UN: attempts to secure ceasefire in Libya failed

PanARMENIAN.Net - Attempts to secure a ceasefire in Libya have failed and the humanitarian crisis is worsening, UN chief Ban Ki-moon, as NATO said Thursday, May 19, Moammar Gadhafi's military power has been significantly degraded.

The UN secretary general said in an interview with AFP in New York that his special envoy to Libya, Abdul Illah al-Khatib, has been "working very hard" but had no progress to report in his efforts to sway Kadhafi to declare an immediate and verifiable ceasefire.

"In view of the deteriorating humanitarian situation, the crisis is getting worse," Ban warned. He said he was very concerned rebel-held about Misrata, which was under siege from Kadhafi forces for more than two months and where hundreds were killed. "The situation is getting very bad," he said.

On Wednesday, the United Nations had raised its aid funding appeal to $407.8 million (287 million euros) from $310 million to help more than two million people it said were affected by the Libyan conflict.