Visit the focus of food shortages of the Northern Korea: Carter - AFP

Visit the focus of food shortages of the Northern Korea: Carter (AFP) - 2 hours ago

BEIJING - A group of men of ancient State led by former President Jimmy Carter said that they will focus on the shortages of food, rights of man and denuclearization when they travel to the North Korea this week.

A delegation of the group "The Elders" of the former State leaders will visit Pyongyang Tuesday to seek ways to ease tensions on the North Korea nuclear weapons programs, they told a press conference in Beijing.

The Group of four members, headed by Carter, includes the former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, Prime Minister, ex-norvégien Gro Harlem Brundtland and former Irish President Mary Robinson.

In addition to discussing ways of advancing the multi-nation talks on Denuclearisation of North Korea, Carter said that he would seek ways to ease sanctions on Pyongyang, which have exacerbated a serious food crisis.

"This is a horrible situation and we hope to encourage other countries to help alleviate (the food crisis), including the South Korea, which cut all supplies of food materials to the North Koreans,"Carter said of the journalists."

"When there is an entire people sanctions, people suffer the most, and leaders are suffering least."

Robinson said one-third of the children of the Korea of the North suffered from delayed growth due to a lack of food, while almost 3.5 million people were vulnerable to the crisis growing which has seen the average food rations cut in half this year to 700 calories per day and per person.

"It is very, very important to ensure that women, children and elderly people do not suffer because of a political, said Robinson." We will be very well be highlighting this.

"We believe really that humanitarian issues and human rights are also very important."

Food agencies of the United Nations, which recently visited the North say more than six million people – a quarter of the population - urgently need food aid.

Carter said the delegation hopes to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, but for the moment such a meeting has not been announced. The trip was organized at the invitation of the Korea of the North.

The delegation was to meet with Minister of Foreign Affairs Yang Jiechi China and other Chinese experts on the North Korea later Monday. The group, which will publish a report on their findings, will fly to Seoul Thursday.

Talks between the two Koreas, China, United States, Japan and Russia six-party disarmament became stalled since Pyongyang was released in April 2008 and made its second nuclear test staged a month later.

Cross-border tensions have been exacerbated when the North Korea bombed a border in November, killing four South Korean, including two civilians, and generate fears of war.

The first attack against civilians since the 1950-53 weeks Korea war after Pyongyang revealed an apparently operational uranium enrichment plant to American experts visit.

The North that it was a peaceful but experts energy project said that he could be reconfigured to produce weapons-grade uranium.

Copyright ? AFP 2011. All rights reserved. "More".

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Parliament ex-États-Unis to visit Kadhafi

反序列化操作 "translate" 的响应消息的正文时出现错误。读取 XML 数据时，超出最大字符串内容长度配额 (8192) 。通过更改在创建 XML 读取器时所使用的 XmlDictionaryReaderQuotas 对象的 MaxStringContentLength 属性，可增加此配额。 第 1 行，位置为 9155。
Libyan town crushed by Gadhafi's armyNEW: Muammar Gadhafi sends letter to U.S. State Department, source saysFormer U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon to urge Gadhafi to step down, calls for cease-fireWeldon's proposal also calls on rebel forces not to advance furtherRebel fighters try to recover from onslaught by pro-Gadhafi forces

Tripoli, Libya (CNN) - As rebel forces in Libya endure setbacks on the battlefield, a former U.S. lawmaker came to Tripoli armed with a plan to end the bloody war.

Ex - U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon, who met with Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi before within the last decade, paid a visit to the Libyan capital with a cease-fire plan and a clear message to the embattled ruler that he must step down.

The diplomatic overture occurred as rebel fighters try to recover from a heavy artillery barrage by Gadhafi forces in the town of al-Brega and residents in the western city of Misrata spend their days in fear.

Weldon's trip comes amid other moves. A U.S. representative paid a visit to opposition leaders in Benghazi in the east. And Gadhafi sent a letter to the U.S. State Department, according to a senior administration official. There were no. details on the contents.

In an interview with CNN affiliate WPIX-TV in New York, Weldon said he plans to meet with Gadhafi and Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khalid Khaim.

