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Search on for 150 after boat capsizes off Italian coast
From Hada Messia, CNN
Milan, Italy (CNN) -- About 150 people were missing Wednesday after a boat capsized in the Mediterranean Sea, the Italian Coast Guard said.
The boat was carrying about 200 passengers when it sank about 39 miles (62 kilometers) west off the island of Lampedusa in Maltese waters, the Coast Guard said.
Maltese authorities were heading the rescue operation with the Italian Coast Guard assisting.
Darkness and poor weather hampered the search when the first rescue boats arrived early Wednesday morning, officials said.
Since then, rescue vessels have rescued 48 people and were looking for the rest.
The passengers are believed to be of Tunisian descent
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Search on for 150 after boat capsizes off Italian coast
From Hada Messia, CNN
Milan, Italy (CNN) -- About 150 people were missing Wednesday after a boat capsized in the Mediterranean Sea, the Italian Coast Guard said.
The boat was carrying about 200 passengers when it sank about 39 miles (62 kilometers) west off the island of Lampedusa in Maltese waters, the Coast Guard said.
Maltese authorities were heading the rescue operation with the Italian Coast Guard assisting.
Darkness and poor weather hampered the search when the first rescue boats arrived early Wednesday morning, officials said.
Since then, rescue vessels have rescued 48 people and were looking for the rest.
The passengers are believed to be of Tunisian descent
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Eric Kuvykin www.erickuvykin.com follows the article: Compromise with Gadhafi not an option, Libyan opposition deputy says
(CNN) -- The deputy chairman of Libya's Transitional National Council spoke with CNN's Reza Sayah on Tuesday as rebel forces came under intense artillery bombardment from Moammar Gadhafi's forces.
Abdul Hafiz Ghoga discussed the opposition's unwavering resolve to best Gadhafi's forces, condemns Turkey's reluctance to mount more air strikes and explains why his side won't accept any concessions.
CNN: The opposition has convinced the international community to get involved in a very bloody conflict. You also have the backing of the world's greatest military power in the U.S., but all you have is a stalemate. Everybody seems stuck.
Video: The Battle for al-Brega Video
Ghoga: The situation will not continue because the regime is collapsing. They are facing a true crisis and that's why they are looking for an exit. Gadhafi will no longer be able to rule one inch in Libya. That's why he keeps besieging our people with his military machinery.
CNN: One look at the frontline and it's clear these opposition fighters are outgunned and outmanned. You don't believe you can achieve a military victory, do you?
Ghoga: Yes, I am confident we will. We are confident that we will achieve that victory. We are being armed. Our rebels are getting more organized by the armed forces after we set up a unified military command that is now taking over the operation of the battles. At the frontlines of the battlefields, we now have professional fighters from the Libyan military forces.
CNN: Which country is providing you with weapons and training right now?
Ghoga: We are in communication with our brothers in Qatar and also with our brothers in the Egyptian republic and with our friends in Italy and France.
CNN: Are you saying the weapons have arrived or are they on their way?
Ghoga: We can say that, God willing, the weapons are on their way.
CNN: Are you satisfied with the no-fly zone? Are you satisfied with the frequency of the air strikes?
Ghoga: When the command of the allied forces switched to NATO -- one of the headquarters of these forces is now in Turkey -- Turkey's position was hesitant. Turkey is reluctant in its position. Unfortunately, Turkey was against arming the rebels and against the implementation of the UN resolution.
CNN: So you're blaming Turkey for the decrease of the air strikes?
Ghoga: Yes, we blame Turkey, and we condemn their position, because the reluctance in these cases is a very dangerous matter. What does Turkey really want? Do they want to leave this tyrant killing the Libyan people in every city? The whole world is a witness.
CNN: It doesn't look like any side can achieve a military victory right now so that leaves a political solution. The regime has suggested they're open to a deal whereby Colonel Gadhafi would step aside and his son Saif would take over power. Would you consider this deal?
Ghoga: We will not accept Gadhafi or any of his sons or aides ruling us ever again for even one hour. This is impossible. We will never accept that. We said it clearly. We will not accept any compromise, any negotiation, any solution with the current regime.
CNN: What concessions are the opposition prepared to make to end the bloodshed?
Ghoga: What kind of concessions can we offer a regime that is killing its people? We will either win or the other side will defeat. We have no other option.
CNN: Civilians are dying in many countries right now. More people are dying in Ivory Coast than here in Libya. Why do you think the international community stepped up to help you?
Ghoga: The international community has a commitment and that's part of their doctrine to stop the killing of civilians. We are part of the international community.
CNN: How much do you think Libya's oil was a factor in the international community helping you?
Ghoga: I don't believe that is the case. We understand that common interests and relations between nations are based on economic and political mutual interests. But I believe that when it comes to this issue, no, that wasn't the case. Does a brotherly nation like Qatar have an interest in Libya's oil? That's not why they (the Qataris) took that great stance in supporting the aspirations of our people.
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(CNN) -- The deputy chairman of Libya's Transitional National Council spoke with CNN's Reza Sayah on Tuesday as rebel forces came under intense artillery bombardment from Moammar Gadhafi's forces.
Abdul Hafiz Ghoga discussed the opposition's unwavering resolve to best Gadhafi's forces, condemns Turkey's reluctance to mount more air strikes and explains why his side won't accept any concessions.
CNN: The opposition has convinced the international community to get involved in a very bloody conflict. You also have the backing of the world's greatest military power in the U.S., but all you have is a stalemate. Everybody seems stuck.
