Qadhafi son mourned, Nato hits Misrata outskirts

Crowds chanting support for Muammar Qadhafi gathered in Tripoli on Monday for the funeral of his son, killed in a Nato airstrike that has raised questions about the West's role in the uprising against the Libyan leader.
Qadhafi's forces halted their bombardment of the port in the rebel-held city of Misrata after Nato air strikes, but the port remained closed, a rebel spokesman told Reuters, thwarting efforts to bring supplies in by sea to the besieged city.
-- British and Italian embassies attacked and burned
-- UN withdraws its international staff from Tripoli
Nato planes also struck overnight on positions held by Libyan government forces near the rebel-held town of Zintan. The developments highlighted the reliance of the faltering rebel movement on military backing from the West. But Saturday's Nato air raid on a Qadhafi compound, which the government says killed his 29-year-old son Saif al-Arab and three young grandchildren, added a new twist.
The announcement of the deaths triggered attacks by angry crowds on the British and French embassies and the US diplomatic mission in Tripoli, and accusations from the Libyan officials that Nato had been trying to assassinate Qadhafi.
About 2,000 people carrying flags and pictures of Qadhafi turned out for the funeral. They pumped their fists in the air and vowed to avenge the death of Saif al-Arab. "We are all with Qadhafi's Libya," read one placard.
Saif al-Arab's coffin, covered in flowers and wrapped in the green flag that has represented Libya since Qadhafi took power in a 1969 coup, was carried through the crowds to the grave at Hani cemetery in the Libyan capital. Qadhafi did not appear to be at the funeral but Saif al-Islam, the most prominent of his seven sons, attended along with his elder half-brother Mohammed.
Saif al-Arab had no children but three of his nieces and nephews, all of them under three years old, were killed in Saturday's blast, the government says. They were the children of Saif al-Arab's siblings Hannibal, Aisha and Mohammed Qadhafi. Despite denials from Western leaders that the air raid was an assassination attempt on Qadhafi, it has provoked renewed debate on whether the British and French-led strikes are exceeding a United Nations mandate to protect civilians.
South Africa, which has led an African peace plan, condemned the attack and said the UN resolution which authorised air strikes did not cover the assassination of individuals. "The attacks on leaders and officials can only result in the escalation of tensions and conflicts on all sides and make future reconciliation difficult," it said in a statement.
Britain's Independent newspaper said it was a strategic error and gave the impression that the conflict was a confrontation between Qadhafi and the West. "They leave the Libyan opposition looking helpless on the sidelines. That turns an internal revolt against a vicious dictator into another Western military adventure," it said.
The Times, however, said Nato must step up its attacks on command and control centres despite the risks: "This is a war that cannot be allowed to drag on." Libya's Deputy Foreign Minister said Saturday's attack was the fourth attempt on Qadhafi's life. Nato jets struck near the state television earlier the same day, as Qadhafi gave what was billed as a live address in which he called for peace. The image flickered with each blast and Qadhafi left abruptly at the end, taking off his microphone and walking out as the camera rolled.
News that al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden had been killed by US special forces in a raid in Pakistan on Monday may also give the Qadhafi camp pause for thought. Libyan officials had no comment on the bin Laden killing but a rebel spokesman said Qadhafi should face the same fate.