Exit strategy
June 11, 2011
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his government has offered Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi a "guarantee" to help him leave his country, should he step down from power.
In an interview with NTV broadcast Friday, Erdogan said Gadhafi "has no other choice than to leave his country," and that Turkey could help him make a clean exit.
"We have told him we will help him to be sent wherever he wants to go," he said, without elaborating. "Depending on the reply we will get from him, we will take up the issue with our allies, but unfortunately we have received no reply so far."
Turkey, a member of NATO, has called on Gadhafi to find a peaceful solution with anti-government rebels, who have been trying to oust him since February. Erdogan has reportedly spoken on the phone with Gadhafi several times.
Meanwhile rebels reported 20 new deaths in Misrata on Friday, where forces loyal to Gadhafi have been launching a fierce assault for months. The city, some 200 kilometers (125 miles) from Tripoli, is the rebels' most important western enclave.
Fighting has also raged in Zlitan, situated on the rebel frontier between Misrata and Tripoli.
Gadamis, near the borders with Tunisia and Algeria, also came under fire with government forces shelling the city for the first time since the rebellion began.
Residents in Tripoli reported several blasts had rocked the city on Friday. In recent days, the Libyan capital has been subjected to the most intense NATO air raids since the international military campaign was launched on March 19 under a UN mandate to protect Libyan civilians.
Author: Andrew Bowen (AFP, dpa)
Editor: Kyle James