Guardian UK Blog: Wednesday, Feb 23
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/feb/23/libya-gaddafi-live-blog?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487
11.15pm GMT: We are going to have to wrap up this live blog for the evening.
• Barack Obama condemned the violence in Libya as "outrageous and unacceptable" in his harshest statement to date
• Obama announced that the US is preparing "the full range of options" to respond to continued violence by the Gaddafi regime
• Attempts to rescue stranded Britons in Libya stalled when planes chartered by the Foreign Office unable to take off until late into the night
• William Hague announced an investigation into what went wrong with the rescue flights as criticism of the government's efforts mounted
Apologies for the software problems earlier that caused us to lose several hours' worth of postings. Thanks for reading.
11.05pm GMT: Foreign secretary William Hague has put out a statement in response to the criticism over the stalled attempts to send rescue flights to evacuate British nationals from Libya:
We continue to do all we can to assist British Nationals to leave Tripoli.
We can confirm that we are currently assisting the majority of British Nationals at the airport to board a chartered plane that has become available in Tripoli. This is being facilitated by our team on the ground.
In addition, we expect a number of additional planes to arrive in Tripoli overnight to allow the departure of all the remaining British nationals at the airport.
We are also continuing actively to pursue action to assist the return of British Nationals elsewhere in Libya. Numerous FCO staff continue to work day and night to provide the best possible assistance to British Nationals in Libya.
Lastly, given today's difficulties with reliably chartering private planes, I will establish a review, directly reporting to ministers, into the FCO's longstanding arrangements for aircraft evacuations. We need to know whether today was a coincidental series of unavoidable setbacks, or a systemic flaw.
This has turned into a big headache for the British government.
11pm GMT: Here's the full text of Obama's statement on Libya:
Secretary Clinton and I just concluded a meeting that focused on the ongoing situation in Libya. Over the last few days, my national security team has been working around the clock to monitor the situation there and to coordinate with our international partners about a way forward.
First, we are doing everything we can to protect American citizens. That is my highest priority. In Libya, we've urged our people to leave the country and the State Department is assisting those in need of support. Meanwhile, I think all Americans should give thanks to the heroic work that's being done by our foreign service officers and the men and women serving in our embassies and consulates around the world. They represent the very best of our country and its values.
Now, throughout this period of unrest and upheaval across the region the United States has maintained a set of core principles which guide our approach. These principles apply to the situation in Libya. As I said last week, we strongly condemn the use of violence in Libya.
The American people extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of all who've been killed and injured. The suffering and bloodshed is outrageous and it is unacceptable. So are threats and orders to shoot peaceful protesters and further punish the people of Libya. These actions violate international norms and every standard of common decency. This violence must stop.
The United States also strongly supports the universal rights of the Libyan people. That includes the rights of peaceful assembly, free speech, and the ability of the Libyan people to determine their own destiny. These are human rights. They are not negotiable. They must be respected in every country. And they cannot be denied through violence or suppression.
In a volatile situation like this one, it is imperative that the nations and peoples of the world speak with one voice, and that has been our focus. Yesterday a unanimous U.N. Security Council sent a clear message that it condemns the violence in Libya, supports accountability for the perpetrators, and stands with the Libyan people.
This same message, by the way, has been delivered by the European Union, the Arab League, the African Union, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, and many individual nations. North and south, east and west, voices are being raised together to oppose suppression and support the rights of the Libyan people.
I've also asked my administration to prepare the full range of options that we have to respond to this crisis. This includes those actions we may take and those we will coordinate with our allies and partners, or those that we'll carry out through multilateral institutions.
Like all governments, the Libyan government has a responsibility to refrain from violence, to allow humanitarian assistance to reach those in need, and to respect the rights of its people. It must be held accountable for its failure to meet those responsibilities, and face the cost of continued violations of human rights.
This is not simply a concern of the United States. The entire world is watching, and we will coordinate our assistance and accountability measures with the international community. To that end, Secretary Clinton and I have asked Bill Burns, our Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, to make several stops in Europe and the region to intensify our consultations with allies and partners about the situation in Libya.