Video: The Battle for al-Brega Video
Ghoga: The situation will not continue because the regime is collapsing. They are facing a true crisis and that's why they are looking for an exit. Gadhafi will no longer be able to rule one inch in Libya. That's why he keeps besieging our people with his military machinery.
CNN: One look at the frontline and it's clear these opposition fighters are outgunned and outmanned. You don't believe you can achieve a military victory, do you?
Ghoga: Yes, I am confident we will. We are confident that we will achieve that victory. We are being armed. Our rebels are getting more organized by the armed forces after we set up a unified military command that is now taking over the operation of the battles. At the frontlines of the battlefields, we now have professional fighters from the Libyan military forces.
CNN: Which country is providing you with weapons and training right now?
Ghoga: We are in communication with our brothers in Qatar and also with our brothers in the Egyptian republic and with our friends in Italy and France.
CNN: Are you saying the weapons have arrived or are they on their way?
Ghoga: We can say that, God willing, the weapons are on their way.
CNN: Are you satisfied with the no-fly zone? Are you satisfied with the frequency of the air strikes?
Ghoga: When the command of the allied forces switched to NATO -- one of the headquarters of these forces is now in Turkey -- Turkey's position was hesitant. Turkey is reluctant in its position. Unfortunately, Turkey was against arming the rebels and against the implementation of the UN resolution.
CNN: So you're blaming Turkey for the decrease of the air strikes?
Ghoga: Yes, we blame Turkey, and we condemn their position, because the reluctance in these cases is a very dangerous matter. What does Turkey really want? Do they want to leave this tyrant killing the Libyan people in every city? The whole world is a witness.
CNN: It doesn't look like any side can achieve a military victory right now so that leaves a political solution. The regime has suggested they're open to a deal whereby Colonel Gadhafi would step aside and his son Saif would take over power. Would you consider this deal?
Ghoga: We will not accept Gadhafi or any of his sons or aides ruling us ever again for even one hour. This is impossible. We will never accept that. We said it clearly. We will not accept any compromise, any negotiation, any solution with the current regime.
CNN: What concessions are the opposition prepared to make to end the bloodshed?
Ghoga: What kind of concessions can we offer a regime that is killing its people? We will either win or the other side will defeat. We have no other option.
CNN: Civilians are dying in many countries right now. More people are dying in Ivory Coast than here in Libya. Why do you think the international community stepped up to help you?
Ghoga: The international community has a commitment and that's part of their doctrine to stop the killing of civilians. We are part of the international community.
CNN: How much do you think Libya's oil was a factor in the international community helping you?
Ghoga: I don't believe that is the case. We understand that common interests and relations between nations are based on economic and political mutual interests. But I believe that when it comes to this issue, no, that wasn't the case. Does a brotherly nation like Qatar have an interest in Libya's oil? That's not why they (the Qataris) took that great stance in supporting the aspirations of our people.
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Eric Kuvykin www.erickuvykin.com follows the article:
Gadhafi asks Obama to end NATO bombing
By the CNN Wire Staff
Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- As rebel and pro-government forces in Libya maneuvered on the battlefield Wednesday, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi urged U.S. President Barack Obama to end the NATO bombing of his war-torn country.
Gadhafi made the appeal in a letter to the American president, a senior administration official said.
But the official said there was "nothing new" in the letter, the thrust of which was an appeal for an end to the alliance's air operations. It contained no offers to negotiate or step down, and the official said the administration isn't taking the note seriously.
Gadhafi asked Obama to stop the "unjust war against a small people of a developing country" and said those in the opposition are terrorists and members of al Qaeda, the official said.
"We have been hurt more morally than physically because of what had happened against us in both deeds and words by you," Gadhafi wrote, according to the official. "Despite all this you will always remain our son."
Former U.S. Congressman Weldon says he will meet with Gadhafi
The strongman expressed hope that Obama wins re-election next year, the official added. And he wrote that a democratic society cannot be built through missiles and aircraft.
NATO accused of not providing support
CNN talks to Libyan opposition leader
Libyan rebels prepare to export crude
Inside the mind of Saif Gadhafi
"You are a man who has enough courage to annul a wrong and mistaken action," the leader wrote to the president.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the NATO strikes will stop when Gadhafi steps down and leaves the country.
"I don't think there is any mystery about what is expected from Mr. Gadhafi at this time," Clinton said.
The letter came amid diplomatic, economic and military developments in Libya, which remains in a deadly stalemate as pro-Gadhafi forces battle opposition fighters demanding democracy and an end to Gadhafi's nearly 42-year-rule.
A British airstrike hit an oil field in the eastern Libyan town of Sarir on Wednesday, causing damage to a main pipeline, Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim told reporters.
A tanker carrying crude oil left the eastern Libyan port of Tobruk on Wednesday in what was the first known export of oil by the fledgling opposition during the conflict, a sign of optimism for them.
Rebel fighters and pro-Gadhafi forces have been pushing back and forth between al-Brega and Ajdabiya, while residents in the western city of Misrata are spending their days in fear.
Libyan opposition: Compromise with Gadhafi not an option
Also Wednesday, ex-U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon, who met with Gadhafi within the past decade, paid a visit to the Libyan capital with a cease-fire plan and a clear message to the embattled ruler that he must step down.
Weldon, speaking in an interview with CNN affiliate WPIX-TV in New York, said he planned to meet with Gadhafi and Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim.
Battle for Al-Brega
Gadhafi's sons floating a deal?
Al-Obeidy: Tripoli is a prison
Al-Obeidy reconnects with mother
RELATED TOPICS
* Libya
* Moammar Gadhafi
* Curt Weldon
"It's a very solemn time because there's so much at risk here," said Weldon, who led a congressional delegation to Libya in 2004 and is visiting Tripoli at Gadhafi's invitation. Weldon is a Republican who represented a suburban Philadelphia district.
