China: Libyan rebels plead for Western help

People's Daily

Libya rebels shout: 'Sarkozy, where are you?'

Libyan rebels, desperate to oust Moammar Gadhafi from power but facing stronger firepower from Libyan government forces, appealed for more air support from its NATO allies.

The Associated Press reported Colonel Gadhafi's forces were hammering rebels with tanks and rockets, forcing rebel forces to flee the battlefield. Rebel fighters pleaded for air strikes as they fled Bin Jawwad where artillery shells exploded thunderously yesterday.

There are reports overnight indicating the rebel forces were fleeing from Brega and Ras Lanouf. Aspiring for air support from its foreign allies, some rebels were heard shouting: "Sarkozy, where are you? "— a reference to French President Nicolas Sarkozy, one of the strongest supporters of using air power against Colonel Gadhafi.

Paris also was the first foreign government to admit legality of the Libyan rebel government, set up in the eastern coastal city of Benghazi.

Meanwhile, NATO's leaders meeting in London agreed that Gadhafi should step down from power but have yet to decide what additional pressure to put on him, The AP report said.

"Gadhafi has lost the legitimacy to lead, so we believe he must go," said US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

France Defense Minister Gerard Longuet told France-Inter radio that Paris and London believe that the NATO's military campaign in Libya "must obtain more" than stopping Gadhafi's loyalists from "shooting at civilians".

And, British prime minister David Cameron and France's Sarkozy urged Gadhafi loyalists to abandon him and side with the rebels — effectively pinning hopes on a palace coup to oust Gadhafi.

The rout of the rebels Tuesday illustrated how much they rely on international air power, said The Associated Press report.

Only a day earlier, they had been storming westward in hopes of taking Sirte, Gadhafi's hometown in central Libya. They reached within 100 kilometers of the city before they were hit hard by barrages of rocket and tank fire from Colonel Gadhafi's government forces.

"If they keep shelling like this, we'll need air-strikes," said Mohammed Bujildein, a 27-year-old rebel fighter. He was gnawing on a loaf of bread in a pickup truck with a mounted anti-aircraft gun, waiting to fill up from an abandoned gas tanker truck on the eastern side of Ras Lanouf.

With international strikes, he boasted, "we'll be in Sirte tomorrow evening."

And, Chris Stevens, former U.S. envoy to Tripoli, will travel to the rebel stronghold of Benghazi in the coming days to establish better ties with rebel groups seeking to oust Gadhafi, The AP report said.

By People's Daily Online

http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90855/7334898.html