NATO prolongs Libya bombing mission

NATO is extending its Libyan mission by a further 90 days with Muammar Gaddafi having apparently ruled out stepping down.

Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said the move is a sign of the alliance’s determination to force the Libyan leader from power: “This decision sends a clear message to the Gaddafi regime: We are determined to continue our operation to protect the people of Libya.”

South Africa’s President said after talks on Tuesday with Gaddafi that the Libyan leader had stated emphatically he would not leave the country – making a negotiated end to the conflict impossible given rebel demands for his departure.

Jacob Zuma was in Tripoli to try and revive an African “roadmap” for ending the conflict in which thousands of people have been killed.

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