- Moammar Gadhafi's foreign minister turns himself in to rebels
- Algeria says that nation is not an option for the Libyan strongman
- Gadhafi's sons send mixed messages
- Gadhafi's whereabouts were unknown as the interim council readied to meet global leaders
Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- As Libya's National Transitional Council meets Thursday with international leaders in Paris, the rebels chalked up another victory at home: the surrender of a key member of Moammar Gadhafi's circle.
Gadhafi's foreign minister, Abdel Ati al-Obeidi, had been contacting the council for the past few days and surrendered Wednesday night, council member Elamin Belhaj told CNN.
"He is in a safe location now and al-Obeidi is satisfied with it," Belhaj said.
Earlier, Abdulraheem El-Keib, another council member, had said rebels captured al-Obeidi.
But the big question remained: Where is Gadhafi himself?
The Algerian foreign minister said Thursday that the fugitive leader was not in his country. And a man claiming to be Gadhafi's son said "the leader is fine."
"We are fighting and we are drinking tea and drinking coffee and sitting with our families and fighting," said an audio message from a man who identified himself as Saif al-Islam Gadhafi on Syria's Rai TV.
He urged his compatriots to rise up and gave no clues as to the whereabouts of his father.
Cracks developing in Gadhafi family?
Moammar Gadhafi's family photos
Libyan teen: I was forced to kill rebels
Burned Gadhafi family nanny gets careSome believe Gadhafi may be hiding out in his hometown, Sirte, or in Bani Walid, home to the powerful and sympathetic Warfallah tribe. The reality, however, is that Gadhafi could be just about anywhere not yet controlled by the rebels.
Thursday marked Day 12 since opposition forces stormed the capital and captured Moammar Gadhafi's Tripoli compound.
Speculation Gadhafi may be in Algeria gained ground this week after the neighboring nation confirmed that his wife, two sons and other relatives fled there.
Algeria described the move as a humanitarian gesture, but it angered the rebel leadership with one official calling it "an aggressive act."
Meanwhile, two of Gadhafi's sons appeared to offer divergent and sometimes contradictory answers Wednesday to whether loyalists should keep fighting or surrender.
The revelation came as two men purporting to be two of Gadhafi's sons offered contradictory answers on whether the regime will keep fighting or negotiate.
"Victory or martyrdom!" said a man who identified himself as Saif Gadhafi, speaking on Rai TV.
"Everyone should move now, begin to attack these gangsters," he said. "Attack everyone, day and night, until we clean this country from those gangsters and those traitors."
He added, "Wherever you see the enemy, attack them. They are weak, they have suffered lots of losses and they are now licking their wounds."
The man said he was speaking from a Tripoli suburb, where he had met with residents and found their morale was high. He also said he had recently visited the family's compound Bab al-Aziziya in Tripoli, an improbable statement since it was overrun by rebels.
"No one is afraid or frightened," he said.
Any Libyans who may have appeared with rebel forces were acting under duress and threat, he said. "They hold them hostage and they tell them either we rape your women or you will have to make this announcement."
But even as the man encouraged Libyans to rise up against the rebels, fighters were on the outskirts of Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte awaiting a Saturday deadline for loyalists to either surrender or be attacked.
'Bad time to be a black man in Libya'
Gadhafi town falls to rebels
Captives executed in LibyaSaif Gadhafi predicted rebel attackers would find 20,000 fighters "ready, willing and able" to defend the loyalist stronghold where his father was born.
He said said he had spoken with tribal leaders who were meeting in Bani Walid "and they all agreed unanimously that this is our country and we will defend it."
But NTC member Abdulrazag Elaradi told CNN that he is not aware of any meeting by tribal leaders in Bani Walid to support Gadhafi. He said the rebels were not involved in any negotiations with loyalist forces.
On another station, a man purporting to be Saif's brother appeared open to the possibility of surrender, but with a catch.
"If this will prevent bloodshed, we will do it, just give us guarantees," said a man identified by Al Arabiya as Saadi Gadhafi.
"We need to stop the bloodshed right away," Saadi Gadhafi said, adding that he was speaking on behalf of his father.
He said he could not say whether he was in close touch with his father, but added, "If the rebels want to lead this country; we don't have an objection to that. In the end we are all Libyans and we are all together."
Asked if Moammar Gadhafi was willing to surrender, he said, "Stop the fire and all ways of negotiations are open."
Asked if he was willing to hand Sirte to rebel forces without a fight, he said, "Nothing is impossible."
Whatever happens, he added, "I don't have a weapon and will never fight a Muslim Libyan."
Despite that talk, Saadi Gadhafi told CNN Wednesday in an e-mail that he was leaning against surrendering to the rebels.
"Since they don't want to negotiate, I don't think I will go to them and surrender myself," he wrote. "They have already killed thousands of people and destroyed the country. I'd rather surrender myself to a real government than ... to those guys."
Gadhafi, along with Saif and the former head of military intelligence, Abdullah Al-Senussi, face charges in the International Criminal Court in The Hague for crimes against humanity.
CNN's Nic Robertson, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Frederik Pleitgen and Jim Bittermann contributed to this report.
abs cbn news aviation international news bbc international news bbc news
No comments:
Post a Comment