"I'm here to tell him face to face it's time for him to leave. It's time for him to step down, allow the people to take over the government of this country."
In an opinion piece published Wednesday in The New York Times, Weldon said he is proposing a cease-fire, "with the Libyan Army withdrawing from contested cities and rebel forces ending attempts to advance."
There's been seesaw fighting between pro- and anti-Gadhafi troops between al-Brega and Ajdabiya, CNN's Ben Wedeman reported.
On Tuesday night, Gadhafi forces moved 40 kilometers (about 25 miles) from al-Brega to Ajdabiya, and then Wednesday, the rebels pushed them back 10 kilometers (six miles).
At one point, rebels let loose with barrage of rockets, and they were answered by artillery and mortars.
"It moves back and forth," Wedeman reported.
A CNN team saw equipment the rebels didn't have before such as night-vision goggles and two Milan anti-tank missiles. Fighters said they obtained the missiles from the transitional government in Benghazi but didn't know their origin.
Rebel leaders have criticized NATO's mission to help protect civilians in recent days, saying residents in Misrata and elsewhere have suffered under horrific attacks from pro-Gadhafi forces with little evidence of NATO air power overhead.
"I am extremely sorry to say this, but NATO truly disappointed us," Gen. Abdul Fatah Younis, the opposition's top military official, said Tuesday. "Civilians are being killed every day, including children, women and elderly. If NATO will wait another week, Misrata will be finished. No one will be left alive. Do they want to wait, and watch them die, and let this crime be a shameful disgrace for the international community forever?"
NATO Brig. Gen. Mark van Uhm said weather conditions and tactics by Gadhafi regime have hindered their efforts.
In addition to using human shields and hiding equipment in populated areas, pro-Gadhafi forces have started abandoning heavy military equipment in favor of the same kinds of cars and light trucks the rebels travel in, making it difficult for pilots to distinguish rebel convoys from those carrying forces loyal to the regime, van Uhm said.
NATO is operating under a Security Council resolution authorizing the use of force to protect Libyan civilians.
But residents in Misrata said this week that Gadhafi forces have trapped the city, with snipers shooting indiscriminately. Access to food has been hampered.
"Normal life is a luxury that we don't have," one resident said. "I haven't taken my family out for four weeks now. All schools are closed, my children didn't go to school since the 19th of February. All government offices are closed. Even dead people are buried without death certificates."
After weeks of relentless fighting, a military victory for either side seems remote. A political or diplomatic solution might be the only way to end the crisis.
Weldon said that in addition to his proposals for Gadhafi's stepping down, a cease-fire on both sides and the withdrawal of government forces from key cities, he is calling for a halt in further advances by rebel forces; the creation of a joint interim government run by Libya's current prime minister and the opposition leader; unfettered humanitarian access; and the establishment of a parliamentary commission that would include U.S., Middle Eastern, European and African politicians helping to establish a new parliament in Libya.
As for the Gadhafi family, Weldon's proposals also suggest a possible title for Gadhafi as honorary chairman of the African Union and allowing his second-oldest son, Saif, to stand in elections.
On the economic front, the tanker with crude oil that left Tobruk was sailing to Qatar, where the oil will be refined, CNN confirmed. Final destination of the export is not known at this time.
The civil war in Libya has severely curtailed oil exports from the North African nation, which produced some 1.6 million barrels per day last year. This move symbolizes the opposition's intent to manage the country's affairs.
The U.S. Treasury has frozen more than $32 billion in assets held by Gadhafi and members of his regime. Asked whether the opposition should be able to have access to those funds, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the United States "is well aware there is an urgency, that the Transitional National Council does need funding if it's to survive, and we're looking at ways to assist that." But Toner said he did not know the status of the $32 billion.
CNN's Nic Robertson, Reza Sayah, Ben Wedeman, Elise Labott, Jill Dougherty and Yousuf Basil contributed to this report
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Gadhafi asks Obama to end NATO bombing
By the CNN Wire Staff
Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- As rebel and pro-government forces in Libya maneuvered on the battlefield Wednesday, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi urged U.S. President Barack Obama to end the NATO bombing of his war-torn country.
Gadhafi made the appeal in a letter to the American president, a senior administration official said.
But the official said there was "nothing new" in the letter, the thrust of which was an appeal for an end to the alliance's air operations. It contained no offers to negotiate or step down, and the official said the administration isn't taking the note seriously.
Gadhafi asked Obama to stop the "unjust war against a small people of a developing country" and said those in the opposition are terrorists and members of al Qaeda, the official said.
"We have been hurt more morally than physically because of what had happened against us in both deeds and words by you," Gadhafi wrote, according to the official. "Despite all this you will always remain our son."
Former U.S. Congressman Weldon says he will meet with Gadhafi
The strongman expressed hope that Obama wins re-election next year, the official added. And he wrote that a democratic society cannot be built through missiles and aircraft.
NATO accused of not providing support
CNN talks to Libyan opposition leader
Libyan rebels prepare to export crude
Inside the mind of Saif Gadhafi
"You are a man who has enough courage to annul a wrong and mistaken action," the leader wrote to the president.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the NATO strikes will stop when Gadhafi steps down and leaves the country.
"I don't think there is any mystery about what is expected from Mr. Gadhafi at this time," Clinton said.
The letter came amid diplomatic, economic and military developments in Libya, which remains in a deadly stalemate as pro-Gadhafi forces battle opposition fighters demanding democracy and an end to Gadhafi's nearly 42-year-rule.