I've also asked Secretary Clinton to travel to Geneva on Monday, where a number of foreign ministers will convene for a session of the Human Rights Council. There she'll hold consultations with her counterparts on events throughout the region and continue to ensure that we join with the international community to speak with one voice to the government and the people of Libya.
And even as we are focused on the urgent situation in Libya, let me just say that our efforts continue to address the events taking place elsewhere, including how the international community can most effectively support the peaceful transition to democracy in both Tunisia and in Egypt.
So let me be clear. The change that is taking place across the region is being driven by the people of the region. This change doesn't represent the work of the United States or any foreign power. It represents the aspirations of people who are seeking a better life.
As one Libyan said, "We just want to be able to live like human beings." We just want to be able to live like human beings. It is the most basic of aspirations that is driving this change. And throughout this time of transition, the United States will continue to stand up for freedom, stand up for justice, and stand up for the dignity of all people.
10.45pm GMT: We've had a software problem that has caused this blog to lose a number of posts. Apologies.
The rescue flight chartered by the government to evacuate the Britons stranded in Libya, which was delayed because of a technical fault, finally left Gatwick airport at 9.59pm GMT.
10.35pm: We've had an update from Thomas Lydon, whose brother was one of the many Britons trying to get on a flight out of Libya this week.
Thomas said that his brother, who has been working in the financial services industry in Tripoli for a number of months, managed to get on a US boat in the city, along with 300 Americans and a number of British and Irish nationals.
However, he has been told that the ship may not be leaving until the morning.
"They are going to stay on the ship overnight, so we're relieved to an extent because technically they have left Libya," added Thomas.
7.18pm GMT: This is some gruesome footage posted on YouTubepurporting to be of the bodies of soldiers found bound and shot in the Fadhil camp in Benghazi. Contains graphic images.
The headline reads:
جنود تم إعدامهم في بعد رفضهم الأوامر بقتل مدنيين ليبيا
["Soldiers executed after refusing orders to kill civilians in Libya"]
7.02pm GMT: While we are waiting for Obama's statement, here's the view via Facebook from Sarah Palin:
Gaddafi is a brutal killer and Libya – not to mention the world – would be better off if he were out of power. Now is the time to speak out. Speak out for the long-suffering Libyan people. Speak out for the victims of Gaddafi's terror. Nato and our allies should look at establishing a no-fly zone so Libyan air forces cannot continue slaughtering the Libyan people. We should not be afraid of freedom, especially when it comes to people suffering under a brutal enemy of America. Here's to freedom from Gaddafi for the people of Libya.
6.55pm GMT: Labour's shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander wants the British government to do more:
Working with the EU, the government should freeze those assets of the Gaddafi regime held in the UK and consider what other sanctions could bring further pressure on the regime and help protect the Libyan people.
The government should be working all diplomatic channels to secure support for a strong security council resolution in light of the growing severity of the crisis.
6.48pm GMT: The Guardian's political editor Patrick Wintour has the latest from the Foreign Office:
William Hague said he was canceling a planned trip to Washington to handle the crisis from London, adding it will be difficult to get a UN security council resolution, as opposed to the UN Presidential statement issued earlier in the week.
Hague stressed he wanted an international inquiry into crimes and and atrocities, saying this represented the best chance to stop murder and atrocities by the regime. "They will be held to account. They should hear that message loud and clear".
6.41pm GMT: Now the White House is saying that it expects Obama's statement to come after 2pm ET, so in about 20 minutes at the soonest but likely to be later.
6.32pm GMT: The reason for the uncertainty over the timing of Obama's televisied statement on Libya, as mentioned below, is that the White House is waiting for the ship sent to pick up US citizens to depart Tripoli and arrive in Malta.
According to the state department's notice issued yesterday:
A US Government chartered ferry will depart Tripoli from the As-shahab Port in central Tripoli, located on the sea road across from the Radisson Blu Mahari Hotel, for Valletta, Malta on Wednesday, February 23. Processing of passengers will begin promptly at 10am local time. US citizen travelers wishing to depart should proceed as soon as possible after 9am to the pier and arrive no later than 10am. US citizens will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority given to persons with medical emergencies or severe medical conditions. The ferry will depart no later than 3pm.
