be stopped by Western forces.

3-24-11 – A Reuters reporter travelled on an officially-organised trip from Tripoli to Bani Walid, about 170 km (100 miles) southeast of the capital, reported seeing people queueing for petrol in several towns along the route.

3-23-11 – The Maltese government intervened to stop a Libya-bound Malta-flagged vessel laden with fuel ordered by the Gaddafi regime. The MV Breeze, a Greek managed tanker, was contacted and stopped by the Maltese authorities on route to the Libyan port town of Zawiyah. The vessel had been loaded with some 25,000 tons of gasoline 95, a refined fuel.

3-23-11 - In Zintan, rebel fighters captured or destroyed several tanks, and seized trucks loaded with 1,200 Grad missiles and fuel tanks.

3-23-11 - Coalition aircraft hit a fuel depot in Tripoli.

3-16-11 - The rebels claimed a small victory, hijacking a Libyan tanker ship that was transporting fuel from Greece to Gadhafi's regime. Opposition spokesman Mustafa Gheriani said fighters seized the ship on March 15 off the Mediterranean coast and that it was carrying about 25,000 tonnes of fuel for Gadhafi. The tanker, Anwaar Afriqya, was seen on March 16 docked in the port at Tobruk, a rebel-held city in the far eastern side of Libya. According to online shipping records, the Libyan-owned vessel departed several days ago from a Greek refinery port and had been due to arrive Tuesday in the western oil port of Zawiya.

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Tripoli Battle Looms As Libya Rebels Advance Through Gaddafi HometownMar 28, 2011 1:40amhttp://www.tfdnews.com/news/2011/03/28/88670-tripoli-battle-looms-as-libya-rebels-advance-through-gaddafi-hometown.htm

(Reuters) - Outside the impenetrable walls of Muammar Gaddafi's compound in Tripoli, fuel shortages and endless queues are compounding an atmosphere of gloom in a city already worn out by weeks of conflict.

Rebel forces are advancing fast toward Gaddafi's biggest stronghold, and ordinary people in the capital -- regardless of their political views -- are fearful of what is to come.

Tripoli lives to the sound of explosions and anti-aircraft gunfire as Western air strikes continue, and the new reality has emboldened some to express their frustrations more openly.

"The situation is getting worse and worse. I am a simple person. I don't know why," said Radwan, a man in his 40s, as he lined up to buy fuel at a petrol station in central Tripoli.

"Everything is hard. There is a problem with food, even with bread. You can't buy bread easily. I buy flour and I make my own bread. I am worried. There is a serious problem."

At one Tripoli filling station, hundreds of honking cars formed a queue of more than one kilometer long on Sunday. Exhausted motorists waited for hours to fill up their tanks.

A makeshift sign at another gas station said: "There is no petrol today. God knows when."

Most people waited patiently, the engines of their cars switched off. Some sat in the shade of large trees, smoking. One car ran out of petrol in the middle of a coastal motorway, and a group of passersby helped the driver push it along.

The picture was similar in other parts of Tripoli and nearby towns. Supply networks for basic goods have been disrupted by weeks of fighting. A refugee exodus out of Libya also means that bakeries do not have the manpower to make enough bread.

Libya is an OPEC oil exporter and has its own refineries, but the sector has been severely disrupted by the conflict. A lot of its oil refining infrastructure has been damaged, and production of oil and oil products has dropped sharply.

State TV has been assuring people that fuel reserves are sufficient, but an energy official admitted to Reuters last week Libya needed to import more supplies to deal with the shortages.

Seeking to topple Gaddafi and buoyed by Western air strikes, rebel forces have been pushing fast toward western Libya in past days, retaking land abandoned by the retreating army.

ANGRY

Perched on the Mediterranean coast and home to up to two million people, Tripoli is Libya's most heavily fortified city, where dissent is not tolerated by Gaddafi's feared militiamen.

Yet, some of its inhabitants were visibly angry when approached by journalists on Sunday.

"Television says Britain and France want to take away our oil, but I am standing here, I can't buy any petrol for my car," said one man lining up to buy petrol. "Where is the oil? What oil are they talking about?"

Another man, Sufiyah, rubbing his bloodshot eyes after a sleepless night of waiting in a petrol station queue, added: "I've been waiting since 4 a.m. There is no petrol. I am so tired. And yes, I am angry. A lot of people are."

The turmoil has also disrupted food supplies in the desert nation which depends on imports to cover domestic food demand.

Standing in line for rationed bread in one neighborhood, Fatima, a woman in her 20s, said it was particularly difficult to buy cooking oil, sugar and other refined products.

"Before it was normal but now there are shortages. It started with the crisis a month ago, and it's getting worse," said Fatima. She said that in her view prices for key food items like rice and flour had gone up by at least a third.

She said she was only allowed to buy one bagful of bread for her family per visit. Shops in Tripoli appear to be well stocked but many are closed.

The price of bread itself has changed little, people said, with shortages caused mainly by the exodus of migrant workers.

"Before there was a lot of bread, now there isn't. We have no workers now, so it's difficult to make enough bread," said Adil Mohamed Ali, a young man working at the bakery.

