Libya Declares Immediate Ceasefire

The Libyan government says it is halting all military action in the wake of a UN resolution authorizing airstrikes against its forces.

Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa has announced that the military will immediately cease operations to crush the country's armed uprising, saying his government "takes great interest in protecting civilians." A vote at the UN Thursday authorized multilateral airstrikes to prevent the advance of the Libyan military, which has been pushing toward rebel-held Benghazi in recent days. France had said it would begin the air operation "within hours," a warning that the Libyan government seems to have taken to heart. However, Mustafa Gheriani, a spokesperson for the opposition council in Benghazi, said that Gadhafi's forces were not abiding by the ceasefire and were still shelling rebel positions in the cities of Ajdabiya and Misrata.