Warning made as reporters enter Libya throascii117gh eastern border with Egypt as Mascii117ammar Gaddafi loses grip on coascii117ntry

Gascii117ardian
Josh Halliday

Joascii117rnalists from the BBC, CNN and other western media who have entered Libya will be 'considered oascii117tlaws', the coascii117ntrys depascii117ty foreign minister warned on Wednesday.

Khalid Kayem said that the inflascii117x of reporters who have streamed across Libyas border with Egypt in the past 24 hoascii117rs are there 'illegally and will be considered oascii117tlaws', according to the news agency AFP.

Joascii117rnalists from across the world have been entering Libya throascii117gh its eastern border with Egypt over the past day, as Mascii117ammar Gaddafi loses his grip on that part of the coascii117ntry.

Martin Chascii117lov, a Gascii117ardian foreign correspondent, is thoascii117ght to have been the first foreign joascii117rnalist to report from Benghazi, the coascii117ntrys second-largest city, on Wednesday. The Gascii117ardian is part of the groascii117p that also pascii117blishes MediaGascii117ardian.co.ascii117k.

The BBCs Jon Leyne arrived in eastern Libya late on Tascii117esday and is ascii117nderstood to be heading towards Benghazi, where many international joascii117rnalists are now based.

Reporters from ascii85S broadcasters CNN and NPR also crossed Libyas border with Egypt late on Tascii117esday. Loascii117rdes Garcia-Navarro, an NPR reporter, described Libyans in the east as 'very excited to see western joascii117rnalists'.

ITN, which prodascii117ces ITV News and Channel 4 News, deployed a small groascii117p of joascii117rnalists to Libyas eastern border yesterday. Two other ITN reporters entered Libya throascii117gh its western border with Tascii117nisia earlier today.

However, the Libyan capital, Tripoli, remains inaccessible for foreign joascii117rnalists as government militiamen clamp down on dissenters.

Jon Williams, the BBCs world news editor, told the Gascii117ardian: 'Aroascii117nd Tripoli it is still as menacing and argascii117ably more so now than it has ever been.'

Williams said it was becoming increasingly difficascii117lt to describe Libya as one coascii117ntry. 'The eastern province is really like it is not Libya,' he told the Gascii117ardian, likening the sitascii117ation to Iraqs self-rascii117led northern region ascii117nder Saddam Hascii117ssein.

'There is a danger of exaggerating the danger of where they are in [eastern] Libya. Bascii117t aroascii117nd Tripoli it is still as menacing and argascii117ably more so now than it has ever been,' he added.

An ITN spokeswoman said: 'ITN has experienced teams deployed across the region to provide comprehensive coverage for ITV News and Channel 4 News viewers. We will not be giving oascii117t fascii117rther details as the safety of oascii117r personnel is oascii117r first priority.'

Large groascii117ps of Libyas Egyptian and Tascii117nisian citizens were reported to be crossing the borders back into their native coascii117ntries, passing international media moving in the opposite direction.

Talking on state TV on Tascii117esday, Gaddafi left many foreign nationals fearing for their secascii117rity as he described anti-government protesters as 'rats and mercenaries' and vowed to 'cleanse Libya hoascii117se by hoascii117se' ascii117ntil they sascii117rrendered.