Ali Salim, a young taxi driver, said he did not know what to expect but blamed foreign countries for all the trouble.

"I have waited for four hours already. I have to do this every day. I am a taxi driver," he said. "No one knows what's next. Tomorrow it can all change. It's all because of the foreign countries who are interfering."

Rebel fighters scoop fuel from depleted tanks at Ras Lanufhttp://srnnews.townhall.com/photos/view/energy__environment/1013/rebel_fighters_scoop_fuel_from_depleted_tanks_in_eastern_libya/a4b39984-f36e-4638-adf6-7d52d4979f8f/

Reuters RAS LANUF Libya 3/28/2011 80 of 300 Rebel fighters scoop fuel from depleted tanks at Ras Lanuf, after forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi fled westward following coalition air strikes in eastern Libya, March

28, 2011. REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly (LIBYA - Tags: CONFLICT CIVIL UNREST POLITICS ENERGY)

Oil shortage fears prompt Libya petrol queuesGovernment assurances fail to stem nightlong vigils at Tripoli petrol stationsAFP, Sunday 27 Mar 2011http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/3/12/8721/Business/Economy/Oil-shortage-fears-prompt-Libya-petrol-queues.aspx

Fears of an oil shortage in Tripoli are making people's lives a "nightmare", forcing many to spend the night in their cars at petrol stations in a bid to be first in line to fill up their tank.

"I have been waiting in vain for three days to have fuel for my car," said Fuad Arabi, a doctor who works in one of Tripoli's hospitals.

"I live far from my work and if I do not get fuel, I can't get to work."

The authorities in the oil-rich country have moved to scotch rumours circulating in Tripoli that a fuel shortage was imminent, saying oil distribution companies had "large quantities" of the commodity. But the assurances have not stopped endless queues from forming at petrol stations in the Libyan capital.

"It is a nightmare that is haunting the people of Tripoli," said Salema Gheryani, a 30-year-old teacher. "I have been queuing for four hours now."

Faisal Shami, a 50-year-old engineer, said he had to leave his car at the petrol station.

"I will not go to work tomorrow, but I will return here in the morning and hopefully I will be able to fill up my car," he said as he left a Tripoli petrol station. "It is the war. I am afraid things will get worse, and prices will soar."

The National Oil Corporation said last week that production had plummeted to 400,000 barrels per day as a result of the insurrection shaking the country for more than a month and spurring the mass evacuation of foreign workers.

Most oil companies operating in Libya, including France's Total and China's CNPC, have partly or completely shut down production since the uprising erupted against Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi.

Libya has the largest known oil reserves in Africa, and is the continent's fourth biggest producer.

The official JANA news agency has insisted that oil distribution companies say the large quantities of oil that they have would be enough to cover all demand.

Many people spend the night in cars waiting for their turn, as armed men stand guard at petrol stations to break up possible quarrels. The crisis has led to a taxi shortage, too.

"I think I will stop working. I do not know how I will manage," said one taxi driver. "I have a large family, there are nine of us. How am I going to feed everyone?"

But Yusef Bash, 75, was optimistic. "The crisis will pass. The world will not stop because there is no petrol left," he said.

"We can live the same way we lived in the past. The most important thing now is the country. May God protect it and its people."

Libyan energy official warns of fuel shortage24 Mar 2011 12:55Source: reuters // Reuters(Adds background)http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/libyan-energy-official-warns-of-fuel-shortage

TRIPOLI, March 24 (Reuters) - Libya is suffering from a shortage of fuel and needs to import fresh supplies, but a ship with fuel now bound for Tripoli may be stopped by Western forces, a Libyan energy official said on Thursday.

Libya is an exporter of oil and also has its own refineries, but the energy sector has been severely disrupted by the five-week-old conflict between government forces and rebels who control the east of the country.

"There is a shortage of fuel and we are trying to solve the problem," the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters.

"A ship is coming to Libya carrying fuel and I am worried the United States and France and the coalition forces will stop it or bomb it ... The problem (of fuel shortages) will be sorted out if this ship reaches Tripoli port."

A Reuters reporter who on Wednesday travelled on an officially-organised trip from Tripoli to Bani Walid, about 170 km (100 miles) southeast of the capital, reported seeing people queueing for petrol in several towns along the route.

There were also long lines at petrol stations in Tripoli on Thursday. One resident said he was reading a book to pass the time while he waited to fill up his car. "There are a lot of

queues. Queues in all of Tripoli," he said. (Additional reporting by Maria Golovnina in Tripoli; writing by Christian Lowe; editing by Mark Heinrich

Malta stops Libya-bound fuel tankerTripoli pressured the government to release the vesselSunday, 27th March 2011http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110327/local/malta-stops-libya-bound-fuel-tanker

Mark Micallef

The Maltese government last Wednesday intervened to stop a Libya-bound Malta-flagged vessel laden with fuel ordered by the Gaddafi regime, The Sunday Times has learnt.

The MV Breeze, a Greek managed tanker, was contacted and stopped by the Maltese authorities on route to the Libyan port town of Zawiyah.