"It's a very solemn time because there's so much at risk here," said Weldon, who led a congressional delegation to Libya in 2004 and is visiting Tripoli at Gadhafi's invitation. Weldon is a Republican who represented a suburban Philadelphia district.

"I'm here to tell him face to face it's time for him to leave." "It's time for him to step down, allow the people to take over the government of this country."

In an opinion piece he wrote for The New York Times, Weldon is proposing a cease-fire, "with the Libyan Army withdrawing from contested cities and rebel forces ending attempts to advance."

"I've met him enough times to know that it will be very hard to simply bomb him into submission," Weldon wrote.

"then we must identify and engage with those leaders who, if not perfect, are pragmatic and reform-minded and thus best positioned to lead the country," he added.

Libya remains in a deadly stalemate as pro-Gadhafi forces battle opposition fighters demanding democracy and an end to Gadhafi's nearly 42-year-rule.

Rebel leaders have criticized NATO's mission to help protect civilians in recent days, saying residents in Misrata and elsewhere have suffered under horrific attacks from pro-Gadhafi forces with little evidence of NATO air power overhead.

"I am extremely sorry to say this, but NATO truly disappointed us," Gen. Abdul Fatah Younis, the opposition's top military official, said Tuesday. "civilians are being killed every day, including children, women and elderly." If NATO will wait another week, Misrata will be finished. No one will be left alive. "Do they want to wait and watch them die, and let this crime be a shameful disgrace for the international community forever?"

The NATO-led coalition in Libya is largely Western purpose it does include Arab nations, including the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Also, the Jordanian foreign minister announced Tuesday that royal air force fighter jets joined a military base in Europe "to provide logistical support for imposition of a no. - fly zone over Libya and protect Jordanian military aircraft flying humanitarian aid to Libyan people""," according to a report in state media.

NATO Brig. Gen. Marc van Uhm said weather conditions and tactics by Gadhafi regime have hindered their efforts.

In addition to using human shields and hiding equipment in populated areas, pro-Gadhafi forces have started abandoning heavy military equipment in favor of the same kinds of cars and light trucks the rebels travel in, making it difficult for pilots to distinguish from those carrying Antonucci rebel forces loyal to the regimevan Uhm said.

Since the effort to enforce a U.N. Security Council resolution began in mid-March, airstrikes have taken out about 30% of Gadhafi's military capacity, van Uhm said.

NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said the warplanes had conducted 334 strike sorties since taking command of the mission on March 23. NATO is operating under a Security Council resolution authorizing the use of force to protect Libyan civilians.

But residents in Misrata said this week that Gadhafi forces have trapped the city, with snipers shooting indiscriminately. Access to food has been hampered.

"Normal life is a luxury that we don't have," one resident said. "I haven't taken my family out for four weeks now." All schools are closed, my children didn't go to school since the 19th of February. All government offices are closed. "even dead people are buried without death certificates."

After weeks of relentless fighting, a military victory for either side seems remote. A political or diplomatic solution might be the only way to end the crisis.

Weldon said that in addition to his proposals for Gadhafi's stepping down, a cease-fire on both sides and the withdrawal of government forces from key cities, he is calling for a halt in further advances by rebel forces; the creation of a joint interim government run by Libya's current prime minister and the opposition leader. unfettered humanitarian access; and the establishment of a parliamentary commission that would include U.S., Middle Eastern, European and African politicians helping to establish a new parliament in Libya.

As for as the Gadhafi family, Weldon's proposals also suggest a possible title for Gadhafi as honorary chairman of the African Union and allowing his second-oldest son, Saif, to stand in elections.

In eastern Libya, a U.S. special representative to the Libyan opposition, Chris Stevens, arrived in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi to meet with members of the Transitional National Council, a State Department spokesman said Tuesday.

Stevens will assess what kind of "practical, nonlethal" assistance the United States might provide, according to the State Department.

The U.S. Treasury has frozen more than $32 billion in assets held by Gadhafi and members of his regime. Asked whether the opposition should be able to have access to those funds, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the United States "is well aware there is an urgency, that the Transitional National Council does need funding if it's to survive"", and we're looking at ways to assist that." Purpose Toner said he did not know the status of the $32 billion.

