NATO to continue airstrikes to aid Libya civilians

NATO to continue airstrikes to aid Libya civilians

NATO says it has taken note of reports of an AU proposal for a ceasefire in Libya.

South African President Jacob Zuma, led an AU delegation to Libya, urging NATO to stop air strikes on government targets to give a ceasefire "a chance", after Gaddafi accepted an AU roadmap for ending the conflict in the country, including an immediate ceasefire.

But an official said the alliance would target Muammar Gaddafi's forces as long as they threatened civilians.

In a statement, NATO spokesperson, Oana Lungescu said that since the start of the Libyan crisis, NATO has been in constant touch with the AU and other regional and international organisations.

NATO maintains presence

"We have always made it clear that there could be no purely military solution to this crisis. We welcome all contributions to the broad international effort aimed at stopping the violence against the civilian population in Libya," she said.

Another NATO official said that the Western military alliance maintained its presence in Libyan skies on Monday and that forces loyal to Gaddafi had shelled Misrata, a lone major rebel stronghold in Western Libya, which has been under siege for weeks, on Monday morning.

The official said; "It does not appear that this indication of a peace deal has any substance at this point. We will continue to put pressure on forces threatening civilians and our operations will continue. Our aircraft are still flying and when we see a threat to civilians, we will engage.”

Air strikes

A rebel spokesman in Misrata said that forces loyal to Gaddafi had fired Russian-made Grad rockets at targets in the city on Monday and the attacks were continuing.

NATO forces have stepped up air strikes on Gaddafi's armour in the last several days, targeting tanks, ammunition bunkers and lines of communications as they fulfil a UN mandate to protect civilians during a rebellion against Gaddafi's four-decade rule.

REUTERS/Williams/Ekata