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Aid Ship Reaches Libyan Rebel-Held Port

27 April 2011 21:29 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. An international aid ship has docked in Libya’s rebel-held port of Misrata after NATO airstrikes helped stop a bombardment of the area by pro-government forces, APA reports quoting â€œThe Voice of Americaâ€.

The International Organization for Migration says relief workers began rescuing refugees from the besieged western port and unloading humanitarian aid after the ship pulled into Misrata on Wednesday.

Intense shelling by forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi delayed the ship’s docking on Tuesday. At least three migrant workers were reported killed and up to 20 wounded in the assault.

Warplanes of the allied NATO mission continued their targeted strikes on Wednesday. NATO reported the pilot of an F-16 fighter ejected safely on landing at an air base in Italy after a Libya mission. NATO says the incident was routine and the plane was not damaged as a result of a combat.

Libyan state television reported on Wednesday that Libya is considering legal action in international courts against NATO after a strike earlier this week targeted a government compound. Libyan leaders claims NATO was trying to assassinate Gadhafi.

In Tripoli, United Nations investigators interviewed Libyan officials about allegations Gadhafi’s forces have committed human rights violations. The three-member commission is seeking access to prisons and hospitals to interview possible victims.

Meanwhile, the French News Agency (AFP) says chiefs or representatives from 61 Libyan tribes have called for an end to Gadhafi’s rule as fighting continued around the country.

The agency said on Wednesday that French writer Bernard-Henri Levi released a joint statement from the leaders who say the "Libya of tomorrow, once the dictator has gone" will be united.

Diplomatic efforts to end the crisis also took place in Ethiopia on Tuesday.

Libyan Foreign Minister Abdelati Obeidi urged the African Union (AU) to hold an emergency summit to discuss how to deal with western airstrikes.

Obeidi and rebel representatives have been meeting separately with AU officials in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, to discuss an end to the unrest.