6.23pm GMT: My colleague Josh Halliday has just posted this piece on the threats faced by the journalists now entering Libya en masse:
Journalists from the BBC, CNN and other western media who have entered Libya will be "considered outlaws", the country's deputy foreign minister warned on Wednesday.
Khalid Kayem said that the influx of reporters who have streamed across Libya's border with Egypt in the past 24 hours are there "illegally and will be considered outlaws", according to the news agency AFP.
Journalists from across the world have been entering Libya through its eastern border with Egypt over the past day, as Muammar Gaddafi loses his grip on that part of the country.
Martin Chulov, a Guardian foreign correspondent, is thought to have been the first foreign journalist to report from Benghazi, the country's second-largest city, on Wednesday.
6.18pm GMT: The White House has announced that President Obama will make a statement on Libya on camera "either this afternoon or tomorrow".
But in any case there will be another statement from the administration after Obama meets with Hillary Clinton today.
6.10pm GMT: Just to pick out a comment made by William Hague, the British foreign secretary, in the PA piece below:
Mr Hague said that, as well as laying charter planes, he was not ruling out the possibility of using military flights "without permission".
Quite what Hague means here is hard to determine but the obvious interpretation – landing RAF transports on Libyan airfields without permission from local authorities – could be potentially dangerous given the state of mind of the Gaddafi regime.
6pm GMT: The attempt to airlift British citizens stranded in Libya has come to a halt because of a mechanical fault on the first plane, which remains at Gatwick.
The UK Press Association reports:
The Foreign Office was facing embarrassment tonight as its first rescue flight for British nationals stranded in Libya was stuck on the tarmac at Gatwick with a mechanical fault.
With hundreds of Britons waiting to be flown out of Tripoli airport, the Boeing 757 had still not left after 5pm. It had been due to leave at 12.30pm.
The delay came after British nationals and shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander accused the Foreign Office of taking too long to respond to the chaos that has engulfed Libya.
Foreign Secretary William Hague promised to send as many rescue flights to Libya as were needed to evacuate Britons wanting to leave.
Two were due to leave today and a third - if necessary - early tomorrow morning.
At least 300 Britons are in and around the Libyan capital Tripoli, while up to 170 more - mainly oil workers - are in remote desert camps at risk of attack as violence continues.
Mr Hague said that, as well as laying charter planes, he was not ruling out the possibility of using military flights "without permission".
Royal Navy frigate HMS Cumberland is on its way to the Libyan coast to evacuate Britons around the Benghazi area.
But in a statement this afternoon, Mr Hague insisted: "We are taking every action to get the remaining British nationals in Libya out of harm's way."
The first of the Foreign Office flights - free for British nationals, unlike similar flights to and from Egypt recently - was hoped to return to the UK later today.
However, the 200-capacity Boeing 757 still was still at Gatwick at 5pm despite previously being billed to depart for Tripoli at 12.30pm.
Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt said the plane, which was meant to arrive by 9.30pm, was being fixed.
"Sometimes planes develop faults through nobody else's fault or error," he told the BBC. "We will hopefully get those planes out as quickly as possible."
5.08pm: Associated Press has an update on Turkey's "largest evacuation in its history". There are some 25,000 Turkish workers in Libya, and more than 200 Turkish companies – involved in construction projects worth more than $15bn.
Two Turkish commercial ships left the eastern Libyan port of Benghazi on Wednesday escorted by a navy frigate, heading for Turkey's Mediterranean port of Marmaris. Authorities set up a soup kitchen and a field hospital at Marmaris and arranged buses to transfer the evacuees. Turkey also sent two more commercial ships to Libya.
Turkey has now evacuated some 5,350 citizens from Libya over the last three days, about 2,250 of them by plane, after two more planes brought around 250 Turkish citizens back home Wednesday.
