Libyan jets intensify bombing, France recognises rebels' NC Rania

Cairo, Mar 10 (PTI) Libyan jets on Thursday pummeled
rebel-held Ras Lanuf and took control of oil town of Zawiyah,
amid growing global pressure on Muammar Gaddafi to quit as
France became the first country to recognise the opposition
National Council.
A steady volley of mortar and rocket fire rocked Ras
Lanuf. "Pro-Gaddafi forces unleashed a savage counter-
offensive against the town of Ras Lanuf," the Al-Jazeera said.
Fresh air strikes and shelling were also reported
behind rebel lines in the port city.
The fighting raged as rebels piled up pressure on the
international community to impose a no-fly zone over Libya.
Forces loyal to Gaddafi were locked in fierce battles
in several Libyan cities amid reports that the strategic oil
town of Zawiyah had been recaptured by government troops.
68-year-old Gaddafi's forces claimed that they had
recaptured Zawiyah, 50 km west of the capital Tripoli, after
an intense fighting. However, the rebels rejected the claim.
"There was no one in the streets, the town is
completely deserted, and there are snipers on the roofs," a
resident who fled the city was quoted as saying by
Al-Jazeera.
France became the first country to recognise
Abdul-Jalil's national council and will send an envoy to
Benghazi, media reports said.
NATO spy planes have mounted a 24-hour air space
surveillance over Libya, as British Defence Secretary Liam Fox
hinted that a no-fly zone could be enforced without wiping the
North African nation's air defences.
Faced with mounting international pressure, Gaddafi
dispatched an envoy to Greek capital Athens in a desperate bid
to bring the European Union around to understand the Libyan
government's position.
"It (imposition of a no-fly zone) has to be immediate
action," Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, the head of the interim
National Council in eastern Benghazi city, told CNN.
"The longer the situation carries on, the more blood is
shed. That's the message that we want to send to the
international community. They have to live up to their
responsibility with regards to this," he said.
Abdul-Jalil, the ex-Justice Minister, was among those
who broke with the regime after the uprising against Gaddafi's
41-year rule began on February 15. He now leads the
opposition's National Transitional Council, a 31-member group
representing most regions in Libya.
Three Boeing E-3 Sentry aircraft were airborne over
the Mediterranean off the Libyan coast keeping track of all
Libyan fighters, NATO officials said.
The surveillance was put into operation around noon
on Thursday and came as Libyan air force fighters carried out
the heaviest bombing of rebel positions at Ras Lanuf.
Cities like Brega, Bin Jawad and Adjdabiya also
witnessed heavy fighting as pro-Gaddafi forces intensified
their counter-assault on the rebel forces.
In growing signs that a US and NATO military action
may be imminent, the British Defence Secretary said that a
'no-fly' zone over Libya was possible without hitting at
Libyan air force bases and air defence systems.
Even as several world powers have pushed for a
'no-fly' zone, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was
quoted as saying that such a move should be driven by the UN
and not Washington.
France mounted new pressure on Gaddafi, with media
reports saying that it planned to exchange ambassadors after
President Nicolas Sarkozy met with two representatives of the
rebels from Benghazi.
Sarkozy's office in Paris said it considered the NLC
as Libya's "legitimate representative".
The French move was "breaking the ice", Mustafa
Gheriani, a spokesman for the rebels in Benghazi was quoted as
saying by the BBC, adding that he expected other EU members to
follow suit.
However, Spain and Italy have refused to take a
similar step immediately, at least not until European Union
members have reached a common position on the issue.
EU foreign ministers will also hold talks in Brussels,
ahead of a European Council summit on Friday, the BBC
reported.
Russia initiated its own steps to isolate Gaddafi,
announcing that Moscow will ban all weapons sales to Libya. In
a statement, the Kremlin said it has effectively suspended its
arms contracts with the Libyan government.
With the U.S., UK, Switzerland, Austria already
freezing Gadhafi's assets, Germany piled more pressure as it
froze billions in assets of the Libyan Central Bank and other
state-run agencies.
Gaddafi also launched a diplomatic offensive,
dispatching envoys overseas. High-ranking members of the
Libyan leader's inner circle were sent to Cairo, Brussels,
Lisbon and Malta to approach government officials to
understand its position.
Amid the humanitarian crisis in the country, the
Interational Committe of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned that
Libya was in a state of "civil war".
ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger appealed to Libyan
authorities to grant it greater access to the restive country.
According to UN estimates, over 1,000 people have been
killed since Libya's uprising began in mid-February.
More than 200,000 people have fled the country, most
of them foreign workers. The exodus is creating a humanitarian
crisis across the border with Tunisia.