Gadhafi's regime has indicated a political change could be possible. A source close to Libya's leadership said a Libyan envoy has been floating the idea of turning his power over to Saif Gadhafi Gadhafi.

Goal Abdul Hafiz Ghoga, deputy chairman of the Transitional National Council, flatly rejected a future with any Gadhafi.

"We will not accept Gadhafi or any of his sons or aid ruling us ever again for even one hour," he said. "this is impossible." We will never accept that. "we said it clearly - we will not accept any compromise, any negotiation, any solution with the current regime."

He also said the opposition won't offer concessions to Gadhafi.

"what kind of concessions can we offer a regime that is killing its people?" We will either win or the other side will defeat. "we have no other option."CNN's Nic Robertson, Reza Sayah, Ben Wedeman, Jill Dougherty and Yousuf Basil contributed to this report.

View the original article here

Parliament ex-États-Unis to visit Kadhafi

反序列化操作 "translate" 的响应消息的正文时出现错误。读取 XML 数据时，超出最大字符串内容长度配额 (8192) 。通过更改在创建 XML 读取器时所使用的 XmlDictionaryReaderQuotas 对象的 MaxStringContentLength 属性，可增加此配额。 第 1 行，位置为 9155。
Libyan town crushed by Gadhafi's armyNEW: Muammar Gadhafi sends letter to U.S. State Department, source saysFormer U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon to urge Gadhafi to step down, calls for cease-fireWeldon's proposal also calls on rebel forces not to advance furtherRebel fighters try to recover from onslaught by pro-Gadhafi forces

Tripoli, Libya (CNN) - As rebel forces in Libya endure setbacks on the battlefield, a former U.S. lawmaker came to Tripoli armed with a plan to end the bloody war.

Ex - U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon, who met with Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi before within the last decade, paid a visit to the Libyan capital with a cease-fire plan and a clear message to the embattled ruler that he must step down.

The diplomatic overture occurred as rebel fighters try to recover from a heavy artillery barrage by Gadhafi forces in the town of al-Brega and residents in the western city of Misrata spend their days in fear.

Weldon's trip comes amid other moves. A U.S. representative paid a visit to opposition leaders in Benghazi in the east. And Gadhafi sent a letter to the U.S. State Department, according to a senior administration official. There were no. details on the contents.

In an interview with CNN affiliate WPIX-TV in New York, Weldon said he plans to meet with Gadhafi and Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khalid Khaim.

"It's a very solemn time because there's so much at risk here," said Weldon, who led a congressional delegation to Libya in 2004 and is visiting Tripoli at Gadhafi's invitation. Weldon is a Republican who represented a suburban Philadelphia district.

"I'm here to tell him face to face it's time for him to leave." "It's time for him to step down, allow the people to take over the government of this country."

In an opinion piece he wrote for The New York Times, Weldon is proposing a cease-fire, "with the Libyan Army withdrawing from contested cities and rebel forces ending attempts to advance."

"I've met him enough times to know that it will be very hard to simply bomb him into submission," Weldon wrote.

"then we must identify and engage with those leaders who, if not perfect, are pragmatic and reform-minded and thus best positioned to lead the country," he added.

Libya remains in a deadly stalemate as pro-Gadhafi forces battle opposition fighters demanding democracy and an end to Gadhafi's nearly 42-year-rule.

Rebel leaders have criticized NATO's mission to help protect civilians in recent days, saying residents in Misrata and elsewhere have suffered under horrific attacks from pro-Gadhafi forces with little evidence of NATO air power overhead.

"I am extremely sorry to say this, but NATO truly disappointed us," Gen. Abdul Fatah Younis, the opposition's top military official, said Tuesday. "civilians are being killed every day, including children, women and elderly." If NATO will wait another week, Misrata will be finished. No one will be left alive. "Do they want to wait and watch them die, and let this crime be a shameful disgrace for the international community forever?"

The NATO-led coalition in Libya is largely Western purpose it does include Arab nations, including the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Also, the Jordanian foreign minister announced Tuesday that royal air force fighter jets joined a military base in Europe "to provide logistical support for imposition of a no. - fly zone over Libya and protect Jordanian military aircraft flying humanitarian aid to Libyan people""," according to a report in state media.

