Gaddafi warns of long guerrilla war

Libya's fugitive ex-leader Muammar al-Gaddafi has warned of a long, guerrilla war in an audio message carried by loyalist TV channel al-Rai.

Prepare yourselves for a gang and guerrilla war, for urban warfare and popular resistance in every town … to defeat the enemy everywhere,'' he said in a second message of the day.

"The aim is to kill the enemy wherever he may be, whether he be Libyan or foreign," AFP reported him saying.

"We will never allow our (oil) wells and our ports to be under their (the West's) control. Our resistance will expand,'' vowed the 69-year-old colonel.

It was the second message in one day purporting to be from Gaddafi, whose whereabouts remain unknown, BBC reports.

Rebel forces are surrounding his hometown of Sirte and have given loyalists an extra week to negotiate their surrender.

Meanwhile, delegates from 63 countries met in Paris to discuss Libya urging the interim authorities to engage in reconciliation with their enemies, it reports.

Yesterday marked  the 42nd anniversary of Col Gaddafi's emergence as the leader of the coup that overthrew King Idris.

His messages were broadcast on the Syria-based al-Rai television.

BBC reports:

He vowed to fight "a long, long drawn out war" against what he called the occupation of Libya.

"The people will not allow you to take the oil and rob Libya's wealth that God has endowed Libya with," he said, claiming 2,000 tribes stood ready to defend Libya.

"Prepare yourselves for a gang and guerrilla war, for urban warfare and popular resistance in every town to defeat the enemy everywhere."

He said Tripoli would be "liberated inch by inch", but that his hometown of Sirte – which remains in loyalist hands – was now the capital city of Libya.

Al-Rai, based in Damascus, has repeatedly broadcast propaganda messages from the Gaddafis.

NTC chairman Mustafa Abdul Jalil called on his people to establish a society marked by tolerance, forgiveness and respect for the rule of law.

Earlier in the week Col Gaddafi's wife, two of his sons and his daughter fled to neighboring Algeria. Gaddafi himself has reportedly also tried to seek refuge there.

Gaddafi attempted to speak to Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika from the desert town of Ghadamis, just on the Libyan side of the border, but the Algerian leader refused to take the telephone call, El Watan newspaper reported.