Latest is that Libya is oking a cease fire though was continuing one last large attack on city before Bengahzi.
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english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/03/2011318124421218583.html---------------------------------------------------------------
"Africa
Libya declares ceasefire but fighting goes on
Gaddafi's government says it will end military operations in line with UN resolution but reports of attacks continue.
Last Modified: 18 Mar 2011 16:08
Libya''s ceasefire was announced shortly after Britain said it was sending fighter jets to Mediterranean bases [AFP]
Libya's government has announced an immediate ceasefire against pro-democracy protesters, hours after the United Nations Security Council authorised a no-fly zone over the country.
In a statement televised on Friday, Moussa Koussa, the Libyan foreign minister, said his government was interested in protecting all civilians and foreigners.
"We decided on an immediate ceasefire and on an immediate stop to all military operations," he said, adding "[Libya] takes great interest in protecting civilians".
Koussa said because his country was a member of the United Nations it was "obliged to accept the UN Security Council's resolutions".
But government forces continued to fire on the rebel-held western city of Misurata, witnesses said, where an earlier attack had claimed the lives of at least 25 people.
Abdulbasid Abu Muzairik, a resident in the western coastal town, told Al Jazeera there was shelling from artillery and tanks.
"The Gaddafi forces are at the outskirts of the city but they continue to shell the centre of the city," he said. "The ceasefire has not taken place; he [Gaddafi] is still continuing up until now to shell and kill the people in the city."
Anita McNaught, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Tripoli, said the government's statement was "very carefully crafted ... very deliberate, almost forensic".
"Clearly the Libyans have been poring over their United Nations charters to decide which bits to disagree with and on the whole they can't find very much."
"My hunch is that it is an effort to buy time because the Libyans, I think, have been taken completely by surprise by this sudden resurgence of an [international] consensus on action."
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Another current article on the cease fire
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news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110318/ap_on_re_af/af_libya---------------------------------------------------------
Libya offers cease-fire after UN no-fly zone vote
France AFP .
By HADEEL AL-SHALCHI and RYAN LUCAS, Associated Press
Hadeel Al-shalchi And Ryan Lucas, Associated Press – 47 mins ago
"TRIPOLI, Libya – Libya declared an immediate cease-fire Friday, trying to fend off international military intervention after the U.N. authorized a no-fly zone and "all necessary measures" to prevent the regime from striking its own people. A rebel spokesman said Moammar Gadhafi's forces were still shelling two cities.
The cease-fire announcement by the Libyan foreign minister followed a fierce government attack on Misrata, the last rebel-held city in the western half of the country. A doctor said at least six people died.
Mustafa Gheriani, a spokesman for the rebels, said attacks continued well past the announcement.
"He's bombing Misrata and Adjadbiya from 7 a.m. this morning until now. How can you trust him?" Gheriani said.
The U.N. Security Council resolution, which was passed late Thursday after weeks of deliberation, set the stage for airstrikes, a no-fly zone and other military measures short of a ground invasion. Britain announced that it would send fighter jets, Italy offered the use of its bases, and France was making plans to deploy planes. The U.S. had yet to announce its role. NATO also held an emergency meeting.
With the international community mobilizing, Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa said the government would cease fire in line with the resolution, although he criticized the authorization of international military action, calling it a violation of Libya's sovereignty.
"The government is opening channels for true, serious dialogue with all parties," he said during a news conference in Tripoli, the capital. He took no questions"
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