Talks at Libya's Bani Walid break down

 

Xinhua, September 5, 2011

Talks for the surrender of the besieged Libyan town of Bani Walid broke down on Sunday, chief negotiator of the National Transitional Council (NTC) Abdallah Kanshil told a press conference.

NTC fighters secure a new check point on the road between Tarhuna to Bani Walid, southeast of Tripoli, on September 4, 2011, as fighters loyal to Libya's new rulers advanced on one of Moamer Kadhafi's last remaining bastions. [Xinhua]

"From my side, the negotiations are finished," Kanshil said, however, there are no comments available from the other side.

Previously, a NTC commander Mohamed Al Fassi said negotiations had stalled. "Those people are not serious," he said.

On Saturday the NTC officer gave a deadline for Bani Walid inhabitants to raise the white flag by Sunday at 10:00 a.m. (0800 GMT) or face an all out attack.

According to local sources, several relatives of toppled leader Muammar Gaddafi, including his son Saadi, are still in Bani Walid.

Civilians who fled the city reported that a number of pro- Gaddafi loyalists had left the city for surrounding mountains, taking heavy weaponry with them. They described the town as a " ghost town" with closed shops, and without petrol or gas.

On Saturday, Chairman of the NTC Mustafa Abdel Jalil gave pro-Gaddafi loyalists still holding out in the towns of Sirte, Bani Walid, Al Juffra and Sebha a deadline expiring on Sept. 10, to surrender their weapons.

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