Tripoli: Libyan state television showed footage of Muammar Gaddafi meeting officials in a Tripoli hotel, ending nearly two weeks of doubt over his fate since a Nato air strike killed his son and three of his grandchildren.

The Libyan leader, who had not been seen in public since the April 30 strike on his Tripoli compound killed his youngest son and three of his grandchildren, made his appearance on Wednesday in his trademark brown robe, dark sunglasses and black hat.

"We tell the world these are the representatives of the Libyan tribes," said Gaddafi, pointing to the officials and naming a few of them.

Victorious

"You will be victorious," an old man told Gaddafi, referring to the three-month-old revolt in the North African country against the Libyan leader's 41 years of rule.

A screen behind Gaddafi showed a morning chat show on state Al Jamahirya television. A zoom-in on the screen showed Wednesday's date displayed in the corner.

Reuters journalists staying at the same hotel said some rooms had been sealed off during the day for an event, but they had not seen Gaddafi. In the past he has made high-profile entrances accompanied by a large staff of minders and aides.

Two blasts early Thursday

A Reuters correspondent said he heard at least two blasts in Tripoli early on Thursday and that they were believed to have been the result of Nato strikes. The blasts rattled the windows of the hotel, he said.

Libyan officials said two people had been killed in Nato strikes and showed foreign journalists two bodies at a hospital. Staff at the hospital said they had treated more than 20 people who had been wounded.
 

Control of Misrata

Libyan rebels said they took control of Misrata airport in heavy fighting with Muammar Gaddafi's forces on Wednesday, seizing large quantities of weapons and munitions in a major victory in the besieged city.

The rebels, who also rejected a United Nations call for a ceasefire, are fighting across the North African country to end Gaddafi's 41 years in power.

The war has reached stalemate, with the government controlling the capital and almost all of the West while rebels in charge in Benghazi and other towns in the oil-producing east.

Last major rebel-held bastion

The port city of Misrata is the last major rebel-held bastion in the west. Gaddafi's forces have besieged it for almost two months, leading to fighting that killed hundreds.

"The airport, with the help from great God, has been freed. The rebels have seized many weapons including tanks and, thank God, they are still functioning," rebel spokesman Mohammad Jaber said by telephone from Misrata, 190 km east of Tripoli.

"Now what is left and what the rebels are working on is liberating the airbase, which is close to the airport," he said.

Another rebel called Hicham who was at the airport said it had been the main base for Gaddafi forces in the city.

"So now, any supplies, weapons or munitions for future attacks by Gaddafi's forces on Misrata have to come from outside the city. This means they would be exposed to Nato air strikes."

The rebels entered the airport after a series of coordinated Nato bombings to take out artillery batteries and other military vehicles, Hicham said.

"The revolutionaries...could not believe the amount and quality of the weapons they found there," he said. It was not possible to verify the rebel accounts independently.

Assistance from the West

Western countries led by Nato are assisting the rebels with a campaign of air strikes and say they will not stop until Gaddafi leaves power.

The United States said on Wednesday it had delivered a first shipment of food rations for the rebels, part of a $25 million non-lethal aid package. Senator John Kerry said he was drafting legislation to transfer Gaddafi's assets to an opposition group.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski visited the rebels in Benghazi to show support and deliver medical aid.