NATO Brig. Gen. Marc van Uhm said weather conditions and tactics by Gadhafi regime have hindered their efforts.

In addition to using human shields and hiding equipment in populated areas, pro-Gadhafi forces have started abandoning heavy military equipment in favor of the same kinds of cars and light trucks the rebels travel in, making it difficult for pilots to distinguish from those carrying Antonucci rebel forces loyal to the regimevan Uhm said.

Since the effort to enforce a U.N. Security Council resolution began in mid-March, airstrikes have taken out about 30% of Gadhafi's military capacity, van Uhm said.

NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said the warplanes had conducted 334 strike sorties since taking command of the mission on March 23. NATO is operating under a Security Council resolution authorizing the use of force to protect Libyan civilians.

But residents in Misrata said this week that Gadhafi forces have trapped the city, with snipers shooting indiscriminately. Access to food has been hampered.

"Normal life is a luxury that we don't have," one resident said. "I haven't taken my family out for four weeks now." All schools are closed, my children didn't go to school since the 19th of February. All government offices are closed. "even dead people are buried without death certificates."

After weeks of relentless fighting, a military victory for either side seems remote. A political or diplomatic solution might be the only way to end the crisis.

Weldon said that in addition to his proposals for Gadhafi's stepping down, a cease-fire on both sides and the withdrawal of government forces from key cities, he is calling for a halt in further advances by rebel forces; the creation of a joint interim government run by Libya's current prime minister and the opposition leader. unfettered humanitarian access; and the establishment of a parliamentary commission that would include U.S., Middle Eastern, European and African politicians helping to establish a new parliament in Libya.

As for as the Gadhafi family, Weldon's proposals also suggest a possible title for Gadhafi as honorary chairman of the African Union and allowing his second-oldest son, Saif, to stand in elections.

In eastern Libya, a U.S. special representative to the Libyan opposition, Chris Stevens, arrived in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi to meet with members of the Transitional National Council, a State Department spokesman said Tuesday.

Stevens will assess what kind of "practical, nonlethal" assistance the United States might provide, according to the State Department.

The U.S. Treasury has frozen more than $32 billion in assets held by Gadhafi and members of his regime. Asked whether the opposition should be able to have access to those funds, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the United States "is well aware there is an urgency, that the Transitional National Council does need funding if it's to survive"", and we're looking at ways to assist that." Purpose Toner said he did not know the status of the $32 billion.

Gadhafi's regime has indicated a political change could be possible. A source close to Libya's leadership said a Libyan envoy has been floating the idea of turning his power over to Saif Gadhafi Gadhafi.

Goal Abdul Hafiz Ghoga, deputy chairman of the Transitional National Council, flatly rejected a future with any Gadhafi.

"We will not accept Gadhafi or any of his sons or aid ruling us ever again for even one hour," he said. "this is impossible." We will never accept that. "we said it clearly - we will not accept any compromise, any negotiation, any solution with the current regime."

He also said the opposition won't offer concessions to Gadhafi.

"what kind of concessions can we offer a regime that is killing its people?" We will either win or the other side will defeat. "we have no other option."CNN's Nic Robertson, Reza Sayah, Ben Wedeman, Jill Dougherty and Yousuf Basil contributed to this report.

View the original article here

Parliament ex-États-Unis to visit Kadhafi

反序列化操作 "translate" 的响应消息的正文时出现错误。读取 XML 数据时，超出最大字符串内容长度配额 (8192) 。通过更改在创建 XML 读取器时所使用的 XmlDictionaryReaderQuotas 对象的 MaxStringContentLength 属性，可增加此配额。 第 1 行，位置为 9155。
Libyan town crushed by Gadhafi's armyNEW: Muammar Gadhafi sends letter to U.S. State Department, source saysFormer U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon to urge Gadhafi to step down, calls for cease-fireWeldon's proposal also calls on rebel forces not to advance furtherRebel fighters try to recover from onslaught by pro-Gadhafi forces

Tripoli, Libya (CNN) - As rebel forces in Libya endure setbacks on the battlefield, a former U.S. lawmaker came to Tripoli armed with a plan to end the bloody war.

