BBC News with Michael Powles.
One of the">the sons of the">the Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi, Saif al-Islam, has warned that continued unrest could lead to the">the break-up of Libya, to be followed by a very long period of
instability
. Magdi Abdelhadi reports.
The young Gaddafi repeated all
assertion
s that the">the revolt was the">the work of a small group of Islamic militants who’ve taken the">the civilian population hostage. He
played down
the
scope
of the uprising, adding that it was the work of a foreign conspiracy. Although he
reiterate
d the threat that Libya could face a prolonged period of civil war if the current unrest didn’t
come to an end
, many would wonder if there was a slight change of tone this time. He said he’s always been in support of political reform, but he didn’t say whether he was prepared to enter into talks with the rebels who now control major cities in the east.
The Libyan capital Tripoli was reported calm today after the turmoil of recent weeks, with forces loyal to the country’s leader Muammar Gaddafi firmly in control. Checkpoints were set up across the city, and police maintained control of the main central square. Shops also opened as people went about their business. The airport, however, was a scene of chaos.
Moves are underway in the rebel-held city of Benghazi in eastern Libya to collect evidence for criminal