"We are carrying out the largest evacuation operation in our history," Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu said. "So far, a total of 21 countries have asked Turkey to evacuate their citizens as well."
Davutoglu stressed that Turkey was not leaving Libya and would send "food and medicine to Libyan brothers by ships.
China is also preparing a mass evacuation, AP reported, with the first charter flight from the country leaving for Libya today. According to reports there are around 30,000 Chinese workers in Libya. Greece will assist with the evacuation of some 13,000 Chinese people, AP reported, taking them to Crete by ship.
5.04pm: Western journalists have begun to cross the Libyan border – including the Guardian's Martin Chulov – and a better picture of what has been happening in the country in the last few days has at last been building up. Here are the key developments from today:
• Benghazi appears to have fallen irretrievably beyond the control of Muammar Gaddafi, reports the Martin Chulov, the first foreign journalist to reach the city. Troops who have defected from the Gaddafi regime are barricading a police station in the city to prevent it being seized back by Gaddafi's forces in the city, where doctors said at least 230 people have been killed. One air force officer told the Guardian he personally witnessed up to 4,000 mercenaries arrive on Libyan transport planes, each of them carrying 300 armed men.
• The cities of Zliten and Misrata, close to Tripoli, are reportedly under the control of anti-Gaddafi protesters. If the reports are correct they would be the first cities in the west of the country to fall to the demonstrators, whose support base is mainly in the east. The Guardian's Ian Black said the fall of Misrata suggests the west of Libya is now beginning to be seriously affected.
• The UK foreign secretary, William Hague, has said the UK will provide "as many planes as are necessary" to evacuate British nationals from Libya. He said that in addition to those Britons in Tripoli, Benghazi and other cities, there are some 170 Britons working in remote, isolated camps in the desert in Libya who are in a "perilous and frightening situation". One charter flight is en route to Tripoli to collect British nationals, while another will arrive later today. A third flight may be scheduled for Thursday morning.
• Mercenaries and militias are reported to be roaming Tripoli, with much of the capital deserted. Overnight a "heavy force of supporters and militiamen" were on the streets, brought out by Gaddafi's speech, Associated Press reported. Tripoli airport is "very, very chaotic", an English teacher who flew out last night told the Guardian. "There was a real crush – it was a very frightening experience," Peter Thomas said. "Our tickets had been bought in Turkey so we didn't have them with us. We just had to persuade the guards at various checkpoints that we should be allowed through."
Click here to read how today unfolded on our previous live blog.
8.53pm GMT: The White House now says that Obama will be speaking on Libya at 5.15pm ET / 10.15pm GMT / 12.15am EET (Libya's time zone).
8.44pm GMT: AP has more details on the claim by Libya's former justice minister Mustafa Abdel-Jalil that Gaddafi personally ordered the Lockerbie bombing, made in an interview with Expressen, a Stockholm newspaper:
Expressen's online edition said its correspondent interviewed Abdel-Jalil outside the local parliament in the Libyan city of Al Bayda. A longer version of the interview was to be published in Expressen's paper edition on Thursday.
Gadhafi has accepted Libya's responsibility for the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, which killed all 259 people on board and 11 on the ground, and paid compensation to the victims' families. But he hasn't admitted personally giving the order for the attack.
Abdel-Jalil told Expressen that Gadhafi gave the order to Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, the only man convicted in the bombing.
"To hide it, he (Gadhafi) did everything in his power to get al-Megrahi back from Scotland," Abdel-Jalil was quoted as saying.
Al-Megrahi was granted a compassionate release from a Scottish prison in August 2009 on the grounds that he was suffering from prostate cancer and would die soon. He is still alive.
Expressen spokeswoman Alexandra Forslund said its reporter in Libya, Kassem Hamade, taped the 40-minute interview, which was conducted in Arabic and translated to Swedish.
Swedish-speaking readers can find it here.
8.34pm GMT: The British government's rescue mission is also grounded. My colleague Ben Quinn reports:
The Foreign Office has just confirmed that a charter plane to airlift Britons from Libya, which was due to have taken off from Gatwick airport earlier today, is still on the ground with technical problems. Another plane, also chartered by the Foreign Office, is also still sitting on the tarmac in Italy.
