DAP: The breaking news in Cambodia: “Libyan rebel chief: Should treat Gaddafi's supporters with dignity and respect” plus 9 more

BEIJING,Aug 22 (Xinhuanet) – Libya's rebel chief Mahmoud Jibril has called on Libyans to treat Gaddafi's supporters with dignity and respect. Jibril called on opposition supporters to act in a civil and calm manner when dealing with figures who may have sided with Gaddafi's forces in the past six months.

Mahmoud Jibril, Libyan rebel chief, said, "Today, there is no difference between Libyan cities, today there is no difference between Libyans. We will create history altogether, as we were all equal in suffering from dictatorship for 42 years, we need to be equal now in democracy. Today, all Libya's people are allowed to participate in the building of the future to build institutions with the aid of a constitution that does not differentiate between a man and a woman, sects or ethnicities. Libya is for everyone, and will now be for everyone. Libya has the right to create an example that will be followed in the Arab region. Brothers and sisters, allow me to call on you today while you are in celebration. I call on your conscience, your responsibility to come to the fore and prevent you taking any vengeance in these happy moments or damaging property or mistreating foreigners or prisoners."

BEIJING,Aug 22 (Xinhuanet) – Muammar Gaddafi's eldest son Mohammed Al-Gaddafi has surrendered to the rebels. In a TV interview with Al Jazeera, Mohammed said he surrendered because he wants peace.

Tripoli's Green Square erupted in celebration as rebel troops pushed into the center of the Libyan capital overnight. Al Jazeera cited rebels as saying that all of Tripoli is under their control except for Gaddafi's stronghold of Bab Al-Aziziyah.

Foreign media have also quoted the rebels as saying they met little resistance as they moved from the western outskirts into the capital. The rebels have also taken over a military base belonging to the Khamis Brigade, driving out elite forces led by Moammar Gaddafi's son, Khamis. The base is 25 kilometers west of Tripoli. Meanwhile the head of the rebel National Transitional Council, Mustapha Abd El Jalil, has also announced the capture of another of Gaddafi's son, Saif Al-Islam.

The rebels have promised to treat the captive well so that he can face trial. Gaddafi's presidential guards are also said to have surrendered and the rebels are now in control of the Libyan State Radio building.

BEIJING,Aug 22 (Xinhuanet) – The spokesman for the National Transitional Council says rebels have finalized a plan to lead Libya for a period of time following the fall of Muammar Gaddafi's regime. Abdel Hafiz Ghoga suggested the body would take a backseat in running the country's affairs to help set up the new governing system, and pave the way for a ballot.

Abdel Hafiz Ghoga, spokesman of NTC, said, "The National Transitional Council, with the announcement of liberation which will hopefully be very soon, will move with all its members to our capital Tripoli to begin work. Our priorities for the first month will be to have a transitional national government in place that will take care for that period, leaving the Transitional Council to prepare a law that enables the election of a national transitional conference and forms the higher committee for elections and a call for elections."

BEIJING,Aug 22 (Xinhuanet) – NATO has called on a peaceful and immediate transition of power in Libya, saying the alliance was ready to work with rebels fighting Muammar Gaddafi to achieve that.

NATO is calling the situation in Libya "very fluid", as rebel fighters were reported to be streaming into the capital Tripoli. Spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said the rule of Muammar Gaddafi was "crumbling".

She said Gaddafi should realize he cannot win the war in Libya, and that he is the one who's responsible for starting the conflict and he should spare his people further bloodshed.

Meanwhile, the United States sees the rebel offensive for Tripoli as clearly under way, and is urging the National Transitional Council to start planning for the post-Gaddafi era in Libya. The UK also says the end is near for Gaddafi.

DAMASCUS, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Sunday that he expected to have parliamentary elections conducted in February of 2012 in an interview broadcast by state TV.

The solution to the five-month-old crisis in the country is " political," al-Assad said, adding that the security situation is better now.

Syria is passing through a transitional stage and there will be a revision of the constitution, he said.

He pledged that whoever has committed any crime against any Syrian citizen, whether he was civilian or military, would be held accountable when he is proven to be guilty.

