A government minder looks at the rubble left by bombardment in a compound beside a food storage warehouse bombed by NATO forces according to Libyan officials in the town of Zlitan, 160km east of Tripoli, July 25, 2011.CAREN FIROUZ/REUTERS
The part of Libya under Moammar Gadhafi's control is wracked by shortages in fuel, food and cash despite a veneer of normalcy, according to a U.N. fact-finding mission.
In a report late Monday, the United Nations said its weeklong mission to the country identified lack of fuel, rising food prices, a strained medical system, and a cash crunch as some of the problems besetting Mr. Gadhafi's government.
Mr. Gadhafi's regime and Libya's rebels have been locked in a stalemate on various fronts across the country, despite a NATO bombing campaign directed against Mr. Gadhafi's forces. The rebels control eastern Libya and pockets in the west of the country, while Mr. Gadhafi clings to the rest, including the capital of Tripoli.
NATO spokeswoman Carmen Romero said Tuesday the bombing campaign, now in its fifth month, will continue as long as needed and that Mr. Gadhafi cannot "wait us out."
When NATO took command of operations, it had expected that a sharp blow would quickly persuade Mr. Gadhafi to yield power.
Amid the deadlock, there appeared to be an emerging international consensus that Mr. Gadhafi could stay in Libya if he resigns. British Foreign Secretary William Hague on Monday signed on to the idea first floated last week by his French counterpart. The White House has said the decision is up to the Libyan people.
The Libyan rebels have been divided on the issue. Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, head of the rebels' National Transitional Council, was quoted twice this month, most recently on Monday, as saying he would consider such an arrangement acceptable.
However, each time, he quickly backtracked, an apparent sign of division among the rebels.
Mahmoud Shammam, a rebel spokesman, said Tuesday that Mr. Abdul-Jalil was misquoted in his most recent comments to The Wall Street Journal on Monday. "The proposal (of letting Mr. Gadhafi stay) has no value," Mr. Shammam said after speaking with Mr. Abdul-Jalil. "Let him (Mr. Gadhafi) and his family go to hell."
A rebellion that erupted against Mr. Gadhafi's long time rule in mid-February has descended into a civil war with roughly half the country now outside government hands.
The U.N. has passed sanctions against Mr. Gadhafi's regime that make importing fuel and goods difficult, and at least 30 countries have recognized the rebels as the country's legitimate representatives.
"Although the mission observed aspects of normalcy in Tripoli, members identified pockets of vulnerability where people need urgent humanitarian assistance," Humanitarian Coordinator Laurence Hart said about the UN mission, which concluded Sunday.
The UN said the country's medical system is under strain not only because of casualties from the fighting with rebels but the departure of thousands of foreign health workers that kept the system running.
Libya's acute fuel crisis is also a major problem, said the statement, with endless gas lines around petrol stations despite a fuel rationing system.
The UN quoted Libyan experts claiming that supplies might run out in two weeks.
Gasoline and other products are currently imported or smuggled through Tunisia and neighbouring Algeria. Libya also has working refineries, but not enough capacity to meet daily demand.
The Islamic fasting month of Ramadan is expected to start Monday and will likely add further strain to the country's food supplies.
"There are also concerns over the unsustainable food supply chain for the public distribution systems, especially as Ramadan approaches and the conflict persists," the UN said. Following a dawn to dusk fast, families during Ramadan are accustomed to large feasts after sundown.
Banks are also restricting the amount of cash people can withdraw, the UN said, after many Libyans withdrew their savings at the start of the crisis.
The battle between the Libyan government and the rebels has descended into a stalemate with little movement on the various fronts across the country, despite a NATO bombing campaign directed against Mr. Gadhafi's forces.