The vessel had been loaded with some 25,000 tons of gasoline 95 – a refined fuel – at the Greek refinery Motor Oil (Hellas), after receiving an order from the Brega Petroleum Marketing Company, a subsidiary of the Libyan National Oil Company, which is on the UN sanctions list.

Sources said payment for the shipment is likely to have been made in cash.

Maltese port authorities notified the ship management that it was banned from carrying such cargo to Libya under the UN sanctions approved last month, and the vessel turned back to Greece immediately.

Last Friday, the ship was berthed 150km from the Greek city of Piraeus.

Sources said the government came under significant pressure from multiple sources within the Gaddafi regime in recent days to allow the vessel to proceed to Libya. But it held firm, pointing out the shipment violated UN sanctions.

Ironically, the oil rich regime has been suffering from severe fuel shortages with no access to the product at its many refineries, either because of damage to their infrastructure or because they were captured by the rebels.

The Maltese government has now referred the case to the UN Security Council’s Sanctions Committee, which will review the incident.

When contacted, a spokesman for the Office of the Prime Minister said he could not comment at this stage. However, he said the government was committed to observing and implementing the UN resolution and EU-imposed restrictions on Libya.

The news comes after anti-Gaddafi protesters in Malta tried to stop the Turkish-owned Mubariz Ibrahimov oil tanker from leaving the port, which they said was being loaded with fuel destined to Libya.

The protesters attempted to obtain an injunction to prevent the vessel leaving, but it was eventually given permission to depart after it was certified empty.

Libya agency urges resumption of fuel distribution25 Mar 2011 14:09Source: reuters // Reutershttp://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/libya-agency-urges-resumption-of-fuel-distribution

RABAT, March 25 (Reuters) - The official Libyan news agency Jana urged state and private fuel distribution firms on Friday to resume work and make deliveries of the North African country's "plentiful supplies of fuel" to meet demand.

Residents have reported growing fuel, food and medical shortages and lines in the war-torn country. (Reporting by Souhail Karam, writing by Adam Tanner)

Rebel fighters compete for fuel in Ajdabiyahhttp://srnnews.townhall.com/photos/view/safety__security/1004/rebel_fighters_compete_for_fuel_in_eastern_libya/ac78d5d7-30df-4b6f-a45b-f2aad7916c7e/

Reuters Ajdabiyah Libya 3/28/2011 1 of 1 Rebel fighters compete for fuel in Ajdabiyah, after forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi fled westward following coalition air strikes in eastern Libya, March 28, 2011. REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly (LIBYA - Tags: CONFLICT CIVIL UNREST POLITICS ENERGY)

Libya TV says fuel reserves sufficient, urges calmTUNIS, March 25 | Fri Mar 25, 2011 1:03pm EDThttp://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/25/libya-fuel-tv-idUSLDE72O1VW20110325

TUNIS, March 25 (Reuters) - Fuel reserves in Libya are sufficient to meet demand and some refineries in the North African country are operating again, Libyan state television al-Libya said on Friday, quoting a government official. "Fuel reserves are sufficient, some refineries are operating again and there is no need to panic," the station said in a written news flash. (Writing by Joseph Nasr, editing by Matthew Jones)

Spartanburg Herald - JournalMarch 23, 2011Airstrikes force Gadhafi retreat from key cityBYLINE: MICHAEL, MAGGIE; LUCAS, RYANSECTION: Pg. n/a ISSN: 0740-4743LENGTH: 1106 words

AJDABIYA, Libya -- International airstrikes forced Moammar Gadhafi's tanks to roll back from the western city of Misrata on Wednesday, a local doctor said, giving respite to civilians who have endured more than a week of attacks and a punishing blockade. In the east, civilians fleeing another strategic city described relentless shelling and dire conditions.

Western diplomats neared an agreement to let NATO assume responsibility for the no-fly zone and its warships began patrolling off Libya's Mediterranean coast.

The international coalition continued airstrikes and patrols early Wednesday, but the report that Misrata was targeted could not immediately be confirmed. U.S. Navy Adm. Samuel J. Locklear, the on-scene commander, said Tuesday the coalition was "considering all options" in response to intelligence showing troops were targeting civilians in the city, 125 miles (200 kilometers) southeast of Tripoli.

A doctor in Misrata said the tanks fled after the airstrikes began around midnight, giving a much-needed reprieve to the city, which is inaccessible to human rights monitors or

journalists. He said the airstrikes struck the aviation academy and a vacant lot outside the central hospital, which was under maintenance.

"There were very loud explosions. It was hard to see the planes," the doctor said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals if Gadhafi's forces take the city. "Today, for the first time in a week, the bakeries opened their doors."

He said the situation was still dangerous, with pro-Gadhafi snipers shooting at people from rooftops.

"Some of the tanks were hit and others fled," he said. "We fear the tanks that fled will return if the airstrikes stop."

Gadhafi made his first public appearance in a week late Tuesday, hours after explosions sounded in Tripoli. State TV said he spoke from his Bab Al-Aziziya residential compound, the same one hit by a cruise missile Sunday night. "In the short term, we'll beat them, in the long term, we'll beat them," he said.

