11 September 2011 Last updated at 04:43 GMT
BBC
The head of Libya's interim government, Mustafa
Abdul Jalil, has flown to Tripoli for the first time since anti-Gaddafi forces
captured the capital.
Mr Abdul Jalil was greeted by hundreds of cheering,
flag-waving supporters.
Until now he had remained in the eastern city of
Benghazi. His presence in the capital is aimed at sending a message about his
authority.
To the south, Nato aircraft bombed Bani Walid, one
of the last pro-Gaddafi strongholds, following fighting there.
Separately, the IMF has recognised Mr Abdul Jalil's
National Transitional Council (NTC) as the new government of Libya.
'Coming together'
Anti-Gaddafi forces entered Tripoli on 21 August.
Since then Mr Abdul Jalil has been running the
interim administration from Benghazi, prompting questions about the
transitional council's ability to impose its authority elsewhere in the
country.
Officials close to Mr Abdul Jalil have cited security
concerns as one reason why he has stayed away until now.
There were were chaotic scenes as he emerged from
the aircraft that had brought him from Benghazi. Crowds of people surged
forward trying to get close to him as soldiers struggled to maintain order.
At a news conference at the airport, he urged unity
and order.
"This is not the time for retribution or to
take matters into your own hands. Many rights were lost and there are many
tragedies that we could dwell on but this is not the time. This is the time to
come together."
NTC spokesman Jalal al-Gallal described Mr Abdul
Jalil's arrival in the capital as "historic", and said he would meet
the full council "to start the next stage of building a new Libya".
BBC correspondents say he now faces big challenges
as he tries to stabilise the country and form an effective national
administration.
Anti-Gaddafi forces now control most of the country
- the colonel's whereabouts are unknown.
But his fighters have been putting up fierce
resistance in Bani Walid, one of four towns they still control.
The BBC's Andrew Harding, near the town, says the
situation there is chaotic.
The attackers say they are facing heavy artillery
and rockets from Gaddafi loyalists inside the town.
But they insist they are making progress and their
military spokesman Abdulrahman Busin says the town will fall imminently.
"They've taken the gate of the city, the
entrance of it, and they've taken a large section of a residential area near it
as well," he told the BBC.
On Saturday, the attackers pulled back from the town
while Nato aircraft conducted bombing raids to aid the anti-Gaddafi advance.
However, our correspondent says the battle for Bani
Walid and the end game for Col Gaddafi are not likely to be quick or clean.
The four loyalist-held towns of Bani Walid, Jufra,
Sabha and Sirte had been given until Saturday to surrender to the interim
government.
NTC troops pulled back from Gaddafi's home town,
Sirte, on Friday after heavy casualties, the Associated Press news agency
reports.
Niger arrivals
Several convoys of former loyalists are said to have
streamed over Libya's southern border with Niger over the past few weeks.
Late on Friday the Niger government said four more
senior Libyan officers had entered the country.
Niger has not said clearly what its position would
be if Col Muammar Gaddafi himself sought asylum in the country.
On Saturday, Guinea-Bissau's prime minister said the
colonel would be "welcomed with open arms" if he chose to travel to
the West African country.
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