Meanwhile, William Hague has given an interview with BBC News, sounding defensive about the Foreign Office's attempts to evacuate British citizens from Libya.
He claimed that hundreds of Britons had already left Libya with Foreign and Commonwealth Office assistance.
Referring to failure of a number of planes to take off for Libya earlier today in a bid to airlift Britons in Tripoli under the auspices of the government, he said: "What happened this morning is that two of the airlines that were to supply planes refused or failed to do so."
"We are one of the few countries to have people at the airport," he added.
8.29pm GMT: On Clinton's point about the safety of US citizens, it appears the rescue ferry sent by the US government to Tripoli is not likely to be departing tonight because of rough seas.
8.27pm GMT: Hillary Clinton goes on to say that the US authorities "are joining with the rest of the world in sending a clear message to the Libyan government that violence is unacceptable
The US's objective "is to help the people of Libya," says Clinton, a task made difficult by the fluidity and uncertainty in the country: "We will look at all the possible options to try to bring an end to the violence."
But, she warns:
Our foremost concern has to be for the safety and security of our own citizens.... We urge Americans to depart immediately.
8.25pm GMT: Now Clinton speaks on Libya:
First let me say the US, starting with what the President said on Friday and what I said yesterday, has strongly condemned the use of violence in Libya.
We deeply regret the loss of life that has already occurred. We've joined with the international community to speak with one voice... There is no doubt in my mind that this is the moment for the international community to act together.
8.18pm GMT: At the State Department press conference, questions from journalists on the situation in Libya. "What about cutting off trade?" asks the reporter, who wants to know what more can be done by the international community.
"Brazil is very concerned about the situation in Libya," says Brazilian foreign minister Antonio Patriota, mentioning that there a large number of Brazilian workers in the country.
8.11pm GMT: Hillary Clinton now speaking, currently talking about US-Brazil relations with the Brazilian foreign minister Antonio Patriota, but might get on to Libya shortly.
For our Brazilian readers: it was a very fruitful meeting between the Patriota and Clinton at Foggy Bottom today, according to the US secretary of state.
7.57pm GMT: The US-chartered ferry to evacuate Americans from Libya has had its departure delayed by stormy weather in Tripoli.
Here in Washington DC, Hillary Clinton is about to speak on Libya, but no word on when Obama's televised statement is going to happen. Last we heard, the White House was waiting for the evacuation boat to leave before speaking.
7.44pm GMT: With much confusion about which parts of Libya are still under the control of the Gaddafi regime, here's a map compiled and circulated by Iyad El-Baghdadi in Dubai from internet sources:
According to Iyad, it depicts the situation in the country as of today. Obviously we can't vouch for its accuracy or its use of "liberated" to describe areas said to be out of the regime's reach.
7.35pm GMT: The Guardian offers a round-up of what's happening in other countries in the region, with updates from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Yemen and Jordan.
It also includes this uncomfortable comment from Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on the violence in Libya:
It is unimaginable that there is someone who kills and bombards his own people. I strongly advise them to let nations have their say and meet their nations' demands if they claim to be the officials of those nations.
Anyone who does not heed the demands of his own nation will have a clear fate.
7.18pm GMT: This is some gruesome footage posted on YouTubepurporting to be of the bodies of soldiers found bound and shot in the Fadhil camp in Benghazi. Contains graphic images.
The headline reads:
جنود تم إعدامهم في بعد رفضهم الأوامر بقتل مدنيين ليبيا
["Soldiers executed after refusing orders to kill civilians in Libya"]
7.02pm GMT: While we are waiting for Obama's statement, here's the view via Facebook from Sarah Palin:
Gaddafi is a brutal killer and Libya – not to mention the world – would be better off if he were out of power. Now is the time to speak out. Speak out for the long-suffering Libyan people. Speak out for the victims of Gaddafi's terror. Nato and our allies should look at establishing a no-fly zone so Libyan air forces cannot continue slaughtering the Libyan people. We should not be afraid of freedom, especially when it comes to people suffering under a brutal enemy of America. Here's to freedom from Gaddafi for the people of Libya.
