Rebels retreated Wednesday from the oil-refinery port of Ras Lanouf along the coastal road leading to the capital Tripoli, after they came under heavy shelling from ground forces loyal to leader Col. Moammar Gadhafi, the Associated Press reported.
Coalition warplanes flew over the zone where the heaviest fighting was under way and explosions could be heard, indicating a new wave of airstrikes against Gadhafi's forces, AP said.
The rebels' retreat brought to the fore their difficulties overcoming Col. Gadhafi's heavily-armed forces, and the question of whether coalition forces will need to arm the rebels, an action that hasn't been ruled out by the U.S. or the U.K.
On Wednesday, U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron told lawmakers in the House of Commons that the government has "not ruled out" arming Libyan rebels if it was necessary to protect the country's civilians. Mr. Cameron said the United Nations Security Council resolution didn't prevent the provision of assistance to the rebels.
U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, at a summit of global leaders in London on Tuesday, also said the U.S. hadn't made any decision about arming the rebels. U.S. officials have said Washington is also studying the issue of formal recognition for the opposition leadership, the Interim National Council.
Leaders at the summit of 40 nations intensified their calls for Col. Gadhafi to stand down and talked to rebel leaders about how they can turn the repressive North African country into a democratic state. The summit focused on protecting Libyan civilians from Col. Gadhafi's military, and began preparing the government-in-waiting for a still-uncertain takeover of Tripoli.
"All of us must continue to increase the pressure on and deepen the isolation of the Gadhafi regime," Mrs. Clinton said in an address to the conference. "This includes a unified front of political and diplomatic pressure that makes clear to Gadhafi that he must go, that sends a strong message of accountability, and that sharpens the choice for those around him."
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Associated Press
Rebel forces pulled out of Ras Lanuf, Tuesday.
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Hillary Clinton, at a London summit with U.K. leader David Cameron, left, said the U.S. hasn't made a decision about arming the Libyan opposition.
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.The conference concluded that the alliance's top priorities are protecting civilians from Libyan government forces and distributing humanitarian aid.
But representatives at the conference stressed that the international community needed to start preparing for a new government to take over. "We must help the people of Libya now for the political future they want to build," British Prime Minister David Cameron said in a speech.
Mrs. Clinton, British Foreign Secretary William Hague and French Foreign Minister Alain Juppé met with the Libyan opposition movement's political chief, Mahmoud Jibril, on the sidelines of the conference.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was sending his special representative to Libya, former Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdelilah al-Khatib, to talk with both Col. Gadhafi's government and the rebel movement in the coming days.
Forces loyal to Col. Gadhafi have waged counterattacks this week and reversed some recent gains by rebel forces last weekend.
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.In the contested city of Misrata on Tuesday, government forces, who control one thoroughfare on the western flank of the city and have laid siege for a month, tried to make a push into the rebel-controlled center, according to a rebel leader there.
Their advance on rebels in Ras Lanuf comes after rebels lost control of the tiny coastal village of Bin Jawad, east of the strategic town of Sirte, on Tuesday. Late Tuesday night, Mr. Gadhafi's forces, positioned on the outskirts of of the town, pounded rebels with artillery and rocket fire.
Allies Meet as Rebels Move
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A Libyan rebel urged people to leave as shells from Gadhafi's forces started landing on the frontline outside of Bin Jawaad, Libya, Tuesday.
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.In a bid to show the regime's grip on power, state media highlighted the appearances of Col. Gadhafi on Sunday night and his son Khamis late Monday among crowds of cheering supporters at the leader's Bab Azizya compound in Tripoli.
The U.S.-led task force overseeing the military campaign will stand down Thursday as part of a plan to hand over control of the operation to a North Atlantic Treaty Organization commander, according to a U.S. official.
The Obama administration has been keen to hand control of the Libya military campaign to coalition partners, although U.S. forces are expected to play a vital support role in the days and weeks ahead.
Libya's opposition has sought to define itself as a secular, democratic movement that aims to reintegrate Libya into the international community. The council published a manifesto Tuesday calling for democratic elections, a new constitution and equality for women.
Opposition representatives in London said the council had begun providing health services in eastern Libya and looking to administer financial, judicial and educational services.
President Barack Obama said in a speech Monday that his administration is seeking ways to make available to the council more than $30 billion in Col. Gadhafi's funds recently frozen by the Treasury Department.
Mahmoud Shammam, a rebel council spokesman, said that in a meeting with Mrs. Clinton on Tuesday "she stopped short of recognition," and that he understood it was "not an easy thing."
Mr. Shammam emphasized that the rebels were relying on outside powers for support, but were intent on toppling Col. Gadhafi on their own. "We are asking for political support, and more than that we are asking for arms, but if we get both that would be great," he said.
Guma El-Gamaty, another Council spokesman, said that if Col. Gadhafi falls, he should face a fair trial in Libya. "We are not going to hang people in the street," Mr. Shammam added.
U.S. and European officials are hoping Col. Gadhafi will agree to step down, particularly if senior members of his government start to defect. "We have encouraged people around Gadhafi to sort of think seriously about what's in their best interest, what's in the best interest of Libya," said a senior U.S. official traveling with Mrs. Clinton.
"We urge Gadhafi and his people to leave and not cause any more bloodshed," Qatar's prime minister, Sheikh Hamad Bin Jissim Bin Jabr al-Thani, said in a press conference with Mr. Hague. "This offer might not be there after a few days," he said, referring to a possible asylum or exile.
Mrs. Clinton said a political resolution in Libya "could include [Gadhafi] leaving the country."
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