Gaddafi regime crumbling, Tripoli heads for major showdown

Rania
Cairo, Feb 27 (PTI) Muammar Gaddafi clung to his
gradually shrinking territory in Libya where the opposition
movement appears to be heading towards a siege of Tripoli, as
the UN Security Council sprung into action to impose punishing
sanctions against the regime.
As more cities fell into the hands of the opposition,
the pro-democracy protesters appointed ex-justice minister
Mustafa Abdel-Jalil to lead a provisional government.
Advancing towards Gaddafi's stronghold of Tripoli,
protesters on Sunday gained control of Zawiyeh town, which is
just 50 km from the capital, besides taking over Misurata in
northwestern Libya, Al Jazeera reported.
However, security forces loyal to Gaddafi kept a firm
hold of Tripoli, which is in all probability headed for a
major showdown between the two sides.
While a major chunk of the oil-producing eastern
region, including the birth place of this uprising Benghazi,
now appears to be in the grip of the protesters, there were
also reports of sporadic gunfire in the capital.
The 15-member Security Council today voted unanimously
to slap "biting" sanctions on the regime, ordering an arms
embargo, travel and assets ban and a crimes against humanity
probe while demanding an immediate end to the violence
"incited from the highest level" of Libyan leaders.
The sanctions included asset freezes for 68-year-old
Gaddafi and his family, travel ban for the Libyan leader and
his family as well as other leaders of the regime, and an
immediate referral to the Hague-based International Criminal
Court (ICC) for a crimes against humanity probe.
In another tough message, US President Barack Obama
while speaking to German Chacellor Angela Merkel said that
Gaddafi had lost legitimacy to rule and should leave "now".
"The President stated that when a leader's only means
of staying in power is to use mass violence against his own
people, he has lost the legitimacy to rule and needs to do
what is right for his country by leaving now," the White House
said in a statement after the telephonic conversation between
Obama and Merkel.
The UN action came as an exodus of foreigners
continued in the midst of a worsening situation and growing
anarchy. The UN refugee agency said that "close to 100,000
people", mainly foreign migrants, have fled Libya during the
past week of turmoil.
Libya's former justice minister Abdel-Jalil, meanwhile
said he was forming a "transitional government" to replace
Gaddafi's crumbling regime.
In the eastern city of al-Baida, Abdel Jalil said the
new administration would include commanders of the regular
army, many of whom had defected to the opposition, and the set
up would pave the way for free and fair elections in three
months' time, Al Jazeera said. (MORE) PTI