6.55pm GMT: Labour's shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander wants the British government to do more:
Working with the EU, the government should freeze those assets of the Gaddafi regime held in the UK and consider what other sanctions could bring further pressure on the regime and help protect the Libyan people.
The government should be working all diplomatic channels to secure support for a strong security council resolution in light of the growing severity of the crisis.
6.48pm GMT: The Guardian's political editor Patrick Wintour has the latest from the Foreign Office:
William Hague said he was canceling a planned trip to Washington to handle the crisis from London, adding it will be difficult to get a UN security council resolution, as opposed to the UN Presidential statement issued earlier in the week.
Hague stressed he wanted an international inquiry into crimes and and atrocities, saying this represented the best chance to stop murder and atrocities by the regime. "They will be held to account. They should hear that message loud and clear".
6.41pm GMT: Now the White House is saying that it expects Obama's statement to come after 2pm ET, so in about 20 minutes at the soonest but likely to be later.
6.32pm GMT: The reason for the uncertainty over the timing of Obama's televisied statement on Libya, as mentioned below, is that the White House is waiting for the ship sent to pick up US citizens to depart Tripoli and arrive in Malta.
According to the state department's notice issued yesterday:
A US Government chartered ferry will depart Tripoli from the As-shahab Port in central Tripoli, located on the sea road across from the Radisson Blu Mahari Hotel, for Valletta, Malta on Wednesday, February 23. Processing of passengers will begin promptly at 10am local time. US citizen travelers wishing to depart should proceed as soon as possible after 9am to the pier and arrive no later than 10am. US citizens will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority given to persons with medical emergencies or severe medical conditions. The ferry will depart no later than 3pm.
6.23pm GMT: My colleague Josh Halliday has just posted this piece on the threats faced by the journalists now entering Libya en masse:
Journalists from the BBC, CNN and other western media who have entered Libya will be "considered outlaws", the country's deputy foreign minister warned on Wednesday.
Khalid Kayem said that the influx of reporters who have streamed across Libya's border with Egypt in the past 24 hours are there "illegally and will be considered outlaws", according to the news agency AFP.
Journalists from across the world have been entering Libya through its eastern border with Egypt over the past day, as Muammar Gaddafi loses his grip on that part of the country.
Martin Chulov, a Guardian foreign correspondent, is thought to have been the first foreign journalist to report from Benghazi, the country's second-largest city, on Wednesday.
6.18pm GMT: The White House has announced that President Obama will make a statement on Libya on camera "either this afternoon or tomorrow".
But in any case there will be another statement from the administration after Obama meets with Hillary Clinton today.
6.10pm GMT: Just to pick out a comment made by William Hague, the British foreign secretary, in the PA piece below:
Mr Hague said that, as well as laying charter planes, he was not ruling out the possibility of using military flights "without permission".
Quite what Hague means here is hard to determine but the obvious interpretation – landing RAF transports on Libyan airfields without permission from local authorities – could be potentially dangerous given the state of mind of the Gaddafi regime.
6pm GMT: The attempt to airlift British citizens stranded in Libya has come to a halt because of a mechanical fault on the first plane, which remains at Gatwick.
The UK Press Association reports:
The Foreign Office was facing embarrassment tonight as its first rescue flight for British nationals stranded in Libya was stuck on the tarmac at Gatwick with a mechanical fault.
With hundreds of Britons waiting to be flown out of Tripoli airport, the Boeing 757 had still not left after 5pm. It had been due to leave at 12.30pm.
The delay came after British nationals and shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander accused the Foreign Office of taking too long to respond to the chaos that has engulfed Libya.
Foreign Secretary William Hague promised to send as many rescue flights to Libya as were needed to evacuate Britons wanting to leave.
Two were due to leave today and a third - if necessary - early tomorrow morning.
