TRIPOLI, Libya – Embattled Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi insists he will not leave his country, according to a statement from the office of South Africa’s president Tuesday, following their meeting.
Gadhafi’s departure is the key demand of rebel forces battling his troops. On Tuesday, Italy’s foreign minister pledged to provide Libya’s rebels with fuel and hundreds of millions of dollars backed by frozen assets of Gadhafi’s regime. Franco Frattini spoke during a visit to the de facto rebel capital, Benghazi.
The hard lines of the two sides and the competing, high-level visits illustrated the virtual stalemate in the conflict. NATO aircraft bomb the Libyan capital night after night, and military forces from the two sides engage each other in battles, shelling and rocket attacks, little is changing on the ground.
South Africa is concerned for Gadhafi’s safety, according to the statement released by President Jacob Zuma’s office Tuesday, after he returned home from
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