Tripoli: The Libyan government on Friday announced ceasefire with immediate effect, hours after the UN authorised a no-fly zone over Libya and US and allies readied plans for a military action which France said could come "within hours". Speaking in Tripoli, Libyan Foregn Minister Moussa Koussa said, "We will safeguard our citizens and territory."
He implored all governments and NGOs to send fact finding missions to Libya to come to the right decision and ascertain facts on the ground.
"The country will try to deal positively with this (UN) resolution,' Koussa said. "We are obliged to accept UN resolution and all dialogue channels will be opened," he added.
He also said that the Libyan government is obliged to protect all foreign nationals.
The Libyan government also announced to halt air operation against rebels.
Koussa's unannounced broadcast came as Gaddafi's forces were still reported to be 120 kms away from the rebel stronghold of Benghazi and his men were locked in pitched battles with rebels at the key town of Ajdaibya in the east and Zintan, Nalut and Misurata in western Libya.
Al Jazeera said that Gaddafi's forces had encircled Ajdaibya, occupying its eastern, western and southern outskirts and tanks and artillery were pounding Misurata. Some of his forces had bypassed Ajdaibya, to head towards Benghazi.
But, Gaddafi's air force as well as helicopter gunships were not in action as the Arab channel said Libyan strongman had paused his generals in an apparent bid to marshal his forces to contend with expected Western air strikes.
Al Jazeera said rebel forces were not contactable immediately to know whether the ceasefire had taken force on the battle lines.
Gaddafi's cave-in came as British Prime Minister David Cameron and the French government spokesman said the allied air strikes could come "rapidly... within a few hours".
Cameron announced in the House of Commons that Royal Air Force will send its latest typhoon fighters along with the older tornadoes "in the coming hours" to enforce a no-fly zone.
He told lawmakers that Britain will join the UN authorised operations to stop Gaddafi from launching "a brutal attack using air, land and sea forces" on the people of Benghazi, BBC reported.
After the UN Security Council approved the resolution, US President Barack Obama telephoned the leaders of France and UK, the White House said, in an apparent bid to give final shape to the action blueprint.
(With additional information from PTI)
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