Col Gaddafi ‘ready for long war’

1 September 2011 Last updated at 16:56 ET

Libya’s fugitive ex-leader Col Muammar Gaddafi has said he is ready to fight a long guerrilla war, in an audio message carried by a loyalist TV channel.

It was the second message in one day purporting to be from Col Gaddafi, whose whereabouts remain unknown.

Anti-Gaddafi forces encircling the city of Sirte have given loyalists an extra week to negotiate their surrender.

Meanwhile, Western leaders have urged the interim authorities to engage in reconciliation with their enemies.

Delegates from 63 countries met to discuss Libya in Paris, on the 42nd anniversary of Col Gaddafi’s emergence as the leader of the coup that overthrew King Idris.

The colonel has not been seen in public for months, and it is not known where he is hiding.

“People are fighting colonialism,” he said in the first audio message which was broadcast on the Syria-based al-Rai television and lasted about 10 minutes.

“There must be huge sacrifices for the sake of freedom, the traitors will come to an end and Nato now will collapse, and the traitors’ loyalty to Nato will collapse.”

The message ended abruptly and patriotic music faded in.

Hours later, a second message was broadcast in which Col Gaddafi said he was prepared to fight “a long, long drawn out war” against what he called the occuption of Libya.

“The people will not allow to take the oil and rob Libya’s wealth that God has endowed Libya with,” he said, claiming 2,000 tribes stood ready to defend Libya.

“Prepare rselves for a gang and guerrilla war, for urban warfare and popular resistance in every town to defeat the enemy everywhere.”

He also said his hometown of Sirte – which remains in loyalist hands – was now the capital city of Libya.

Algeria refuge

Al-Rai, based in Damascus, has repeatedly broadcast propaganda messages from the Gaddafis.

On Wednesday, it broadcast an audio message from the colonel’s son Saif al-Islam, who also pledged to fight on.

But another son, Saadi, said in a message played on a different channel that he was negotiating with the rebels to avoid bloodshed.

Correspondents say the Gaddafi inner circle appears to be divided, as forces loyal to the transitional government (NTC) close in on the last remaining towns and cities loyal to him.

Earlier in the week Col Gaddafi’s wife, two of his sons and his daughter fled to neighbouring Algeria.

And Algerian media reported that Col Gaddafi had also tried to seek refuge there.

According to a report in El Watan newspaper, the colonel tried to speak to Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika from the desert town of Ghadamis, just on the Libyan side of the border, but the Algerian leader refused to take the telephone call.

Anti-Gaddafi forces have encircled the city of Sirte – the colonel’s birthplace and the home of his tribe.

They had threatened to launch a full military assault if Gaddafi loyalists had not surrendered by Saturday, but officials say they will allow another week to negotiate a peaceful settlement.

The NTC controls most of the country, after a dramatic assault on Tripoli last week in which the capital fell after an operation co-ordinated with Nato air strikes.

Assets unfrozen

Meanwhile, members of the NTC met senior international diplomats at the Paris summit, hosted by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron.

Mr Sarkozy said everyone had agreed to unfreeze assets blocked when Col Gaddafi was still in power.

“After going around the table, it’s about $15bn of Libyan assets in our countries that are immediately unfrozen,” he said.

The EU announced on Thursday that it had lifted sanctions on 28 entities – including oil firms and port authorities – to help the NTC get the economy moving again. The decision will take effect on Friday.

The UK, US and France have unfrozen more than $5bn (£3bn) in Libyan assets this week, and other countries are making similar moves.

On the diplomatic front, Russia is the latest nation to agree to recognise the NTC as Libya’s legitimate government.

About 60 countries attended the “Friends of Libya” forum in Paris on Thursday afternoon, along with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

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