A British airstrike hit an oil field in the eastern Libyan town of Sarir on Wednesday, causing damage to a main pipeline, Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim told reporters.
A tanker carrying crude oil left the eastern Libyan port of Tobruk on Wednesday in what was the first known export of oil by the fledgling opposition during the conflict, a sign of optimism for them.
Rebel fighters and pro-Gadhafi forces have been pushing back and forth between al-Brega and Ajdabiya, while residents in the western city of Misrata are spending their days in fear.
Libyan opposition: Compromise with Gadhafi not an option
Also Wednesday, ex-U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon, who met with Gadhafi within the past decade, paid a visit to the Libyan capital with a cease-fire plan and a clear message to the embattled ruler that he must step down.
Weldon, speaking in an interview with CNN affiliate WPIX-TV in New York, said he planned to meet with Gadhafi and Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim.
Battle for Al-Brega
Gadhafi's sons floating a deal?
Al-Obeidy: Tripoli is a prison
Al-Obeidy reconnects with mother
RELATED TOPICS
* Libya
* Moammar Gadhafi
* Curt Weldon
"It's a very solemn time because there's so much at risk here," said Weldon, who led a congressional delegation to Libya in 2004 and is visiting Tripoli at Gadhafi's invitation. Weldon is a Republican who represented a suburban Philadelphia district.
"I'm here to tell him face to face it's time for him to leave. It's time for him to step down, allow the people to take over the government of this country."
In an opinion piece published Wednesday in The New York Times, Weldon said he is proposing a cease-fire, "with the Libyan Army withdrawing from contested cities and rebel forces ending attempts to advance."
There's been seesaw fighting between pro- and anti-Gadhafi troops between al-Brega and Ajdabiya, CNN's Ben Wedeman reported.
On Tuesday night, Gadhafi forces moved 40 kilometers (about 25 miles) from al-Brega to Ajdabiya, and then Wednesday, the rebels pushed them back 10 kilometers (six miles).
At one point, rebels let loose with barrage of rockets, and they were answered by artillery and mortars.
"It moves back and forth," Wedeman reported.
A CNN team saw equipment the rebels didn't have before such as night-vision goggles and two Milan anti-tank missiles. Fighters said they obtained the missiles from the transitional government in Benghazi but didn't know their origin.
Rebel leaders have criticized NATO's mission to help protect civilians in recent days, saying residents in Misrata and elsewhere have suffered under horrific attacks from pro-Gadhafi forces with little evidence of NATO air power overhead.
"I am extremely sorry to say this, but NATO truly disappointed us," Gen. Abdul Fatah Younis, the opposition's top military official, said Tuesday. "Civilians are being killed every day, including children, women and elderly. If NATO will wait another week, Misrata will be finished. No one will be left alive. Do they want to wait, and watch them die, and let this crime be a shameful disgrace for the international community forever?"
NATO Brig. Gen. Mark van Uhm said weather conditions and tactics by Gadhafi regime have hindered their efforts.
In addition to using human shields and hiding equipment in populated areas, pro-Gadhafi forces have started abandoning heavy military equipment in favor of the same kinds of cars and light trucks the rebels travel in, making it difficult for pilots to distinguish rebel convoys from those carrying forces loyal to the regime, van Uhm said.
NATO is operating under a Security Council resolution authorizing the use of force to protect Libyan civilians.
But residents in Misrata said this week that Gadhafi forces have trapped the city, with snipers shooting indiscriminately. Access to food has been hampered.
"Normal life is a luxury that we don't have," one resident said. "I haven't taken my family out for four weeks now. All schools are closed, my children didn't go to school since the 19th of February. All government offices are closed. Even dead people are buried without death certificates."
After weeks of relentless fighting, a military victory for either side seems remote. A political or diplomatic solution might be the only way to end the crisis.
Weldon said that in addition to his proposals for Gadhafi's stepping down, a cease-fire on both sides and the withdrawal of government forces from key cities, he is calling for a halt in further advances by rebel forces; the creation of a joint interim government run by Libya's current prime minister and the opposition leader; unfettered humanitarian access; and the establishment of a parliamentary commission that would include U.S., Middle Eastern, European and African politicians helping to establish a new parliament in Libya.
As for the Gadhafi family, Weldon's proposals also suggest a possible title for Gadhafi as honorary chairman of the African Union and allowing his second-oldest son, Saif, to stand in elections.
On the economic front, the tanker with crude oil that left Tobruk was sailing to Qatar, where the oil will be refined, CNN confirmed. Final destination of the export is not known at this time.
The civil war in Libya has severely curtailed oil exports from the North African nation, which produced some 1.6 million barrels per day last year. This move symbolizes the opposition's intent to manage the country's affairs.
The U.S. Treasury has frozen more than $32 billion in assets held by Gadhafi and members of his regime. Asked whether the opposition should be able to have access to those funds, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the United States "is well aware there is an urgency, that the Transitional National Council does need funding if it's to survive, and we're looking at ways to assist that." But Toner said he did not know the status of the $32 billion.
CNN's Nic Robertson, Reza Sayah, Ben Wedeman, Elise Labott, Jill Dougherty and Yousuf Basil contributed to this report
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http://ping.fm/iVTUU
Eric Kuvykin www.erickuvykin.com follows the article;
Ouattara forces enter Gbagbo's Ivory Coast stronghold
By the CNN Wire Staff
(CNN) -- Forces loyal to Ivory Coast's elected President Alassane Ouattara stormed the residence of his rival, Laurent Gbagbo, on Wednesday, an Ouattara spokeswoman said, potentially heralding the end of a bloody conflict in the West African country.
