Tripoli / Hamburg. After the death of a Frenchman in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi Libyan President Nicolas Sarkozy on Saturday at the Libyan opposition leader Mahmoud Jibril met in Paris. The head of a French military company had been killed this week in Benghazi, just hours before an alleged meeting with Jibril transitional government. The opposition leader himself did not comment on Saturday.Military alliance bombed targets in Tripoli. Before Misrata prevented NATO ships attack by troops of the Libyan dictator Gaddafi.
France is one of the main supporters of the rebels and has a leading role in the NATO-led air strikes against the forces of Muammar al Gaddafi.
NATO warplanes had bombed again on Friday morning goals in Greater Tripoli. It was not immediately clear what exactly was attacked. The explosions were clearly heard in the capital.
On Thursday, there had been an air attack on the command center of Muammar al-Gaddafi. Gaddafi hours earlier had shown the first time since the death of one of his sons in an air raid two weeks ago on national television.
One activist told the Associated Press on Friday in Tripoli, there had been in recent days in at least three quarters of the capital protest against Gaddafi. It had also been exchange of fire between opposition supporters and government troops. An independent confirmation of the information is not possible, because foreign tourists are allowed to leave only if accompanied by government representatives of their hotel.
The campaigners, is increasing in the face of gasoline and food shortage, the discontent in the population. The prices of many everyday goods have multiplied.
NATO thwarted attack on the port of Misrata
On Thursday NATO ships had an attack of Gadhafi troops to the port city of vice fought Misrata thwarted. As the NATO announced in Brussels that the two ships under NATO command have been fired from the coast, as they prevented the fast boats to the attack. The NATO ships flying the British and Canadian flag returned fire. On NATO's side, there were neither injuries nor damage.
Two weeks ago, the NATO warships had the mining of the port of Misrata prevented. NATO is responsible for the population from attacks by the Gaddafi troops to protect.
Rebels ask Britons to arms
The fight against Gaddafi Libyan rebels have meanwhile asked for arms shipments from abroad. The fighters could achieve greater progress if they were better armed, "said Mustafa Abdel Jelil rebel representatives on Thursday after talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron in London. You need light weapons to those of the government troops were not equal. "But maybe there with the courage of the Libyans a balance," said Abdel Jelil. He said the UK government has offered to provide the opposition with equipment such as night vision goggles and body armor. Cameron's spokesman said there was still no decision on the supply of weapons.
For Libya is a UN arms embargo, so that the rebels use loopholes or smuggle weapons to. They have been fighting for months against Gaddafi's troops. An international alliance led by the NATO bombing, targets in Libya in order to protect his own presentation to the public. Background is a corresponding UN resolution.
Frenchman shot dead in Benghazi
Meanwhile, in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi, according to the government in Paris, a Frenchman was killed. The man was arrested along with four compatriots at a control point of the police, as the French Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday. He was shot and died later in hospital.
Sources at the rebels said, the victim if it were a contractor of the armed forces. The Frenchman was on Wednesday had been taken under unexplained circumstances in the back. He was reportedly on Tuesday entered coming from Egypt to Libya.
Italy expects international arrest warrant for Gadhafi
The Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini is expected that the International Criminal Court (ICC) at the end of the month issued an arrest warrant against Gaddafi. The decision was a key moment for the crisis in Libya, Frattini said on Thursday. With an international arrest warrant would be an exile Gaddafi's no longer conceivable, "the minister said.
The Italian government has been emphasizing for some time that there could be only for a future without Gaddafi Libya or its nationals. The UN Security Council has declared the end of February the ICC jurisdiction to include Libya because of the crisis investigation.
Gaddafi's power base is shrinking
Meanwhile, Gaddafi further shrink the power base. His consul in Cairo, al-Faraj Areibi gave the news channel Al-Arabiya announced his resignation and announced that it now support the insurgents and the National Transitional Council in Benghazi. Germany will set up in the rebel stronghold in eastern Libya in the near future, a liaison office, the Foreign Office said on Thursday in Berlin.
The Transitional Council announced on Friday demonstrations in several neighborhoods in Tripoli. Witnesses said the opponents were also in the Libyan capital, always courageous. At several buildings had been to see anti-Gaddafi graffiti. Rumors of a split in the army made the rounds. Allegedly, the soldiers of the brigade Mitiga who sympathize in part with Gaddafi and in part with the insurgents, have shot each other.
State TV shows Gadhafi with tribal leaders
The Libyan state television aired images of the night to Thursday from a meeting with tribal leaders from Gaddafi in Tripoli. It remained unclear when and where this meeting took place. The state news agency Jana did not mention the location in a message about the meeting. Last allegedly had been shown the latest pictures of Gaddafi, two weeks ago.
When NATO attacks on the military camp used by Gaddafi Bab al-Asisija south of Tripoli were three civilians killed, the agency Jana said on Thursday. In another attack, NATO had also been damaged in Tripoli, the building of the Embassy of North Korea. An eyewitness reported that the attack had apparently been subject of an adjacent device. The embassy building just a few disks had gone to break.
Pressure on the regime also comes from the area west and south of Tripoli. Fighting in the area Sintan since earlier this month are about 21 people were killed and 100 injured. trade in the dead there are rebels from the city, which had come in the fight against Gadhafi troops died, the nurse Anja Wolz said on Thursday the news agency dpa on the telephone. The assistant works with two colleagues from Würzburg to the charity Doctors Without Borders hospital in the 150 km southwest of Tripoli city. Alone were 25 injured on Wednesday came to her hospital, six of whom had died, said Wolz.
USA deliver relief supplies
According to the Liaison Office of the U.S. government arrived in Benghazi Tuesday is a first delivery of the Americans for the troops of the Transitional Council in the city. If they were tents, boots, uniforms, medical supplies, food parcels and military clothing.
Germany, too, is shortly to establish a liaison office in the stronghold of Gaddafi's opponents. The goal is to build a permanent contact with the Transitional Council in Benghazi and the accompanying commitment to the people in Ostlibyen, the Foreign Office said on Thursday in Berlin. The head of the office is to take an experienced diplomat. Already in the next few days, practical issues to be clarified for the opening spot. Germany has so far made seven million euros in humanitarian aid to Libya is available. The day before the EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, the next opening an office in Benghazi had been announced.
London also turned itself into the diplomatic activities. Premier David Cameron offered the Libyan rebels to open a representative office in London. He also announced on Thursday after a meeting with the Chairman of the National Transitional Council, Mustafa Abdul Jelil, an increased British presence in Benghazi on. In addition, equipment is valued at "several million pounds" to be sent to the police in the rebel stronghold.
