Tripoli:
The embattled Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi gave a rare interview to foreign media in Tripoli on Monday as the United States and allies intensified efforts to isolate him further and repeated calls for him to step down.
The United States and allies also questioned his mental state and warned that those who stay loyal to him risk losing their wealth and being prosecuted for human rights abuses.
Gaddafi spoke to America's ABC News and dismissed the idea of leaving, rejected the allegations that he had ordered a crackdown on opponents and repeated his belief that the Libyan people love him.
"No demonstrations at all in the streets! No, no one against us. Against me for what? Because I am not President. They love me, all my people with me, they love me all. They will die to protect me, my people," he said in broken English.
He blamed the unrest on al-Qaida and said all Libyans supported him.
When asked if he planned to flee Libya due to the uprising, he simply laughed off the idea.
"Who would leave his homeland? Why would I leave my homeland? Why do I leave Libya?" he said.
The uprising that began February 15 has posed the most serious challenge to Gaddafi in his more than four decades in power.
His bloody crackdown has left hundreds, and perhaps thousands, dead.
The two sides are entrenched, and the direction the uprising takes next could depend on which can hold out longest.
Gaddafi is dug in in Tripoli and nearby cities, backed by his elite security forces and militiamen who are generally better armed than the military.
Meanwhile Europe outlined fresh sanctions to force the dictator to stop attacks on civilians and step down after 42 years of iron-fisted rule.
The European Union issued travel bans and an asset freeze against senior Libyan officials, and ordered an arms embargo on the country.
The United States and allies also questioned his mental state and warned that those who stay loyal to him risk losing their wealth and being prosecuted for human rights abuses.
Gaddafi spoke to America's ABC News and dismissed the idea of leaving, rejected the allegations that he had ordered a crackdown on opponents and repeated his belief that the Libyan people love him.
"No demonstrations at all in the streets! No, no one against us. Against me for what? Because I am not President. They love me, all my people with me, they love me all. They will die to protect me, my people," he said in broken English.
He blamed the unrest on al-Qaida and said all Libyans supported him.
When asked if he planned to flee Libya due to the uprising, he simply laughed off the idea.
"Who would leave his homeland? Why would I leave my homeland? Why do I leave Libya?" he said.
The uprising that began February 15 has posed the most serious challenge to Gaddafi in his more than four decades in power.
His bloody crackdown has left hundreds, and perhaps thousands, dead.
The two sides are entrenched, and the direction the uprising takes next could depend on which can hold out longest.
Gaddafi is dug in in Tripoli and nearby cities, backed by his elite security forces and militiamen who are generally better armed than the military.
Meanwhile Europe outlined fresh sanctions to force the dictator to stop attacks on civilians and step down after 42 years of iron-fisted rule.
The European Union issued travel bans and an asset freeze against senior Libyan officials, and ordered an arms embargo on the country.
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