The Ouattara forces are inside Gbagbo's residence but have not captured him, Affoussy Bamba said from the main city, Abidjan. They discovered heavy weapons inside the residence, she said.
A spokesman for Gbagbo, Ahoua Don Mello, confirmed the residence was under attack, expressing amazement at the assault.
Gbagbo is prepared to discuss African Union proposals for a handover of power but cannot talk about surrender before discussions even begin, Mello said.
He would not confirm Gbagbo is in the residence under attack but said he was in Abidjan.
"They are trying to get him and to kill him," Mello said.
What's behind the conflict?
U.N. attack helicopters could resume their operations Wednesday, said Alain Le Roy, the head of U.N. peacekeeping operations. He said the helicopters would target heavy weapons that Gbagbo's supporters are using at the presidential residence.
Humanitarian crisis in Ivory Coast
U.N. Envoy: Ivory Coast combat is over
Ivory Coast: Search for justice
Gallery: Ivory Coast clashes over presidency
RELATED TOPICS
* Ivory Coast Politics
* Cote d'Ivoire
Hundreds of people have been killed in the cocoa-producing country since Gbagbo rejected the results of an election in November. The United Nations and African Union have said Ouattara, a former prime minister, defeated Gbagbo, who was running for re-election.
As fighting and looting rage, the humanitarian situation is worsening, the International Committee for the Red Cross said. An ICRC-chartered aircraft landed Wednesday in the northern town of Man, carrying nearly 12 tons of supplies for people hit by the warfare.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday called Gbagbo cowardly.
"I can't understand why he is refusing to cede his power against the total will of the international community," Ban said, urging the self-declared president to think about the future and the security of his people.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe, who has been closely involved with events in the former French colony, said negotiations with Gbagbo had failed because of his "obstinacy."
Ouattara set the terms for Gbagbo's surrender, Juppe said.
Juppe told parliament in Paris that French forces were not involved in the assault on Gbagbo's residence, rejecting allegations by Gbagbo supporters.
A senior American source with knowledge of the situation also said negotiations had failed.
"The opportunity for negotiations with Laurent Gbagbo is over. He has closed the door on negotiations," said the source, asking not to be named because of the sensitivity of the situation.
Gbagbo "is an individual that did not accept he lost. That's why we are here today," the source said.
Watch why Ivory Coast matters
Ouattara's forces have steadily been closing in on Gbagbo in the past week amid claims of massacres by both sides.
An Ouattara representative said Gbagbo had left them no alternative but to attack.
"Negotiations with Gbagbo have failed," Mamadou Toure said as the assault began Wednesday. "Gbagbo decided not to surrender, so Ouattara's forces were left with no other choice. The aim is to get him out of the residence without harming him."
Toure, who is at the Ivory Coast Embassy in Paris, added, "President Alassane Ouattara will have to decide what happens next."
Another Ouattara representative said that Gbagbo "will be brought to justice."
Gbagbo seemed to be on the point of surrender Tuesday after four months of conflict, but then he backtracked.
It "seems like he has lost his mind. ... It means that there is something wrong with this guy," Ouattara spokesman Patrick Achi said.
Ouattara's side is appealing directly to Gbagbo's fighters to put down their weapons, Achi said.
"We cannot sit and wait for him to become reasonable" in the face of the "humanitarian catastrophe" facing Abidjan, Achi said. The city of 5 million people had "no more electricity, no more sanitation and bodies on the street," he said.
Ouattara's forces entered Abidjan on Thursday after an offensive that swept across the country. When they arrived, the sporadic post-election violence that had plagued Abidjan for months escalated into war.
Ivory Coast's ambassador to the United Nations said Tuesday he thought Gbagbo "knows everything is over for him."
"His military forces have been defeated. He is alone now," said Youssoufou Bamba.
Bamba said Gbagbo should go on trial "because he has committed so much crime" against civilian and peaceful demonstrators.
But Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who served as the African Union's main negotiator in Ivory Coast, said Ouattara and others should consider allowing safe passage for Gbagbo to Angola, South Africa or another country.
International leaders from President Barack Obama on down have been demanding that Gbagbo step down immediately for the good of the country.
The political chaos and violence has claimed at least hundreds of lives. In one of the bloodiest incidents yet, the International Committee for the Red Cross reported the killings of 800 people last week Video in the western cocoa-producing town of Duekoue.
As for the humanitarian crisis, Dominique Liengme, who heads the ICRC delegation in the Ivory Coast, said medical supplies and items needed to upgrade water systems are on the aircraft that landed in the Ivory Coast.
"Medicines and other medical items will be distributed, mainly in hospitals and health care centers in the west of the country. They will then be delivered in Abidjan as soon as security conditions permit," Liengme said.
Civilians have been hit hard by the effects of the fighting, dealing with shortages of water, electricity and food.
Liengme said hospital staffers have had to deal with shortages in medical supplies and working "without running water or electricity." It's hard for humanitarian workers to perform their duties because of the lack of security, the ICRC said.
The plight of refugees fleeing Ivory Coast
Juppe said Wednesday that all that remained to discuss was how Gbagbo would leave.
"We have asked the U.N. to guarantee his physical well-being and that of his family, that's an important point, and then to organize the conditions of his departure," Juppe said on French radio. "That's the only thing left to negotiate from now on."
Gbagbo denied in an interview Tuesday that he planned to go down fighting, calling himself a man who "loves life."
"I'm not a kamikaze. ... I don't look for death," he told France's LCI television.
