Gaddafi’s guns shell and kill his own people

Forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi have shelled a besieged western city, killing at least nine people, while the US told a Nato meeting that the alliance must intensify its political mission to isolate the Libyan leader and “bring about his departure”.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon chaired a Cairo meeting of regional and international organisations on Libya and set three targets: reaching and implementing a ceasefire, delivering humanitarian aid and starting a dialogue on Libya’s future.

“Shelling your own people is not acceptable,” he said at a meeting at Arab League headquarters, referring to actions by Gaddafi’s forces against anti-government rebels.

“This is a violation of human rights.”

Gaddafi’s troops unleashed heavy shelling for three hours on the port city of Misrata, which is partly held by rebels.

The troops have laid siege to the city, taking control of some neighbourhoods.

Misrata is Libya’s third-largest city and the only one in the western part of the country still partly in rebel hands.

At the meeting of Nato foreign ministers in Berlin, which included William Hague, members of the alliance stressed that their common aim is to bring an end to Gaddafi’s regime, and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the world must increase its support for the Libyan opposition.

Although the alliance agrees that Gaddafi must be ousted, it has been at odds on how to proceed.

One proposal from Italy calls for the Western powers to provide defensive weapons to rebels. France said Nato is not doing enough, and was pushing other countries to work “on more robust, more efficient, more rapid actions.”

The rebels have been urging the US military to reassert a stronger role in the Nato-led air campaign, although the Obama administration has been insisting the US will stick to its plan to remain in a supporting role.