Al-Assad said Syria's relation with the West is "a relation of conflict on sovereignty... and we are adhering fast to our sovereignty without hesitation."

He warned that any military action against Syria would backfire on those who carried them out.

He stressed that Syria would never starve as it is self- sufficient and has a geographical location, which is fundamental for the region's economy, warning that any siege against Syria would harm regional countries and reverberate on other countries.

Assad said the unrest, erupted from mid-March when anti- government protests broke out in the southern province of Daraa and spread to other cities, posed no problem to the country, stressing the government is still capable of dealing with it.

International pressure has mounted on al-Assad for his alleged crackdown on anti-government protesters, as U.S. President Barack Obama, for the first time, explicitly urged al-Assad to step down on Thursday and imposed new economic sanctions.

The fresh sanctions will freeze the Syrian government's assets under U.S. jurisdiction, bar U.S. individuals or companies from transactions with al-Assad's government and ban U.S. import of Syrian petroleum.

Following that, the European Union (EU) on Friday decided to add 20 names to the list of Syrians targeted by asset freeze and travel ban. It said it is also preparing new restrictive measures including an embargo on the import of Syrian crude oil, and that it would soon suspend the technical assistance of the European Investment Bank.

"We want to tell them their words are worthless," Assad said, adding that "the remarks should be made to a president brought to power by the United States or the West, but not one chosen by the Syrian people."

"Reform for those colonial Western countries... is to offer them all they want and give up all rights," he said.

On his country's relation with Turkey, Assad said Syria would not allow any country to interfere in Syrian internal affairs.

The Syrian leader asserted that the process of reforms is proceeding, underlining the importance of a continued dialogue to cover all Syrian provinces.

He said there would be an overall revision of the Syrian constitution, adding that the local administration law would be ready within few days and local administration elections would be held three months following the issuance of the law.

The decision to name a committee for the multi-party law will be issued before Thursday and the media law will be announced before the end of Ramadan, the president said, noting "we will finish reforms on legislative and electoral level and subsequently move to the stage of implementation."

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News Analysis: Syria under pressure for resisting western plans in the region

DAMASCUS, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could now smell the chill following some western countries' intensified sanctions against his country over the week and their concerted demand for him to step down.

According to observers, Damascus' solid ties with Iran and some regional groups that the West deems as terrorists, is probably the most logical reason behind the mounting international pressures on the Syrian government.   Full story

Syria witnesses new protests amid mounting int'l pressures on Assad

DAMASCUS, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- A new round of anti-government protests kicked off across Syria on Friday, as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad were facing mounting international pressures that urged him to step down.

The new wave of protests came a day after a chorus of international calls that for the first time urged explicitly the president to step down.

TOKYO, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- The ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) is likely to hold a party leader election on Aug. 29 if two key bills are passed this week, the party's Secretary General Katsuya Okada said at a DPJ senior members' meeting Monday, according to local media.

The precondition for the election is DPJ leader Naoto Kan offers to resign following the approval of two key bills by Friday. Kan has cited parliamentary passage of the government bond issuance and renewable energy bills as a condition for his resignation.

The DPJ leader is almost certain to become Japan's next prime minister as the party controls the majority of the more powerful lower house.

Kan has been blamed for lack of efficiency in handling the March 11 quake and tsunami, which triggered a nuclear crisis in Fukushima. Opposition parties said his holding on to power hindered cross-party cooperation to revive the country's economy.

Japan's finance minister Yoshihiko Noda, industry minister Banri Kaieda are the front runners in the leadership race, while former foreign minister Seiji Maehara has reemerged as another potential candidate to succeed Kan.

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Japanese PM Kan's support rate dives to fresh low: survey

TOKYO, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The approval rate for Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan's government dropped to 15.8 percent, marking a fresh low since he took up the post in June last year, a Kyodo News poll showed Sunday. Full story

Japan's industry minister to run in DPJ leadership race

TOKYO, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Japan's Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Banri Kaieda said Friday that he will run in the upcoming Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) leadership race to choose a successor to Prime Minister Naoto Kan.

Kaieda told reporters that he has been making arrangements to file in his candidacy for the race, which is going to elect Japan' s next prime minister as DPJ controls the more powerful lower house in the Diet.