Western powers and al-Qaida terrorists are behind the unrest in Libya, which may result in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, the spokesman for the Libyan government said Monday.

"There is no massacres, no bombardment, no reckless violence to the innocent people," Mousar Ibrahim said, who also admitted that hundreds of people, from both sides, were killed in turmoil.

The North African country is facing the largest mass protests in decades which have lasted for nearly two weeks demanding an end to leader Muammar Gaddafi's 42-year rule.

Tripoli is still under control of Gaddafi, however, the anti- government protesters have seized some parts of Zawiya city, some 40 km to the west of the capital.

But the spokesman said that anti-government protesters are " minority" and the government still have the whole area of Zawiya. "We could wipe out them with army, but we did not. The government is not blooded," he said.

Mousar Ibrahim accused the Western powers of attempting to change the regime for "oil wealth."

The protests were handled in peace in which people demanded freedom of expression, higher salary and better housing, but al- Qaida terrorists "hijacked" the peace activity and led Libya to chaos, Mousar said.

Commenting on UN sanctions on Libya, the spokesman said that the international community should come to Libya to find the truth. "How could they decide this just according media reports. Is there any evidence?"

Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam on Thursday invited international media to Libya to report "the truth" in the country. The Libyan authority has been accusing some Arab media of "distorting the information."

The country is in trouble, but most of the people thought the progress should be achieved gradually, Mousar said. "We are trying to save lives, otherwise hundreds of thousands of people will be killed," he added.