The withdrawal of the tanks from Misrata was a rare success for the rebels. The disorganized opposition holds much of the east but has struggled to take advantage of the gains from the international air campaign, which appears to have hobbled Gadhafi's air defenses and artillery just as the rebels were facing defeat.

Neither side has mustered the force for an outright victory, raising concerns of a prolonged conflict in the cities were they are locked in combat, such as Misrata and Zintan in the west and Ajdabiya, a city of 140,000 that is the gateway to the east.

In Zintan, a resident said Gadhafi's forces were at the base of a nearby mountain and were shelling in that area, but rebels forced their retreat from all but one side of the city. After five days of fighting, resident Ali al-Azhari said, rebel fighters captured or destroyed several tanks, and seized trucks loaded with 1,200 Grad missiles and fuel tanks. They captured five Gadhafi troops.

Al-Azhari, who spoke to The Associated Press by phone from the city, said one officer told rebels he had order "to turn Zintan to a desert to be smashed and flattened." Resentment against Gadhafi runs high in Zintan, a city of 100,000 about 75 miles (120 kilometers) south of Tripoli, because it was the hometown of many of the detained army officers who took part in a failed coup in 1993.

Pro-Gadhafi troops who have besieged Ajdabiya attacked a few hundred rebels on the outskirts Wednesday. The rebels fired back with Katyusha rockets but have found themselves outgunned. Plumes of smoke rose over the city, which is 95 miles (150 kilometers) south of the de-facto rebel capital of Benghazi.

"The weapons they have are heavy weapons and what we have are light weapons," said Fawzi Hamid, a 33-year-old who joined the Libyan military when he was younger but is

now on the rebels' side. "The Gadhafi forces are more powerful than us so we are depending on airstrikes."

People fleeing the violence said the rebels had control of the city center while Gadhafi's forces were holding the outskirts.

"The pro-Gadhafi forces are just shooting everywhere. There is no electricity, the center of the city has been totally destroyed, even the hospital has been hit," 28-year-old Hafez Boughara said as he drove a white van filled with women and children on a desert road to avoid the main highway.

Mustafa Rani, 43, who was driving a hatchback with seven small children and his wife, described heavy shelling and shooting.

Rashid Khalikov, the U.N. aid coordinator for Libya, said Wednesday he was "extremely concerned" about the plight of civilians there, adding that the global body hasn't received any firsthand information about the humanitarian situation inside the country for a week.

Gadhafi was defiant in his first public appearance in a week late Tuesday, promising enthusiastic supporters at his residential compound in Tripoli, Libyan state TV broadcast what it said was live coverage of him standing on a balcony as he denounced the coalition bombings.

"O great Libyan people, you have to live now, this time of glory, this is a time of glory that we are living," he said.

Heavy anti-aircraft fire and loud explosions sounded in Tripoli after nightfall, possibly a new attack in the international air campaign. Two explosions were heard in the city before daybreak Wednesday.

Libyan state TV showed footage of a house that was demolished and burning. Weeping women slapped their faces and heads in grief while men carried a barefoot girl covered in blood on a stretcher to an ambulance. A man screamed "a whole family was killed." The TV labeled the footage as "the crusader imperialism bombs civilians."

Gadhafi's regime has alleged that dozens of civilians have been killed in the international bombardment, but Pentagon spokesman Marine Maj. Chris Perrine, a Pentagon spokesman and other coalition officials said no claims of civilian casualties have been independently verified.

One of Gadhafi's sons may have been killed, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told ABC News on Tuesday. She cited unconfirmed reports and did not say which son she meant. She said the "evidence is not sufficient" to confirm this.

Clinton also told ABC that people close to Gadhafi are making contacts abroad to explore options for the future, but she did not say that one of the options might be exile. She said they were asking, "What do we do? How do we get out of this? What happens next?"

Michael reported from Cairo. Associated Press writers Pauline Jelinek in Washington and Slobodan Lekic in Brussels contributed to this report.

Credit: MAGGIE MICHAEL; RYAN LUCAS, The Associated Press

San Jose Mercury News (California)March 23, 2011 WednesdayAir strikes give rebels reprieveBYLINE: By ??? Contra Costa Times

BENGHAZI, Libya -- NATO ships began patrolling off Libya's coast Wednesday as air strikes, missiles and energized rebels forced Moammar Gadhafi's tanks to roll back from two key western cities, including one that was the hometown of army officers who tried to overthrow him in 1993.

Libya's opposition took haphazard steps to form a government in the east, as they and the U.S.-led force protecting them girded for prolonged and costly fighting. Despite disorganization among the rebels -- and confusion over who would ultimately run the international operation -- coalition air strikes and missiles seemed to thwart Gadhafi's efforts to rout his opponents, at least for now.

Coalition aircraft hit a fuel depot in Tripoli, a senior government official told reporters in a late-night news conference. Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim at first denied reports that Gadhafi's compound in Tripoli was hit earlier, then backtracked and said he had no information about that. Other targets Wednesday were near Benghazi and Misrata, he said.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates acknowledged there is no clear end to the international military enforcement of the no-fly zone over Libya, but President Barack Obama said it "absolutely" will not lead to a U.S. land invasion.

