Col Muammar Gaddafi announced an imminent assault on Benghazi after world leaders refused all forms of military intervention in Libya.
The foreign ministers of the Group of Eight (G8) nations shied away from endorsing military intervention in Libya Photo: EPA By Henry Samuel, Paris, Rob Crilly in Ajdabiya and Richard Spencer in Tripoli 10:58PM GMT 15 Mar 2011
France and Britain failed to persuade other powers meeting in Paris to impose a no–fly zone over the country, where pro–Gaddafi forces claimed to have taken the last major town before the rebel stronghold.
The no–fly proposal was absent from the G8 foreign ministers' closing statement in Paris, following resistance from Russia, Germany and the US. China, a United Nations security council veto–holder, is also opposed.
Alain Juppé, the French foreign minister said: "If we had used military force last week to neutralise some airstrips and the several dozen planes that they have, perhaps the reversal taking place to the detriment of the opposition wouldn't have happened.
"We have perhaps missed a chance to restore the balance."
Col Gaddafi, in an interview, said Germany, Russia and China would now be rewarded with business deals and oil contracts.
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Wednesday, March 16th 2011 at 5:05PM
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