Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi said on Sunday he wanted the United Nations or the African Union to probe into the escalating unrest in Libya, pledging to provide free access to investigators.
"I would like an investigatory commission of the United Nations or the African Union to come to Libya. We'll let the commission work without any restrictions," he said in an interview with the French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche.
Gaddafi once again blamed the unrest on the Al Qaeda terrorist network and Osama bin Laden, who were seeking to turn Libya into a state resembling Afghanistan or Somalia.
Inspired by the recent ouster of authoritarian regimes in Tunisia and Egypt, opponents of Gaddafi are demanding an end to his 42-year rule. International human rights organizations said about 6,000 people have been killed since the anti-Gaddafi protests began on February 15. The UN said the death toll ranged from 1,000 to 2,000 people.
The UN Security Council adopted a resolution on February 26 on "targeted measures" against the current Libyan government. The sanctions include a total arms embargo, travel bans and freezing of accounts held by the country's leadership.
MOSCOW, March 6 (RIA Novosti)