From Ajdabiya in the east to Misrata in the west, the coalition's targets included Libyan troops' mechanized forces, mobile surface-to-air missile sites and lines of communications that supply "their beans and their bullets," said Rear Adm. Gerard Hueber, a top U.S. officer in the campaign in Libya.

He asserted that Gadhafi's air force has essentially been defeated. He said no Libyan aircraft had attempted to fly over the previous 24 hours.

"Those aircraft have either been destroyed or rendered inoperable," Hueber told Pentagon reporters by phone from the U.S. command ship in the Mediterranean Sea.

A doctor in Misrata said Gadhafi's tanks fled after the air strikes, giving a much-needed reprieve to the besieged coastal city, which is inaccessible to human rights monitors or journalists. The air strikes struck the aviation academy and a vacant lot outside the central hospital, the doctor said.

"Today, for the first time in a week, the bakeries opened their doors," the doctor said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals if Gadhafi's forces take Libya's third-largest city, 125 miles southeast of Tripoli.

Neither the rebels nor Gadhafi has mustered the force for an outright victory, raising concerns of a prolonged conflict.

Gates said no one was ever under any illusion that the assault would last just two or three weeks. He had no answer when asked about a possible stalemate if Gadhafi hunkers down, and the coalition lacks U.N. authorization to target him.

Obama, when asked about an exit strategy during an interview with the Spanish-language network Univision, didn't lay out a vision for ending the international action, but rather said: "The exit strategy will be executed this week in the sense that we will be pulling back from our much more active efforts to shape the environment."

The administration wants others to lead the way soon: Gates said the U.S. could relinquish control as soon as Saturday. Members of the coalition, however, were still divided over the details.

In a compromise proposal, NATO would be guided by a political committee of foreign ministers from the West and the Arab world. But NATO nations remained deadlocked over the alliance's possible role in enforcing the U.N.-authorized no-fly zone.

NATO warships, meanwhile, started patrolling Wednesday to enforce the U.N. arms embargo against Libya. Alliance spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said the action was to "cut off the flow of arms and mercenaries," activity that intelligence reports say is continuing.

Six vessels were involved the first day, and Canada's Brig. General Pierre St. Amand said 16 ships have been offered by NATO members. Five are from Turkey, the organization's sole Muslim member.

Missiles fired from submarines in the Mediterranean, bombs dropped by B-2 stealth bombers and an array of air strikes easily totaled hundreds of millions of dollars by the fifth day of the coalition campaign.

Hueber said international forces were attacking government troops that have been storming population centers. On Wednesday evening, Libyan state television reported a "Crusader colonialist bombing targeting certain civil and military locations" in Tripoli's Tajoura district -- scene of some of the heaviest past protests against Gadhafi.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Gadhafi can end the crisis quickly -- by leaving power. She said the U.S. wants the Libyan government to "make the right decision" by instituting a cease-fire, withdrawing forces from cities and preparing for a transition that doesn't include the longtime dictator.

Some attacks by pro-Gadhafi forces continued in Misrata, where the doctor and rebel leaders said pro-Gadhafi snipers were firing on civilians from rooftops. Abdel-Hafidh Ghoga, a spokesman for the opposition forces, said 16 people were killed Wednesday, including five children.

The New York Times

March 28, 2011 MondayLate Edition - Final

REBELS IN LIBYA MAKE NEW GAINS AMID AIRSTRIKES

BYLINE: By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK and KAREEM FAHIM; David D. Kirkpatrick reported from Tripoli, and Kareem Fahim from Ajdabiya, Libya. Steven Erlanger contributed reporting from Brussels, and Mark Mazzetti from Washington.

SECTION: Section A; Column 0; Foreign Desk; Pg. 1

LENGTH: 1380 words

TRIPOLI, Libya -- American and European bombs battered Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi's most important bastion of support in his tribal homeland of Surt on Sunday night, as rebels seeking his ouster capitalized on the damage from the Western airstrikes to erase their recent losses and return to the city's doorstep.

Their swift return, recapturing two important oil refineries and a strategic port within 20 hours, set the stage for a battle in Surt that could help decide the war.

There were unconfirmed reports early Monday that rebel forces had routed pro-Qaddafi defenders in Surt, but there was no corroboration. Even so, rebels in Benghazi, the birthplace of the uprising, drove through the streets, blaring horns and firing weapons into the air to celebrate.

The ease of the rebel march west along the coast underscored the essential role of Western airstrikes, now focused mainly on Colonel Qaddafi's ground troops, in reversing the rebels' fortunes. But it also framed anew the question of how the poorly equipped and disorganized rebel forces might fare against Colonel Qaddafi's garrison in Surt, where air cover may be less useful.

As Western warplanes again bombed sites around Tripoli and other Qaddafi strongholds, NATO agreed at a meeting in Brussels to take over the mission. The decision effectively relieved the United States of leading the fight, and ended a week of squabbling.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said the change, pushed by the United States, would allow the military to begin reducing its presence.

