Gaddafi stays put; Libya tensions simmer

Libyans stand on an army tank in Benghazi The Arab League has barred Libya from attending meetings of the bloc until it ends its violent crackdown on protesters, which it said involved violations of human rights and international laws. In pictures: Unrest in Libya
A League statement read out by Secretary-General Amr Mousa strongly condemned what it called crimes against civilians, the recruiting of foreign mercenaries and the use of live ammunition and heavy weapons by Libyan forces. Its censure did not amount to a suspension of Libya's membership in the organisation. It said the use of military forces against protesters was "a grave violation of the human rights and the international laws."
Mousa said the ban on Libya's participation at League meetings will remain in place until it "meets Arab demands to immediately stop all violence, by all forms and launch dialogue to guarantee the Libyan people's security and stability."
The League also urged Libya to lift all restrictions on media and communications and ensure that medical aid is provided to the wounded.
Mass evacuations begin
Some 3,000 Turks boarded ferry boats in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi early on Wednesday in a mass evacuation from the violence engulfing the North African country.
The Foreign Ministry said the Orhan Gazi ferry departed Benghazi port at 3:30 am with 1,500 Turks and the Osman Gazi set off at 5:00 am with another 1,500 passengers.
US State Department said it would start evacuating citizens by ferry from Tripoli to Valletta, Malta.
Britain planned to send a charter plane to Libya to bring out Britons and was dispatching a Royal Navy frigate to waters off Libya in case it was needed to help nationals.
UN Security Council raps Libya
A press statement agreed by all 15 members of the UN's most powerful body expressed "grave concern" at the situation in Libya, "deplored the repression against peaceful demonstrators, and expressed deep regret at the deaths of hundreds of civilians."
The council called for an "immediate end to the violence and for steps to address the legitimate demands of the population, including through national dialogue."
The council issued the statement after several hours of closed consultations.
Gaddafi's vow: Will fight to 'last drop of blood'
In a fiery but rambling address on state TV, Gaddafi threatened to "cleanse Libya house by house" unless protesters on the streets surrendered.
He blamed the unrest on the youth and termed protesters "rats and mercenaries" who want to turn Libya into an Islamic state. Gaddafi said that protesters deserve the death sentence under Libyan law and called on supporters to take control of the streets today, adding that Libyans could have whatever constitution or legal system they wanted.
"I am not going to leave this land, I will die here as a martyr," he said.
"Gaddafi does not have a post to resign from, Gaddafi is the leader of the revolution," he said. "This is my country, I will not leave the land of Libya."
Countries scramble to evacuate citizens, world reacts
The Libyan regime's green flag was removed from the country's consulate in Dubai on Tuesday after approximately 100 demonstrators entered the consulate compound calling for an end to the regime of Muammar Gaddafi.
Pressure mounted on the White House on Tuesday to intervene to stop Gaddafi's bloody crackdown on democracy protests as a lawmaker close to President Barack Obama urged oil firms to halt work in Libya.
The Obama administration on Tuesday condemned "appalling" violence in Libya, where security forces unleashed a bloody crackdown on protesters demanding the ouster of Gaddafi.
"This violence is completely unacceptable," Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said. "We believe that the government of Libya bears responsibility for what is occurring and must take actions to end the violence."
The United States faced calls to impose sanctions but also to take direct action such as bombing Libyan airfields and imposing no-fly zones - military steps that most analysts consider unlikely. Some critics questioned Obama's silence on the violence in which hundreds of Libyans have died.
Governments scrambled by air and sea to pick up their citizens stranded by Libya's bloody unrest on Tuesday, with thousands of people crowding the airport to await evacuation and Egyptians gathering at the border to escape the chaos.
"The airport was mobbed, you wouldn't believe the number of people," said Kathleen Burnett, of Baltimore, Ohio, as she stepped off an Austrian Airlines flight from Tripoli to Vienna on Tuesday.
"It was total chaos. Everybody was being checked out by the police but everyone was very obedient."
The US State Department said it will begin evacuating American citizens from Libya by ferry to the Mediterranean island of Malta on Wednesday.
Libyan ministers turn against Gaddafi
Maj. General Abdul Fattah Younis Al Obaidi, resigned from his position as Interior Minister of Libya and said he was taking the side of the February 17th revolution which he described as just. The announcement of his resignation came one hour after Gaddafi ended his fiery speech.
Al Obaidi called upon armed forces to support the revolution and ditch the dictator. Al Obaidi urged Muammar Gaddafi to repent of the killing hundreds of youth revolutionists in Benghazi and Tripoli.
Meanwhile, the resigned Minister of Justice, Mustafa Abdul Jalil commented on Gaddafi's speech which he described as the “The Dance of the Slaughtered” and denied the presence of Al Qaida in the liberated part of Libya.
Abdul Jalil, who offered his resignation on February 19th for Gaddafi refusal to release conscious prisoners from different prisons in the country, said he believed no one is standing next to Muammar at this moment other than his seven criminal sons.
Abdul Jalil is now heading the people’s committee which is managing Al Bayda city in which 300,000 people live.
“The resignation of the Minister of Interior is a testimony of the eroding pillars of Gaddafi rule in Libya,” Abdul Jalil said.
He said Gaddafi might react in a savage way and kill more people but this will not change the course of the revolution.