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Ouattara forces enter Gbagbo's Ivory Coast stronghold
By the CNN Wire Staff
(CNN) -- Forces loyal to Ivory Coast's elected President Alassane Ouattara stormed the residence of his rival, Laurent Gbagbo, on Wednesday, an Ouattara spokeswoman said, potentially heralding the end of a bloody conflict in the West African country.
The Ouattara forces are inside Gbagbo's residence but have not captured him, Affoussy Bamba said from the main city, Abidjan. They discovered heavy weapons inside the residence, she said.
A spokesman for Gbagbo, Ahoua Don Mello, confirmed the residence was under attack, expressing amazement at the assault.
Gbagbo is prepared to discuss African Union proposals for a handover of power but cannot talk about surrender before discussions even begin, Mello said.
He would not confirm Gbagbo is in the residence under attack but said he was in Abidjan.
"They are trying to get him and to kill him," Mello said.
What's behind the conflict?
U.N. attack helicopters could resume their operations Wednesday, said Alain Le Roy, the head of U.N. peacekeeping operations. He said the helicopters would target heavy weapons that Gbagbo's supporters are using at the presidential residence.
Humanitarian crisis in Ivory Coast
U.N. Envoy: Ivory Coast combat is over
Ivory Coast: Search for justice
Gallery: Ivory Coast clashes over presidency
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* Ivory Coast Politics
* Cote d'Ivoire
Hundreds of people have been killed in the cocoa-producing country since Gbagbo rejected the results of an election in November. The United Nations and African Union have said Ouattara, a former prime minister, defeated Gbagbo, who was running for re-election.
As fighting and looting rage, the humanitarian situation is worsening, the International Committee for the Red Cross said. An ICRC-chartered aircraft landed Wednesday in the northern town of Man, carrying nearly 12 tons of supplies for people hit by the warfare.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday called Gbagbo cowardly.
"I can't understand why he is refusing to cede his power against the total will of the international community," Ban said, urging the self-declared president to think about the future and the security of his people.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe, who has been closely involved with events in the former French colony, said negotiations with Gbagbo had failed because of his "obstinacy."
Ouattara set the terms for Gbagbo's surrender, Juppe said.
Juppe told parliament in Paris that French forces were not involved in the assault on Gbagbo's residence, rejecting allegations by Gbagbo supporters.
A senior American source with knowledge of the situation also said negotiations had failed.
"The opportunity for negotiations with Laurent Gbagbo is over. He has closed the door on negotiations," said the source, asking not to be named because of the sensitivity of the situation.
Gbagbo "is an individual that did not accept he lost. That's why we are here today," the source said.
Watch why Ivory Coast matters
Ouattara's forces have steadily been closing in on Gbagbo in the past week amid claims of massacres by both sides.
An Ouattara representative said Gbagbo had left them no alternative but to attack.
"Negotiations with Gbagbo have failed," Mamadou Toure said as the assault began Wednesday. "Gbagbo decided not to surrender, so Ouattara's forces were left with no other choice. The aim is to get him out of the residence without harming him."
Toure, who is at the Ivory Coast Embassy in Paris, added, "President Alassane Ouattara will have to decide what happens next."
Another Ouattara representative said that Gbagbo "will be brought to justice."
Gbagbo seemed to be on the point of surrender Tuesday after four months of conflict, but then he backtracked.
It "seems like he has lost his mind. ... It means that there is something wrong with this guy," Ouattara spokesman Patrick Achi said.
Ouattara's side is appealing directly to Gbagbo's fighters to put down their weapons, Achi said.
"We cannot sit and wait for him to become reasonable" in the face of the "humanitarian catastrophe" facing Abidjan, Achi said. The city of 5 million people had "no more electricity, no more sanitation and bodies on the street," he said.
Ouattara's forces entered Abidjan on Thursday after an offensive that swept across the country. When they arrived, the sporadic post-election violence that had plagued Abidjan for months escalated into war.
Ivory Coast's ambassador to the United Nations said Tuesday he thought Gbagbo "knows everything is over for him."
"His military forces have been defeated. He is alone now," said Youssoufou Bamba.
Bamba said Gbagbo should go on trial "because he has committed so much crime" against civilian and peaceful demonstrators.
But Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who served as the African Union's main negotiator in Ivory Coast, said Ouattara and others should consider allowing safe passage for Gbagbo to Angola, South Africa or another country.
International leaders from President Barack Obama on down have been demanding that Gbagbo step down immediately for the good of the country.
The political chaos and violence has claimed at least hundreds of lives. In one of the bloodiest incidents yet, the International Committee for the Red Cross reported the killings of 800 people last week Video in the western cocoa-producing town of Duekoue.
As for the humanitarian crisis, Dominique Liengme, who heads the ICRC delegation in the Ivory Coast, said medical supplies and items needed to upgrade water systems are on the aircraft that landed in the Ivory Coast.
"Medicines and other medical items will be distributed, mainly in hospitals and health care centers in the west of the country. They will then be delivered in Abidjan as soon as security conditions permit," Liengme said.
Civilians have been hit hard by the effects of the fighting, dealing with shortages of water, electricity and food.
Liengme said hospital staffers have had to deal with shortages in medical supplies and working "without running water or electricity." It's hard for humanitarian workers to perform their duties because of the lack of security, the ICRC said.
The plight of refugees fleeing Ivory Coast
Juppe said Wednesday that all that remained to discuss was how Gbagbo would leave.
"We have asked the U.N. to guarantee his physical well-being and that of his family, that's an important point, and then to organize the conditions of his departure," Juppe said on French radio. "That's the only thing left to negotiate from now on."
Gbagbo denied in an interview Tuesday that he planned to go down fighting, calling himself a man who "loves life."
