LIBYA’S GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN Moussa Ibrahim has this evening condemned NATO for its role in the Libyan uprising, calling for it to end its armed campaign against the country and engage in face-to-face negotiations with Muammar Gaddafi.

In a hastily-arranged press conference this evening, Ibrahim said that 1,300 people had been killed since noon local time (11am Irish time) as a result of the violent clashes between government forces and the rebels.

“The hospitals cannot even cope with such a death toll,” he said. The death toll was expected to rise, he said, “beyond anyone’s expectations”.

“We are saying it out loud to the world,” he said. “These journalists lived here for a long time and could see that life was normal and peaceful in this great city.

Now it’s been turned into a hellfire, because of NATO’s actions. NATO is attacking the heart of a peaceful civilian city.

Ibrahim called for a suspension of all military activity, saying NATO could easily ask rebels to end their campaign just as the Gaddafi administration could halt its own forces.

The rebels had “no political project, and no real dream for Libya”, he added, saying each side was fighting “out of fear”.

“This is illegal and immoral… one side is killing, and NATO is giving them support. NATO will be held responsible, morally and legally, for the deaths taking place in Tripoli this night, last night and the coming nights. They cannot say this was not expected to happen.

“These armed gangs would not be able to advance a metre if faced by our army and our tribes… but because NATO kills anything that moves, before the rebels, then these rebels are able to move forward.”

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