Gaddafi threatens “martyr” attacks in Europe

Gaddafi threatened today to send hundreds of Libyans to launch attacks in Europe in revenge for the NATO-led military campaign.
“Hundreds of Libyans will martyr in Europe. I told you it is eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth. But we will give them a chance to come back to their senses,” Gaddafi said in a televised speech.
Today, only thousands of Libyans poured into Tripoli’s main square for mass prayers and a rally in support of Gaddafi as European officials laid out plans to bolster ties with the National Transitional Council (NTC) trying to oust his four decade rule.
Worshippers congregated under tents set up in the square to shield themselves from the hot midday sun. Some wore photos of Gadhafi around their necks, while others carried signs bearing his portrait.
In his sermon, the imam urged Libyans to stop fighting one another, and said Western nations had intervened in Libya’s war because they were after the country’s oil.
“Pray for a victory over NATO,” he told worshippers, adding that “God will punish those who brought NATO here” — an apparent reference to the NTC based in the liberated eastern city of Benghazi.
Friday is the Muslim day of rest. With many people off work, it is generally the day the Middle East witnesses its biggest protests.
After the prayers finished, many worshippers began waving the green national flag and chanting pro-Gaddafi slogans as government minders rushed visiting journalists to a rooftop overlooking the square for a better view.
While thousands of supporters rallied, many other worshippers dodged the political slogans by streaming out of the square as soon as prayers finished.
In Brussels, the European Union said that Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, will meet next Wednesday with a delegation of the NTC headed by its diplomatic chief Mahmoud Jibril.
In May, EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton opened a diplomatic office in Benghazi and pledged support for a democratic Libya.
The NTC delegation is also scheduled to visit NATO and meet with Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
In an interview with The Associated Press in Naples, Italy, Rasmussen said opposition forces trying to topple Gaddafi are making progress. But he emphasized that political progress is needed because “there is no military solution to the conflict solely.”
NATO began airstrikes against Libya in March. The coalition and its Arab allies are operating under a U.N. mandate to protect civilians.
Libya’s revolutionary forces, collectively known as the National Liberation army, have consolidated their power over much of eastern Libya. They also hold pockets in the west, including the port city of Misrata and a string of towns in the western Nafusa Mountains southwest of Tripoli, but have struggled to mount a major push toward the capital.
Gaddafi troops shelled rebel positions west of Misrata today, killing five revolutionary fighters and injuring others, activist Mohammed Slim said via Skype. It was unclear if any Gaddaf troops were killed.