"I'm not a kamikaze. ... I don't look for death," he told France's LCI television.
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Eric Kuvykin www.erickuvykin.com follows the article:
Seawater radiation levels drop off crippled nuclear plant
By Matt Smith, CNN
Tokyo (CNN) -- Radioactive iodine in seawater around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant dropped sharply even before workers plugged a water leak believed to be from its crippled No. 2 reactor, the plant's owner said Wednesday night.
Stopping the flow of highly radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean was a key victory for workers who have struggled to keep the earthquake-damaged plant's reactors from overheating for nearly four weeks. But the Tokyo Electric Power Co. and a top Japanese official warned the fight was far from over.
Concentrations of iodine-131 had been as high as 7.5 million times legal standards in water directly behind the plant after the leak was discovered Saturday. They had dropped to less than 4 percent of that amount in the 24 hours before the leak had been cut off Wednesday morning, according to figures released by Tokyo Electric.
The level remained 280,000 times higher than the legal limit, but those concentrations were dropping sharply as the water flowed out into the Pacific. Levels of longer-lived cesium-137 were down sharply as well but remained 61,000 times the legal standard, according to Tokyo Electric's water sampling data.
Samples from a monitoring point 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) southeast of the plant found iodine-131 levels down to 1.5 times legal levels, with no reading for cesium.
Japanese authorities said they believe the leaking water was part of the 8 metric tons (2,100 gallons) per hour being pumped in the No. 2 reactor, one of three that suffered core damage after the massive earthquake that struck northern Japan on March 11. The water has been leaking into the basement of the unit's turbine plant, carrying with it radioactive particles that are the byproduct of nuclear reactors.
Until Wednesday, the fluid was pouring into the ocean from a cracked concrete shaft near the turbine plant's water intake. Workers managed to use a silica-based polymer dubbed "liquid glass" to seal the breach Wednesday morning, but the Japanese government's top spokesman on the crisis said government and utility officials had other problems.
Bill Nye explains radioactive dumping
Radiation fears slow Japan's economy
Japan's students face uncertain future
We cannot be optimistic just because we were able to plug this one
--Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano
RELATED TOPICS
* 2011 Japan Disaster
* Nuclear Energy
* Fukushima Daiichi
"Is it completely stopped? Are there any other areas where (radioactive) water is being released?" said Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano, the spokesman. "We cannot be optimistic, just because we were able to plug this one."
Hidehiko Nishiyama of Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said the now-contained water "may lead to more leakage somewhere else."
Tokyo Electric began pumping nonflammable nitrogen into the primary containment vessel around reactor No. 1 early Thursday in what it said was a precautionary measure to counteract a possible buildup of hydrogen.
"The possibility of a hydrogen explosion is extremely low," the company announced Wednesday night. "But more hydrogen could eventually develop in the containment vessel."
Hydrogen buildup is a symptom of overheating fuel rods and can cause explosions like the spectacular blasts that blew the roofs off the No 1 and No. 3 reactor buildings in the days after the March 11 earthquake. But Tokyo Electric said it did not believe an explosion was imminent.
The radioactive cores of units 1-3 were damaged when the tsunami that followed the earthquake flooded the plant, knocking out power to its coolant systems and disabling backup generators needed to restore electricity. Engineers responded by pumping water into the reactors from outside to stave off a feared meltdown, but they are now struggling with what to do with thousands of tons of now-contaminated liquid.
Since Monday night, the plant has been discharging nearly 10,000 tons of less radioactive water into the ocean, largely to make room in a waste treatment reservoir for the supercharged coolant leaking from the No. 2 reactor.
"Right now they have no systems available to them for processing liquid rad waste, and they're generating liquid rad waste at the rate of about 400,000 gallons a day," said Michael Friedlander, a former nuclear power plant operator. "So without any doubt whatsoever, if they don't put in place some systems to handle this, they are going to have to continue dumping the water into the ocean."
Tokyo Electric had released about three-quarters of the water -- which also came from the subdrains below reactors 5 and 6 -- by Wednesday night and had reduced its estimate of how much was being dumped from the treatment facility. But the discharge, which Japanese officials called an emergency measure, drew protests from neighboring South Korea and enraged the country's fishermen.
Edano said Wednesday that the move was "unavoidable" and would minimize harm to the environment. But he told reporters, "We should have reported (more information) to the people who may be concerned, especially to the neighboring countries."
"It was a measure to prevent more serious marine contamination, but we needed to explain the reasoning better," he said.
Members of Japan's fishery association voiced their ire in a Wednesday morning meeting with Tokyo Electric officials, complaining that they had argued against the measure beforehand and were not told until later that the process would begin. Edano said the Japanese government is considering "provisional compensation" to give a more immediate boost to fishermen, ahead of a more final payment plan that may be established in the future.
Experts have said the releases likely won't pose any long-term health risks to humans or sea life. It also helps that most of the radiatioactive particles detected are iodine-131, which loses half its radiation every eight days.
The emergency discharge equates to about five swimming pools, compared to "about 300 trillion swimming pools of water" that fill the Pacific Ocean, said Timothy Jorgensen, chairman of the radiation safety committee at Georgetown University Medical Center.
"So hopefully the churning of the ocean and the currents will quickly disperse this so that it gets to very dilute concentrations relatively quickly."
After a tumultuous first few weeks, utility and government officials have described conditions recently in the plant's reactors and spent nuclear fuel pools as generally stable. Levels of airborne radiation nearby and further away, meanwhile, steadily have been declining.
