Gaddafi asks West not to intervene in Libyan affairs

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi on Saturday sent a strong message to the West, asking it not to meddle in the internal affairs of his country, even as a rebel plane was shot down over Benghazi by pro-Gaddafi forces.

Gaddafi sent urgent messages to world leaders, including United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and US President Barack Obama.

?Libya is not yours, Libya belongs to all Libyans,? Gaddafi said in the message, Libyan government spokesperson Ibrahim Moussa informed.

Gaddafi maintained that the fighters in Benghazi were members of Al-Qaida.

Rejecting the UN Security Council resolution on Libya, Gaddafi, in his letter to Ban, said the Security Council is not authorized to intervene in its internal affairs.

Gaddafi added that any Western action against Libya would be “clear aggression” and the UN resolution authorizing a no-fly zone over Libya is “invalid.”

Earlier on Saturday, a France-built Mirage plane was shot down over Benghazi.

Reports said that it was a rebel plane and the pilot ejected to safety.

Threatened by the prospect of Western forces pounding down his front doors after the UN approved military action to curb the spiraling bloodshed, Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi on Friday declared an immediate ceasefire.

Earlier on Thursday, the UN Security Council in an emergency session adopted a resolution authorising the use of force in the strife-torn African nation after Gaddafi threatened to storm the city of Benghazi to end a revolt against his regime.

The resolution authorised Member States ?to take all necessary measures? to protect civilians and civilian populated areas under threat of attack in the Libyan Arab Jamhariya, including Benghazi, while excluding an occupation force.?

Expressing grave concern at the deteriorating situation, the escalation of violence, and the heavy civilian casualties, the Council established a no-fly zone, banning all flights ? except those for humanitarian purposes ? in Libyan airspace in order to help protect civilians.

The announcement of a ceasefire, despite being a positive development, came only after a fierce attack by Gaddafi?s forces against the Misrata, one of the last cities in west Libya held by the rebels. Six people have reportedly been killed in the attack.

More than a thousand people have died in the nearly five-week-old Libyan uprising that spread from the country?s eastern city of Benghazi after rebel groups emerged rejecting Muammar Gaddafi 41-year-old rule.

Better-armed forces loyal to Gaddafi soon took to pulverizing the upheaval with violent force, as over 300,000 fled the country and spurring a massive humanitarian aid crisis. As the situation grew grimmer, India evacuated nearly 18,000 of its nationals from the country via air, sea and land routes.