In interviews on Sunday, Mr. Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton left open how long the American commitment would be.

President Obama plans to address the nation on Monday night about the American role in Libya amid continuing questions about its objectives and duration.

An official with the Pentagon said Sunday that it was already beginning to reduce the number of American warships involved in the operation. The official said that at least one of the Navy submarines that had fired Tomahawk missiles into Libya had left the area, and that a further naval pullout was likely.

Mr. Obama will be able to cite some early success, as the airstrikes have lifted the rebels back from the brink of defeat in the eastern city of Benghazi and enabled them to rush west along the coast past their farthest gains of their previous peak weeks ago.

After clashes with government forces overnight near the town of Al Uqaylah, rebel fighters met little resistance on Sunday as they pushed from the city of Ajdabiya past the oil towns of Brega and Ras Lanuf, recapturing the two important refineries. By the evening, they had pushed the front line west of Bin Jawwad, according to fighters returning from the front.

''There wasn't resistance,'' said Faraj Sheydani, 42, a rebel fighter interviewed on his return from the front. ''There was no one in front of us. There's no fighting.''

In Tripoli, the explosions of about 10 large bombs near the city were heard downtown on Sunday night, followed by barrages of antiaircraft fire and cascades of tracers. At a news conference, a short time later, Musa Ibrahim, a government spokesman, declined to comment on the exact location of the battle lines. But he argued that Western powers were now attacking the Libyan Army in retreat, a far cry from the United Nations mandate to establish a no-fly zone to protect civilians.

''Some were attacked as they were clearly moving westbound,'' he said. ''Clearly NATO is taking sides in this civil conflict. It is illegal. It is not allowed by the Security Council resolution. And it is immoral, of course.''

In western Libya, however, the rebel-held city of Misurata was still under siege by loyalist forces. By Sunday evening, rebels were again reporting street fighting in the center of the city as well as renewed shelling and mortar fire from Qaddafi tanks and artillery from west and northwest of the city.

Allied airstrikes outside Misurata had kept up through the previous night, rebels said, destroying a major ammunition depot that exploded in a blaze of light. It was still burning 13 hours after the initial blast, said Muhammad, a rebel spokesman there whose full name was withheld for his family's safety.

Speaking over a satellite hook-up and hospital generator, he contradicted statements from the Qaddafi government that it had restored power and water to the city. He said that rebels had used a local generator to restore electricity to about half the city. But he said that water remained cut off and that residents were using a small supply from a desalination facility there. The reports were impossible to confirm because the Qaddafi government has prevented journalists from reaching the city.

Muhammad said he believed the airstrikes had not killed any civilians in the area, but had struck barracks and airfields, killing many Libyan soldiers. ''Thousands of them, I hope,'' he said.

In Tripoli on Sunday, most stores were closed. Usually busy streets were deserted. Officials said the port had been closed to ships carrying refined fuel as well as food and other goods. Gasoline was in increasingly short supply, and lines of cars at gas stations stretched for several blocks. Some motorists said they had turned out before dawn for a chance to fill up, or waited in line for more than two hours to reach the pump.

Residents also stood in long lines for bread at bakeries, mainly because the migrant workers Libyans rely on to bake and do other service jobs have fled the country.

The NATO agreement was announced Sunday evening by its secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen. He said that ''NATO will implement all aspects of the U.N. resolution. Nothing more, nothing less.''

He said the decision would take ''immediate effect,'' but it may take up to two days for the transfer to be completed.

NATO had agreed to take on the no-fly zone late last week, but the decision on Sunday expanded its command to the entire military mission, including the air campaign. Until now, the bombing campaign has had no central command, although the United States has been coordinating the effort.

The alliance was divided over the issue, because France did not want to cede control to NATO, arguing that it was American-dominated and therefore an uncomfortable brand for another war in an Arab country. But other countries like Italy and Norway said that their participation depended on NATO running the war under the political control of its governments. Turkey also insisted on NATO control.

The Security Council resolution, adopted 10 days ago, authorized a no-fly zone over Libya and ''all necessary measures'' to protect civilians. The coalition has interpreted the protection of civilians to include attacking Qaddafi forces.

But the resolution also calls for an arms embargo that applies to the entire territory of Libya, which means that any outside supply of arms to the opposition is being done covertly.

The military campaign will be led by Lt. Gen. Charles Bouchard, a Canadian who is the deputy to an American commander and serves under the supreme commander, Europe, who is also an American.

In interviews in Tripoli under the close supervision of Libyan government minders, several people complained about the Western airstrikes. But even under those circumstances several people voiced their dissent. One person waiting for gas volunteered that he blamed Colonel Qaddafi's rule for the shortages.

''Please, I want to say something to the world,'' another man said in a store nearby, pointing to a group of six men. ''1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, we all don't like Colonel Qaddafi. We like Libyan freedom.''

One member of the group, who outside the store moments before had told a particularly florid story about the evil of the international airstrikes, abruptly walked out the door. ''Dangerous,'' he muttered as he left.

