Foreign secretary William Hague has said the conflict in Libya could go on for some time, and described Colonel Gaddafi’s audio recording released overnight to Libyan TV as “delusional”.
Speaking at the foreign office on Wednesday, Hague also said he was monitoring “hour by hour” the situation of 35 foreign journalists trapped in a hotel in a part of Tripoli still controlled by pro-Gaddafi forces.
Hague was speaking after chairing the national security meeting attended by the deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg. The government continued to maintain there was no plan to deploy ground troops to the country, despite a defiant appearance from Gaddafi overnight suggesting Libya’s ailing government was continuing to put up a fight.
On Tuesday rebels overran Gaddafi’s compound with one entering his bedroom and conducting TV interviews wearing the colonel’s military cap. Despite Gaddafi’s whereabouts remaining a mystery, on Wednesday morning an audio recording appeared on Libyan TV in which he said his forces had relinquished the compound as a “tactical move”.
Hague ridiculed this latest missive from Gaddafi, calling on his “dwindling” supporters to give up fighting. He also acknowledged that the conflict might not end quickly but could go on for some time. Even so, he said, the UK would continue to assist the rebels with “the same patient strength” seen in the intervention so far.
As Gaddafi put up the first signs of resistance, and with international personnel including journalists and a US congressman marooned in the Rixos hotel, questions continued to be asked about whether the Nato-led alliance was planning to put “boots on the ground” to tip the balance finally in the rebels favour.
Nick Clegg repeatedly blocked the suggestion, including sending British peacekeepers. He said: “We’re not going to put boots on the ground, this isn’t about invading Libya.”
The Libyan charge d’affaires in London, Mahmud Nacua, however adjusted his position on how long Nato would stay from a statement he’d made on Monday suggesting Nato would remain in Libya only “a few weeks”. He said: “They will not finish their mission until stability and security is shown in Libya.”
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The shadow foreign secretary, Douglas Alexander, said: “It is clear that Gaddafi’s rule is over and that rebel forces control the overwhelming majority of the land in Tripoli.
“But taking a city is not the same as running a city and the National Transitional Council (NTC) in the days and weeks ahead will face an important but difficult task of translating a popular uprising into stable government for Libya.”
