Tripoli, March 06: Embattled Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi says he wants the United Nations or the African Union to investigate the anti-government protests in the country.
The 68-year-old Gaddafi made the remarks in an interview with the French weekly Le Journal du Dimanche, AFP reported early on Sunday.
On Saturday, pro-Gaddafi forces backed by tanks launched an assault on Zawiyah, 50 kilometers (31 miles) west of the capital Tripoli, firing heavy mortar rounds at houses and attacking a hospital.
The clashes began hours after revolutionary forces repelled an effort by government forces to retake the city.
Reports by human rights groups say over 6,000 people have been killed so far in the government’s harsh crackdown on anti-government protesters.
The Libyan revolution came in the wake of the monumental events in Tunisia and Egypt, in which dictators who led undemocratic and repressive regimes were driven out of power.
However, Gadhafi does not want to see the writing on the wall, and the bloody conflict in Libya drags on.
Waves of demonstrations have rocked several other Middle Eastern and North African countries in recent weeks.
——–Agencies