Ex - U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon, who met with Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi before within the last decade, paid a visit to the Libyan capital with a cease-fire plan and a clear message to the embattled ruler that he must step down.

The diplomatic overture occurred as rebel fighters try to recover from a heavy artillery barrage by Gadhafi forces in the town of al-Brega and residents in the western city of Misrata spend their days in fear.

Weldon's trip comes amid other moves. A U.S. representative paid a visit to opposition leaders in Benghazi in the east. And Gadhafi sent a letter to the U.S. State Department, according to a senior administration official. There were no. details on the contents.

In an interview with CNN affiliate WPIX-TV in New York, Weldon said he plans to meet with Gadhafi and Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khalid Khaim.

"It's a very solemn time because there's so much at risk here," said Weldon, who led a congressional delegation to Libya in 2004 and is visiting Tripoli at Gadhafi's invitation. Weldon is a Republican who represented a suburban Philadelphia district.

"I'm here to tell him face to face it's time for him to leave." "It's time for him to step down, allow the people to take over the government of this country."

In an opinion piece he wrote for The New York Times, Weldon is proposing a cease-fire, "with the Libyan Army withdrawing from contested cities and rebel forces ending attempts to advance."

"I've met him enough times to know that it will be very hard to simply bomb him into submission," Weldon wrote.

"then we must identify and engage with those leaders who, if not perfect, are pragmatic and reform-minded and thus best positioned to lead the country," he added.

Libya remains in a deadly stalemate as pro-Gadhafi forces battle opposition fighters demanding democracy and an end to Gadhafi's nearly 42-year-rule.

Rebel leaders have criticized NATO's mission to help protect civilians in recent days, saying residents in Misrata and elsewhere have suffered under horrific attacks from pro-Gadhafi forces with little evidence of NATO air power overhead.

"I am extremely sorry to say this, but NATO truly disappointed us," Gen. Abdul Fatah Younis, the opposition's top military official, said Tuesday. "civilians are being killed every day, including children, women and elderly." If NATO will wait another week, Misrata will be finished. No one will be left alive. "Do they want to wait and watch them die, and let this crime be a shameful disgrace for the international community forever?"

The NATO-led coalition in Libya is largely Western purpose it does include Arab nations, including the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Also, the Jordanian foreign minister announced Tuesday that royal air force fighter jets joined a military base in Europe "to provide logistical support for imposition of a no. - fly zone over Libya and protect Jordanian military aircraft flying humanitarian aid to Libyan people""," according to a report in state media.

NATO Brig. Gen. Marc van Uhm said weather conditions and tactics by Gadhafi regime have hindered their efforts.

In addition to using human shields and hiding equipment in populated areas, pro-Gadhafi forces have started abandoning heavy military equipment in favor of the same kinds of cars and light trucks the rebels travel in, making it difficult for pilots to distinguish from those carrying Antonucci rebel forces loyal to the regimevan Uhm said.

Since the effort to enforce a U.N. Security Council resolution began in mid-March, airstrikes have taken out about 30% of Gadhafi's military capacity, van Uhm said.

NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said the warplanes had conducted 334 strike sorties since taking command of the mission on March 23. NATO is operating under a Security Council resolution authorizing the use of force to protect Libyan civilians.

But residents in Misrata said this week that Gadhafi forces have trapped the city, with snipers shooting indiscriminately. Access to food has been hampered.

"Normal life is a luxury that we don't have," one resident said. "I haven't taken my family out for four weeks now." All schools are closed, my children didn't go to school since the 19th of February. All government offices are closed. "even dead people are buried without death certificates."

After weeks of relentless fighting, a military victory for either side seems remote. A political or diplomatic solution might be the only way to end the crisis.

Weldon said that in addition to his proposals for Gadhafi's stepping down, a cease-fire on both sides and the withdrawal of government forces from key cities, he is calling for a halt in further advances by rebel forces; the creation of a joint interim government run by Libya's current prime minister and the opposition leader. unfettered humanitarian access; and the establishment of a parliamentary commission that would include U.S., Middle Eastern, European and African politicians helping to establish a new parliament in Libya.

