Ibrahim Dabbashi, Libya's deputy envoy to the United Nations who had turned against Muammar Gaddafi, has called on the United Nations Security Council to pass a resolution imposing a no-fly zone in the North African country within the next 10 hours.
Dabbashi warned of 'genocide' in the eastern city of Ajdabiya and 'ethnic cleaning' in villages in the western part of the country. "We believe that in the coming hours we will see real genocide in Ajdabiya," he said. "The international community has to act within the next ten hours."
Dabbashi also expressed confidence that the present draft resolution would be modified to include 'air strikes.' "I believe something will be in the resolution to allow air strikes," he said. The text of the draft resolution, which has been co-authored by Britain and France, was circulated by Lebanon, a non-permanent member of the Council, on Tuesday.
On Saturday, the Arab League called for a no-fly zone to be imposed in Libya. However, questions have been raised about the implementation of this measure, including where would the assets come from and what areas will be covered.
Several countries on the Council are still not sold on the idea of taking such a measure, and there is no guarantee yet that the resolution will pass. The United States, for instance, has stopped short of endorsing the no-fly zone. "We are hoping to focus the efforts of the international community on actions that will have a real influence on events," Mark Kornblau, spokesperson for the US at the UN, told mediapersons on Thursday.
Speaking in Cairo, US secretary of state Hillary Clinton once again repeated that the US would not take any unilateral action on Libya. Li Baodong, China's ambassador to the UN, said on Tuesday the 'next step' by the Council depended on 'whether that will be helpful to bring back the peace and end violence'.
Meanwhile, Gaddafi's son claimed that the rebel stronghold of Benghazi, in the eastern part of the country, would fall in the next two days. Nawaf Salam, Lebanon's envoy to the UN, called on the 15-member body to act before then.
"I am sure you heard Saif al-Islam Gaddafi's statement that in two days they will be in Benghazi," Nawaf said on Thursday. "I hope the Security Council will prove him wrong."
In the wake of the possibility that Gaddafi's forces will be in Benghazi in the next 48 hours, UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon called for a ceasefire in Libya. "A campaign to bombard such an urban centre would massively place civilian lives at risk," said a statement from his spokesperson's office.
"The secretary-general is urging all parties in this conflict to accept an immediate ceasefire." Dabbashi, however, asserted that the rebels in Benghazi would not be defeated, and he added that 'around five' Arab countries would participate in imposing the no-fly zone.
"Benghazi will not fall in anyway," he said. In a letter to the Security Council, French President Nicholas Sarkozy said that it was 'high time' for a response to the appeal by the Arab League. "Together, we can save the martyred people of Libya. It is now a matter of days, if not hours," he wrote on Wednesday.
"The worst would be that the appeal of the League of the Arab States and the Security Council decisions be overruled by the force of arms."
Last month, the UNSC had adopted a resolution slapping sanctions on the Libyan regime, which included a complete arms embargo, an asset freeze and a travel ban on Gaddafi and his loyalists, and a referral to The Hague-based International Criminal Court.
The second part of the draft resolution focuses on the strengthening and widening of the sanctions, which are already in place.
