Tunesia, Egyt and now Yemen: a domino effect in the Middle East?

William Hague, Britain's Foreign Secretary, condemned Libya for firing on demonstrators. "This is clearly unacceptable and horrifying. Governments must respond to the legitimate aspirations of their people, rather than resort to the use of force, and must respect the right to peaceful protest."

However, experts admitted the British Government and business interests were watching the situation closely. BP declined to comment on the situation last night but said it was concerned for its 140 employees in Libya. Security experts said all UK companies in Libya had contingency plans if the uprising spread.

TRIPOLI Feb 20 (Reuters) -
Libya Arab League envoy resigns - Al Jazeera

Libya's representative to the Arab League has tendered his resignation in protest to "oppression against protesters", Al Jazeera's Mubasher (live) channel reported on Sunday.

It gave no other details in its initial report.

UPDATE 1-Libya threatens to suspend EU migration cooperation
Sun Feb 20, 2011 7:38pm GMT

* Libya warns EU against lending vocal support to protesters

* EU's Ashton had urged Libya to "allow free expression"

BRUSSELS, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Libya has told the European Union it will stop cooperating on illegal migration if the EU continues to encourage pro-democracy protests in the country, the bloc's Hungarian presidency said on Sunday.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said during a visit to the region last week that Libya should listen to what protesters were saying and "allow free expression".

"The Hungarian ambassador was called in in Libya on Thursday and was given the message that Libya is going to suspend cooperation with the EU on immigration issues if the EU keeps making statements in support of Libyan pro-democracy protests," a spokesman for Hungary, which holds the EU's rotating six-month presidency, said.

EU foreign ministers met in Brussels on Sunday to discuss the uprisings across North Africa and the Gulf with the focus expected to be on Egypt and Libya, where there have been days of protests against President Muammar Gaddafi's 40-year rule.

Human Rights Watch has said at least 170 people have been killed by security forces in a crackdown on the demonstrations. ...

21 February 2011 Last updated at 01:01 GMT
Libya protests: Gaddafi's son warns of civil war

Sayf al-Islam, Colonel Gaddafi's son, appears on Libyan TV and accuses people outside Libya of provoking violence

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's son, Sayf al-Islam, has warned of civil war in the country.

He said that the government would "fight to the last bullet" to stay in office.

In a TV address to the nation broadcast as anti-government protests spread to the capital Tripoli, he admitted that the military had over-reacted against protesters.

But he accused opposition groups and Islamists of trying to break up Libya.

He played down casualties, suggesting that at most 14 people, not 200, died in clashes in the eastern city of Benghazi.

And he promised "reform and democracy", saying that Libya's legislative forum would meet on Monday. .... <cont>

Analysis
Jon Leyne BBC Middle East correspondent

That was one of the strangest political speeches I think I've every sat through.

He was completely and utterly detached from the reality of what is going on in his country.

To put it bluntly, most Libyans will just treat it as gibberish - it was completely meaningless to them.

The idea that they're somehow going to sit down and have a national dialogue with a government that's brought in foreign mercenaries to shoot at them is laughable.

11.49pm: While Saif Gaddafi has been speaking, reports have been streaming in of how the unrest appears to be spreading to Tripoli from other cities.

This is from Reuters:

Libya's unrest spread to the capital Tripoli on Sunday after scores of protesters were killed in the second city Benghazi, which appeared to have slipped out of control of forces loyal to strongman Muammar Gaddafi.

Gaddafi has attempted to put down protests with a violent crackdown, triggering some of the worst bloodshed in the two months since unrest began sweeping across the Arab world.

In the first sign of serious unrest in the capital, thousands of protesters clashed with supporters of Gadaffi in Tripoli. Gunfire could be heard and police using tear gas to disperse the demonstrators.

In Benghazi, centre of Libya's unrest, tens of thousands of people took to the streets and appeared to be in control of the city before security forces opened fire and killed scores.

Benghazi residents said soldiers from a unit had joined their protest and defeated a force Gaddafi's elite guards. Bodies were brought to a hospital riddled with bullets and wounds from rocket-propelled grenades.

A witness in Tripoli said police in the capital were using tear gas against protesters, some of whom were throwing stones at billboards of Gaddafi.

A resident of the capital told Reuters by telephone he could hear gunshots in the streets. "We're inside the house and the lights are out. There are gunshots in the street," he said. "That's what I hear, gunshots and people. I can't go outside."

An expatriate worker said protesters were being dispersed by police and he could see burning cars in the capital.

12.16am: The fall-out from events in Libya appears to be taking a toll among representatives of the regime abroad.

Al Jazeera has reported that the Libyan ambassador to China resigned earlier this evening during an interview live on air.

Now, BBC Arabic is reporting that the Libyan ambassador to India has also resigned from his post in protest at the violence being used to suppress the protests at home.

Full text of Saif Gadaffi's speech, as Transcribed and tweeted live by @SultanAlQassemi with screenshots from AlJazeera.:

http://www.tweetdeck.com/twitter/exiledsurfer/~oJiWX