As for as the Gadhafi family, Weldon's proposals also suggest a possible title for Gadhafi as honorary chairman of the African Union and allowing his second-oldest son, Saif, to stand in elections.

In eastern Libya, a U.S. special representative to the Libyan opposition, Chris Stevens, arrived in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi to meet with members of the Transitional National Council, a State Department spokesman said Tuesday.

Stevens will assess what kind of "practical, nonlethal" assistance the United States might provide, according to the State Department.

The U.S. Treasury has frozen more than $32 billion in assets held by Gadhafi and members of his regime. Asked whether the opposition should be able to have access to those funds, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the United States "is well aware there is an urgency, that the Transitional National Council does need funding if it's to survive"", and we're looking at ways to assist that." Purpose Toner said he did not know the status of the $32 billion.

Gadhafi's regime has indicated a political change could be possible. A source close to Libya's leadership said a Libyan envoy has been floating the idea of turning his power over to Saif Gadhafi Gadhafi.

Goal Abdul Hafiz Ghoga, deputy chairman of the Transitional National Council, flatly rejected a future with any Gadhafi.

"We will not accept Gadhafi or any of his sons or aid ruling us ever again for even one hour," he said. "this is impossible." We will never accept that. "we said it clearly - we will not accept any compromise, any negotiation, any solution with the current regime."

He also said the opposition won't offer concessions to Gadhafi.

"what kind of concessions can we offer a regime that is killing its people?" We will either win or the other side will defeat. "we have no other option."CNN's Nic Robertson, Reza Sayah, Ben Wedeman, Jill Dougherty and Yousuf Basil contributed to this report.

View the original article here

Parliament ex-États-Unis to visit Kadhafi

反序列化操作 "translate" 的响应消息的正文时出现错误。读取 XML 数据时，超出最大字符串内容长度配额 (8192) 。通过更改在创建 XML 读取器时所使用的 XmlDictionaryReaderQuotas 对象的 MaxStringContentLength 属性，可增加此配额。 第 1 行，位置为 9155。
Libyan town crushed by Gadhafi's armyNEW: Muammar Gadhafi sends letter to U.S. State Department, source saysFormer U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon to urge Gadhafi to step down, calls for cease-fireWeldon's proposal also calls on rebel forces not to advance furtherRebel fighters try to recover from onslaught by pro-Gadhafi forces

Tripoli, Libya (CNN) - As rebel forces in Libya endure setbacks on the battlefield, a former U.S. lawmaker came to Tripoli armed with a plan to end the bloody war.

Ex - U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon, who met with Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi before within the last decade, paid a visit to the Libyan capital with a cease-fire plan and a clear message to the embattled ruler that he must step down.

The diplomatic overture occurred as rebel fighters try to recover from a heavy artillery barrage by Gadhafi forces in the town of al-Brega and residents in the western city of Misrata spend their days in fear.

Weldon's trip comes amid other moves. A U.S. representative paid a visit to opposition leaders in Benghazi in the east. And Gadhafi sent a letter to the U.S. State Department, according to a senior administration official. There were no. details on the contents.

In an interview with CNN affiliate WPIX-TV in New York, Weldon said he plans to meet with Gadhafi and Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khalid Khaim.

"It's a very solemn time because there's so much at risk here," said Weldon, who led a congressional delegation to Libya in 2004 and is visiting Tripoli at Gadhafi's invitation. Weldon is a Republican who represented a suburban Philadelphia district.

"I'm here to tell him face to face it's time for him to leave." "It's time for him to step down, allow the people to take over the government of this country."

In an opinion piece he wrote for The New York Times, Weldon is proposing a cease-fire, "with the Libyan Army withdrawing from contested cities and rebel forces ending attempts to advance."

"I've met him enough times to know that it will be very hard to simply bomb him into submission," Weldon wrote.

"then we must identify and engage with those leaders who, if not perfect, are pragmatic and reform-minded and thus best positioned to lead the country," he added.

Libya remains in a deadly stalemate as pro-Gadhafi forces battle opposition fighters demanding democracy and an end to Gadhafi's nearly 42-year-rule.