Still, the existence of significant amounts of collected radioactive water around the facility suggests that there may be other leaks -- and other problems.
to become a follower with this article, go to
http://ping.fm/wvIdd
Seawater radiation levels drop off crippled nuclear plant
By Matt Smith, CNN
Tokyo (CNN) -- Radioactive iodine in seawater around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant dropped sharply even before workers plugged a water leak believed to be from its crippled No. 2 reactor, the plant's owner said Wednesday night.
Stopping the flow of highly radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean was a key victory for workers who have struggled to keep the earthquake-damaged plant's reactors from overheating for nearly four weeks. But the Tokyo Electric Power Co. and a top Japanese official warned the fight was far from over.
Concentrations of iodine-131 had been as high as 7.5 million times legal standards in water directly behind the plant after the leak was discovered Saturday. They had dropped to less than 4 percent of that amount in the 24 hours before the leak had been cut off Wednesday morning, according to figures released by Tokyo Electric.
The level remained 280,000 times higher than the legal limit, but those concentrations were dropping sharply as the water flowed out into the Pacific. Levels of longer-lived cesium-137 were down sharply as well but remained 61,000 times the legal standard, according to Tokyo Electric's water sampling data.
Samples from a monitoring point 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) southeast of the plant found iodine-131 levels down to 1.5 times legal levels, with no reading for cesium.
Japanese authorities said they believe the leaking water was part of the 8 metric tons (2,100 gallons) per hour being pumped in the No. 2 reactor, one of three that suffered core damage after the massive earthquake that struck northern Japan on March 11. The water has been leaking into the basement of the unit's turbine plant, carrying with it radioactive particles that are the byproduct of nuclear reactors.
Until Wednesday, the fluid was pouring into the ocean from a cracked concrete shaft near the turbine plant's water intake. Workers managed to use a silica-based polymer dubbed "liquid glass" to seal the breach Wednesday morning, but the Japanese government's top spokesman on the crisis said government and utility officials had other problems.
Bill Nye explains radioactive dumping
Radiation fears slow Japan's economy
Japan's students face uncertain future
We cannot be optimistic just because we were able to plug this one
--Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano
RELATED TOPICS
* 2011 Japan Disaster
* Nuclear Energy
* Fukushima Daiichi
"Is it completely stopped? Are there any other areas where (radioactive) water is being released?" said Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano, the spokesman. "We cannot be optimistic, just because we were able to plug this one."
Hidehiko Nishiyama of Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said the now-contained water "may lead to more leakage somewhere else."
Tokyo Electric began pumping nonflammable nitrogen into the primary containment vessel around reactor No. 1 early Thursday in what it said was a precautionary measure to counteract a possible buildup of hydrogen.
"The possibility of a hydrogen explosion is extremely low," the company announced Wednesday night. "But more hydrogen could eventually develop in the containment vessel."
Hydrogen buildup is a symptom of overheating fuel rods and can cause explosions like the spectacular blasts that blew the roofs off the No 1 and No. 3 reactor buildings in the days after the March 11 earthquake. But Tokyo Electric said it did not believe an explosion was imminent.
The radioactive cores of units 1-3 were damaged when the tsunami that followed the earthquake flooded the plant, knocking out power to its coolant systems and disabling backup generators needed to restore electricity. Engineers responded by pumping water into the reactors from outside to stave off a feared meltdown, but they are now struggling with what to do with thousands of tons of now-contaminated liquid.
Since Monday night, the plant has been discharging nearly 10,000 tons of less radioactive water into the ocean, largely to make room in a waste treatment reservoir for the supercharged coolant leaking from the No. 2 reactor.
"Right now they have no systems available to them for processing liquid rad waste, and they're generating liquid rad waste at the rate of about 400,000 gallons a day," said Michael Friedlander, a former nuclear power plant operator. "So without any doubt whatsoever, if they don't put in place some systems to handle this, they are going to have to continue dumping the water into the ocean."
Tokyo Electric had released about three-quarters of the water -- which also came from the subdrains below reactors 5 and 6 -- by Wednesday night and had reduced its estimate of how much was being dumped from the treatment facility. But the discharge, which Japanese officials called an emergency measure, drew protests from neighboring South Korea and enraged the country's fishermen.
Edano said Wednesday that the move was "unavoidable" and would minimize harm to the environment. But he told reporters, "We should have reported (more information) to the people who may be concerned, especially to the neighboring countries."
"It was a measure to prevent more serious marine contamination, but we needed to explain the reasoning better," he said.
Members of Japan's fishery association voiced their ire in a Wednesday morning meeting with Tokyo Electric officials, complaining that they had argued against the measure beforehand and were not told until later that the process would begin. Edano said the Japanese government is considering "provisional compensation" to give a more immediate boost to fishermen, ahead of a more final payment plan that may be established in the future.
Experts have said the releases likely won't pose any long-term health risks to humans or sea life. It also helps that most of the radiatioactive particles detected are iodine-131, which loses half its radiation every eight days.
The emergency discharge equates to about five swimming pools, compared to "about 300 trillion swimming pools of water" that fill the Pacific Ocean, said Timothy Jorgensen, chairman of the radiation safety committee at Georgetown University Medical Center.
"So hopefully the churning of the ocean and the currents will quickly disperse this so that it gets to very dilute concentrations relatively quickly."
After a tumultuous first few weeks, utility and government officials have described conditions recently in the plant's reactors and spent nuclear fuel pools as generally stable. Levels of airborne radiation nearby and further away, meanwhile, steadily have been declining.
Still, the existence of significant amounts of collected radioactive water around the facility suggests that there may be other leaks -- and other problems.
to become a follower with this article, go to
http://ping.fm/wvIdd
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