Turkish foreign minister says attacks on Misrata should end immediately

ANKARA (A.A) - 18.04.2011 - Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said that attacks on Libyan city of Misrata which resulted in killing of civilians should end immediately.
"Our priority in Libya is to improve living conditions of Libyan people, prevent attacks on civilians and reach a permanent solution," Davutoglu told a joint news conference with his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Store in Ankara on Monday.
"The international community including NATO is against killing of civilians. NATO should do its utmost to stop attacks on civilians. Attacks especially on Misrata should be ended immediately," he added.
Clashes between rebels and Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi's forces in Misrata in western Libya left scores of people dead. Government troops have been laying siege to the city on Libya's Mediterranean coast for weeks, prompting repeated international warnings of a dire humanitarian situation. The NATO-led air campaign authorized by the U.N. to protect civilians and enforce a no-fly zone has failed to stop government shelling that has hit Misrata's hospital, the port and residential areas. The Libyan government has come under sharp international criticism for its assault on Misrata and has been accused by human rights groups of using heavy weapons, including shells, missiles and cluster bombs.