In Green Square, the site of a continuous pro-Qaddafi rally for more than a month, the crowd was unusually small and subdued; some said Qaddafi supporters had shifted their energies to a rally inside his compound, where his supporters say they have gathered as civilian shields against Western bombs.

Many people in Tripoli, including those supporting Colonel Qaddafi and those opposing him, said they were focused closely on the battle for Surt.

Libyan rebels battle to hold strategic city under siege by Gadhafi's troops

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110316/ap_on_re_af/af_libya

march 16 2011

Libyan rebels battled to hold a strategic eastern city against a punishing offensive by forces loyal to Mu'ammar Gadhafi, voicing anger and frustration at the West for not coming to their aid. At the same time, government troops heavily shelled the last main rebel bastion near the capital.

Charred vehicles, bullet-riddled pickup trucks and an overturned tank littered the desert highway where pro-Gadhafi forces had fought up to the entrance of the key eastern city of Ajdabiya.

Government troops were bringing in a stream of truckloads of ammunition, rockets and supplies – signs of an intensified effort by the Libyan leader to retake control of the country he has ruled with an iron fist for more than four decades.

At the United Nations in New York, supporters of the international effort to impose a no-fly zone over Libya were pushing for a vote on a draft UN Security Council resolution aimed at preventing air attacks by Gadhafi's forces against his people.

While China, Russia, Germany and other members of the 15-member council have expressed opposition or doubts about military action in Libya, the US said even stronger measures than a no-fly zone may be needed.

Britain, France and the United States put forward a draft resolution, which includes a no-fly zone, for a vote "to put pressure on the council to act quickly and decisively", said one diplomat.

According to a council diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity because council discussions were private, US Ambassador Susan Rice said during more than eight hours of closed-door negotiations on Wednesday that the goal should be expanded from creating a no-fly zone to protecting civilians, meaning the international community must have all the tools it needs including authorisation to use aircraft, troops or ships to stop attacks by Gadhafi's air, land and sea forces.

According to the diplomat, Rice said the US will not act without Security Council authorisation, does not want to put US ground troops into Libya, and insists on broad international participation, especially by Arab states.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged all sides to accept an immediate ceasefire. He warned Gadhafi's forces against a march on Benghazi, the opposition's de facto capital in the east, saying that "a campaign to bombard such an urban centre would massively place civilian lives at risk".

Ajdabiya is the gateway to the rebel-held eastern half of Libya and if Gadhafi troops take it, Benghazi would likely be their next target. A powerful regime force advancing from the west has been relentlessly bombard ing Ajdabiya the past two days, raining rockets and artillery and tank shells on the city, sending most of its population fleeing.

Libya's deputy UN ambassador Ibrahim Dabbashi, who is supporting the opposition, said according to information the Libyan Mission has received, Gadhafi is preparing for two operations: One against Ajdabiya, which is already under siege using mercenaries in more than 400 vehicles that are already en route, and one against mountain villages in the west where tanks, heavy artillery and other weapons are being gathered for an assault.

Dabbashi said according to his information, Gaddhafi has given instructions to "destroy everything and kill whoever you find in Ajdabiya and destroy all the Berber villages", which Dabbashi said would constitute "ethnic cleansing".

Habib al-Obeidi, a doctor at Jalaa Hospital in Benghazi, said that a colleague in Ajdabiya had told him 25 people were killed when pro-Gadhafi forces struck civilian cars fleeing the city. That report could not be independently confirmed.

Hundreds of pro-Gadhafi troops were lined up with dozens of tanks and other heavy equipment at the arches over the highway marking Ajdabiya's western gates. The AP and other journalists brought to the scene by government escorts saw regime forces bringing in large truckloads of ammunition and equipment – a sign that that the troops were gearing up to try to sweep through Ajdabiya and likely beyond.

As journalists arrived, the troops at the gates fired automatic weapons and anti-aircraft guns in the air, waving green flags and chanting, "God, Moammar, Libya: That is enough." Grafitti on nearby buildings that read "Moammar the dog" had been painted over with new graffiti of "long live Moammar." Some buildings had bullet holes, and a bloodstained green army jacket was left on the ground along with discarded ammunition boxes.

Rebel fighters, however, continued to hold out in the city, 480 miles (800 kilometres) southeast of Tripoli, even using their meager supply of antiquated aircraft to strike Gadhafi's troops.

Rebels in Benghazi had sent reinforcements, moving in within a few miles of Ajdabiya and battling with government forces on the eastern side of the city, said a local activist, Abdul-Bari Zwei, and another activist in Benghazi in touch with fighters on the ground in the city.

At nightfall, the opposition cut off electricity in Ajdabiya – which is almost empty of families, leaving only men – so they could fight in the cover of darkness, said Zwei. Rebel fighters had succeeded in driving away Gadhafi troops at the southern entrance to

the city, he said. The besieging force still held Ajdabiya's western entrance, though it had not entered the city.

Opposition officials said rebel warplanes struck at pro-Gadhafi forces near the western gate – the first time the rebels have struck from the air at troops on the ground. A gas station attendant on the highway said he saw a rebel helicopter firing rockets and machine guns. A colonel in the pro-Gadhafi force, Moftah Sabia, said the rebels did have some aircraft that they had used against the troops.