Rebel leaders have criticized NATO's mission to help protect civilians in recent days, saying residents in Misrata and elsewhere have suffered under horrific attacks from pro-Gadhafi forces with little evidence of NATO air power overhead.

"I am extremely sorry to say this, but NATO truly disappointed us," Gen. Abdul Fatah Younis, the opposition's top military official, said Tuesday. "civilians are being killed every day, including children, women and elderly." If NATO will wait another week, Misrata will be finished. No one will be left alive. "Do they want to wait and watch them die, and let this crime be a shameful disgrace for the international community forever?"

The NATO-led coalition in Libya is largely Western purpose it does include Arab nations, including the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Also, the Jordanian foreign minister announced Tuesday that royal air force fighter jets joined a military base in Europe "to provide logistical support for imposition of a no. - fly zone over Libya and protect Jordanian military aircraft flying humanitarian aid to Libyan people""," according to a report in state media.

NATO Brig. Gen. Marc van Uhm said weather conditions and tactics by Gadhafi regime have hindered their efforts.

In addition to using human shields and hiding equipment in populated areas, pro-Gadhafi forces have started abandoning heavy military equipment in favor of the same kinds of cars and light trucks the rebels travel in, making it difficult for pilots to distinguish from those carrying Antonucci rebel forces loyal to the regimevan Uhm said.

Since the effort to enforce a U.N. Security Council resolution began in mid-March, airstrikes have taken out about 30% of Gadhafi's military capacity, van Uhm said.

NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said the warplanes had conducted 334 strike sorties since taking command of the mission on March 23. NATO is operating under a Security Council resolution authorizing the use of force to protect Libyan civilians.

But residents in Misrata said this week that Gadhafi forces have trapped the city, with snipers shooting indiscriminately. Access to food has been hampered.

"Normal life is a luxury that we don't have," one resident said. "I haven't taken my family out for four weeks now." All schools are closed, my children didn't go to school since the 19th of February. All government offices are closed. "even dead people are buried without death certificates."

After weeks of relentless fighting, a military victory for either side seems remote. A political or diplomatic solution might be the only way to end the crisis.

Weldon said that in addition to his proposals for Gadhafi's stepping down, a cease-fire on both sides and the withdrawal of government forces from key cities, he is calling for a halt in further advances by rebel forces; the creation of a joint interim government run by Libya's current prime minister and the opposition leader. unfettered humanitarian access; and the establishment of a parliamentary commission that would include U.S., Middle Eastern, European and African politicians helping to establish a new parliament in Libya.

As for as the Gadhafi family, Weldon's proposals also suggest a possible title for Gadhafi as honorary chairman of the African Union and allowing his second-oldest son, Saif, to stand in elections.

In eastern Libya, a U.S. special representative to the Libyan opposition, Chris Stevens, arrived in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi to meet with members of the Transitional National Council, a State Department spokesman said Tuesday.

Stevens will assess what kind of "practical, nonlethal" assistance the United States might provide, according to the State Department.

The U.S. Treasury has frozen more than $32 billion in assets held by Gadhafi and members of his regime. Asked whether the opposition should be able to have access to those funds, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the United States "is well aware there is an urgency, that the Transitional National Council does need funding if it's to survive"", and we're looking at ways to assist that." Purpose Toner said he did not know the status of the $32 billion.

Gadhafi's regime has indicated a political change could be possible. A source close to Libya's leadership said a Libyan envoy has been floating the idea of turning his power over to Saif Gadhafi Gadhafi.

Goal Abdul Hafiz Ghoga, deputy chairman of the Transitional National Council, flatly rejected a future with any Gadhafi.

"We will not accept Gadhafi or any of his sons or aid ruling us ever again for even one hour," he said. "this is impossible." We will never accept that. "we said it clearly - we will not accept any compromise, any negotiation, any solution with the current regime."

He also said the opposition won't offer concessions to Gadhafi.

"what kind of concessions can we offer a regime that is killing its people?" We will either win or the other side will defeat. "we have no other option."CNN's Nic Robertson, Reza Sayah, Ben Wedeman, Jill Dougherty and Yousuf Basil contributed to this report.

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