Tripoli: Protesters set fire to government building
Anti-government unrest spreads to Libyan capital; witnesses say snipers opening fire on crowds trying to seize Green Square; protesters in Benghazi take down Libyan flag from main courthouse, raise flag of country's old monarchy
A government building in the Libyan capital has been set on fire by protestors, a Reuters reporter said on Monday.
"I can see the People's Hall is on fire, there are firefighters there trying to put it out," the reporter said.
The building is where the General People's Congress, or parliament, meets when it is in session in Tripoli.
Protesters and security forces battled in the center of Tripoli as anti-government unrest spread to the Libyan capital and Moammar Gaddafi's son went on state television to proclaim that his father remained in charge with the army's backing and would "fight until the last man, the last woman, the last bullet."
Even as Seif al-Islam Gaddafi spoke Sunday night, clashes were raging in and around Tripoli's central Green Square, lasting until dawn Monday, witnesses said.
They reported snipers opening fire on crowds trying to seize the square, and Gaddafi supporters speeding through in vehicles, shooting and running over protesters. Early Monday, protesters took over the office of two of the multiple state-run satellite news channels, witnesses said.
The protests and violence were the heaviest yet in the capital, a sign of the spread of unrest after six days of demonstrations in eastern cities demanding the end of the elder Gaddafi's rule.
In Libya's second biggest city, Benghazi, protesters were in control of the streets Monday after days of bloody clashes and were swarming over the main security headquarters, looting weapons, several residents said. A Turkish Airlines flight trying to land in Benghazi on Monday was forced to circle over the airport then return to Istanbul.
'Comprehensive action plan'
Protesters in Benghazi took down the Libyan flag from above the city's main courthouse and in its place raised the flag of the country's old monarchy, toppled in 1969 in the military coup that brought Gaddafi to power, one witness said.
Libya has seen the bloodiest crackdown of any Arab country on the wave of protests sweeping the region that toppled the leaders of Egypt and Tunisia.
Human Rights Watch said on Monday that at least 233 people have been killed since Thursday in a crackdown in Libya on protests inspired by the uprisings in Libya's neighbors Egypt and Tunisia.
Meanwhile, EU foreign ministers said on Monday they will prepare for the possible evacuation of European citizens from Libya, and sharply condemned the government's crackdown against pro-democracy protesters.
The EU does not have the power to order its member states to evacuate their citizens from a foreign country, but ministers can agree on coordinated action in such cases.
"We are very worried about the situation in Libya," Spain's Foreign Minister Trinidad Jimenez said. "At the same time we are coordinating the possible evacuation of EU citizens from Libya, especially from Benghazi."
Late Sunday, the EU denounced the repression against peaceful demonstrators and urged authorities in Tripoli to exercise restraint faced with peaceful demonstrators.
Several ministers attending the regular monthly meeting in Brussels also expressed concerns about a possible massive increase in the flow of illegal migrants from North Africa in the wake of the popular unrest in Northern Africa.
Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini called for a "Marshall Plan" for affected Mediterranean countries to stimulate their economies and provide job opportunities for young people.
"We need a European comprehensive action plan," Frattini said. "We should support all peaceful transitional processes that are ongoing in the Middle East while avoiding a patronizing position."
Frattini expressed concern about a possible civil war and break-up of Libya, saying he feared that an Islamic state could be set up in the west of that country.
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