The rebels claimed a small victory, hijacking a Libyan tanker ship that was transporting fuel from Greece to Gadhafi's regime. Opposition spokesman Mustafa Gheriani said fighters seized the ship on Tuesday off the Mediterranean coast and that it was carrying about 25,000 tonnes of fuel for Gadhafi.

The tanker, Anwaar Afriqya, was seen Wednesday docked in the port at Tobruk, a rebel-held city in the far eastern side of Libya. According to online shipping records, the Libyan-owned vessel departed several days ago from a Greek refinery port and had been due to arrive Tuesday in the western oil port of Zawiya.

Gheriani said rebels in Benghazi would be ready for an attack.

"A large per centage of Benghazi's population is armed. Can Gadhafi bomb the city? Sure he can. Can he go in? I don't think so," he told The Associated Press. "Also, I think it is too far for his supply lines."

Gheriani said anti-aircraft equipment has been deployed, and the army mobilized, although he didn't know where. There have been few signs in recent days of the rebels digging in defensive preparations on the city's outskirts.

The city's loss would be a major setback to the rebels, who less than two weeks ago were poised to march on Tripoli, the capital, and had appeared capable of sweeping Gadhafi out of power, inspired by successful uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia. But the regime's better armed and organised military has reversed the tide.

Gadhafi's forces also launched an attack on Misrata – which for days has been under blockade, its population running out of supplies. The barrage came a day after the government recaptured the last rebel-held city west of Tripoli, solidifying his control over the coastline from the capital to the Tunisian border.

"There is coordinated shelling by Gadhafi's brigades firing artillery and machine guns from three different city entrances," al-Misrati said, speaking by satellite phone.

Mohammed Ali, an opposition activist based in Dubai, said he was in contact with people in Misrata and water, electricity and cell phone service had been cut off. At least eight people were killed and 11 injured in the attack, he said, although the toll could not be confirmed.

Meanwhile, The New York Times says that four of its journalists who are reporting on the conflict in Libya are missing. Editors at the newspaper say they last heard from the journalists on Tuesday.

The missing journalists are Pulitzer-Prize-winning reporter Anthony Shadid, the newspaper's Beirut bureau chief; Stephen Farrell, a reporter and videographer; and photographers Tyler Hicks and Lynsey Addario.

INTERVIEW-Libya rebels say seeking to lift oil sanctions

28 Mar 2011 19:53

http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/interview-libya-rebels-say-seeking-to-lift-oil-sanctions/

By Alexander Dziadosz

BENGHAZI, Libya, March 28 (Reuters) - A senior Libyan rebel official said on Monday rebels were in "active discussions" to have sanctions lifted on purchases of crude produced from east Libyan fields no longer in Muammar Gaddafi's control.

"We hope they will be lifted for the liberated areas as quickly as possible," Ali Tarhouni, a rebel official in charge of economic, financial and oil matters in rebel-held Benghazi, told Reuters. "Not with everybody, but with some countries."

A U.S. Treasury Department official said rebels could sell Libyan crude without being subject to U.S. sanctions if they conducted the transactions outside the National Oil Corporation and other sanctioned entities in Gaddafi's administration.

Tarhouni said most of the 100,000 to 130,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude the rebel-held eastern oil fields are capable of producing will be exported because the refining capacity in eastern areas is still relatively low.

On Sunday, Tarhouni said Gulf oil producer Qatar had agreed to market oil produced from east Libyan fields no longer under Gaddafi's control.

In the interview with Reuters on Monday, Tarhouni said the marketing deal with Qatar had been signed, but added:

"There is still some details to be worked out, some technical details -- the type of oil, the type of shipments." He said he expected a first oil shipment would be exported within a week but could not say where the shipment would go.

On Monday, Qatar became the first Arab country to recognise Libya's rebels as the people's sole legitimate representative, a move that may presage similar moves from other Gulf states.

U.N. diplomats on Monday said U.N. sanctions on Libya do not bar anti-government rebels from exporting Libyan oil as long as they bypass firms linked to Gaddafi.

FUEL SHORTAGES

Tarhouni said some areas in the rebel-held east faced fuel shortages, but the region as a whole was operating at about 70 percent of normal.

He said a team had inspected damage in the oil exporting terminal at Brega, recaptured by rebels over the weekend, and were trying to get liquid natural gas flowing for domestic use.

"They (the team) didn't really give me the time when they would start, but I believe the best scenario is that we will have a flow of liquid gas in the next 24 hours, maximum 48 hours," he said.

It was less clear when oil facilities at the Ras Lanuf terminal would resume operating, he said, although early signs were that the damage there was not as bad as some rebels had feared.

He said rebels had started staggering contracts for necessary oil byproducts such as gasoline over the last week, which should help assuage the shortages.

"My expectation is that we will have shortages, and it's going to be spotty in many areas. But my goal is to smooth it out as soon as we can. I think to really do this right, we're talking about two to three weeks to be operating on more like a normal capacity." (Reporting by Alexander Dziadosz; Editing by Ibon Villelabeitia and David Gregorio)