Tripoli, March 26: Fellow Arab and African nations raised the international pressure on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, with tiny Qatar flying the Arab world’s first combat missions over his country and the African Union imploring him to move toward democratic elections.
The military operation against Gaddafi, which on Friday also included airstrikes by British and French jets, remains a US-led operation, though NATO was preparing to assume at least some command and control responsibility within days.
A Libyan government delegation meeting in Ethiopia with African leaders but not the rebels seeking Gaddafi’s ouster said he is ready to talk with his opponents and accept political reform, possibly including elections.
But the delegation also said Libya is committed to a ceasefire that Gaddafi’s forces have flouted since the government announced it, and blamed the current violence on “extremists” and foreign intervention.
NATO named Canadian Lt Gen Charles Bouchard to lead its Libyan operation, finalising what it hopes will be a unified command to oversee military action against the North African nation.
-Agencies