At least 300 Britons are in and around the Libyan capital Tripoli, while up to 170 more - mainly oil workers - are in remote desert camps at risk of attack as violence continues.
Mr Hague said that, as well as laying charter planes, he was not ruling out the possibility of using military flights "without permission".
Royal Navy frigate HMS Cumberland is on its way to the Libyan coast to evacuate Britons around the Benghazi area.
But in a statement this afternoon, Mr Hague insisted: "We are taking every action to get the remaining British nationals in Libya out of harm's way."
The first of the Foreign Office flights - free for British nationals, unlike similar flights to and from Egypt recently - was hoped to return to the UK later today.
However, the 200-capacity Boeing 757 still was still at Gatwick at 5pm despite previously being billed to depart for Tripoli at 12.30pm.
Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt said the plane, which was meant to arrive by 9.30pm, was being fixed.
"Sometimes planes develop faults through nobody else's fault or error," he told the BBC. "We will hopefully get those planes out as quickly as possible."
5.08pm: Associated Press has an update on Turkey's "largest evacuation in its history". There are some 25,000 Turkish workers in Libya, and more than 200 Turkish companies – involved in construction projects worth more than $15bn.
Two Turkish commercial ships left the eastern Libyan port of Benghazi on Wednesday escorted by a navy frigate, heading for Turkey's Mediterranean port of Marmaris. Authorities set up a soup kitchen and a field hospital at Marmaris and arranged buses to transfer the evacuees. Turkey also sent two more commercial ships to Libya.
Turkey has now evacuated some 5,350 citizens from Libya over the last three days, about 2,250 of them by plane, after two more planes brought around 250 Turkish citizens back home Wednesday.
"We are carrying out the largest evacuation operation in our history," Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu said. "So far, a total of 21 countries have asked Turkey to evacuate their citizens as well."
Davutoglu stressed that Turkey was not leaving Libya and would send "food and medicine to Libyan brothers by ships.
China is also preparing a mass evacuation, AP reported, with the first charter flight from the country leaving for Libya today. According to reports there are around 30,000 Chinese workers in Libya. Greece will assist with the evacuation of some 13,000 Chinese people, AP reported, taking them to Crete by ship.
5.04pm: Western journalists have begun to cross the Libyan border – including the Guardian's Martin Chulov – and a better picture of what has been happening in the country in the last few days has at last been building up. Here are the key developments from today:
• Benghazi appears to have fallen irretrievably beyond the control of Muammar Gaddafi, reports the Martin Chulov, the first foreign journalist to reach the city. Troops who have defected from the Gaddafi regime are barricading a police station in the city to prevent it being seized back by Gaddafi's forces in the city, where doctors said at least 230 people have been killed. One air force officer told the Guardian he personally witnessed up to 4,000 mercenaries arrive on Libyan transport planes, each of them carrying 300 armed men.
• The cities of Zliten and Misrata, close to Tripoli, are reportedly under the control of anti-Gaddafi protesters. If the reports are correct they would be the first cities in the west of the country to fall to the demonstrators, whose support base is mainly in the east. The Guardian's Ian Black said the fall of Misrata suggests the west of Libya is now beginning to be seriously affected.
• The UK foreign secretary, William Hague, has said the UK will provide "as many planes as are necessary" to evacuate British nationals from Libya. He said that in addition to those Britons in Tripoli, Benghazi and other cities, there are some 170 Britons working in remote, isolated camps in the desert in Libya who are in a "perilous and frightening situation". One charter flight is en route to Tripoli to collect British nationals, while another will arrive later today. A third flight may be scheduled for Thursday morning.
• Mercenaries and militias are reported to be roaming Tripoli, with much of the capital deserted. Overnight a "heavy force of supporters and militiamen" were on the streets, brought out by Gaddafi's speech, Associated Press reported. Tripoli airport is "very, very chaotic", an English teacher who flew out last night told the Guardian. "There was a real crush – it was a very frightening experience," Peter Thomas said. "Our tickets had been bought in Turkey so we didn't have them with us. We just had to persuade the guards at various checkpoints that we should be allowed through."
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