Muammar Gaddafi's forces pushed toward the Libyan rebel stronghold of Benghazi on Wednesday and his government predicted victory within days while world powers debated imposing a no-fly zone to help stop him, Reuters reports.
Foreign powers condemn the crackdown but show little appetite for action to support an uprising that was inspired by pro-democracy rebellions that toppled the Egyptian and Tunisian presidents. A Gaddafi victory and a crackdown on protests in Bahrain could turn the tide in the region against pro-democracy movements.
Supporters of a no-fly zone to halt Libyan government air strikes on rebels circulated a draft resolution at the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday that would authorize one, but other states said questions remained.
The draft was distributed at a closed-door meeting by Britain and Lebanon after the Arab League called on the council on Saturday to set up a no-fly zone as Gaddafi's troops advanced against the rebels based in the east.
Looking ahead with confidence to future business deals in a Gaddafi-led Libya, deputy foreign minister Kaim said Libya will honor existing contracts with Western oil companies and that the crisis may influence future cooperation with them.
