In Moscow, Russia’s prime minister strongly criticized the UN resolution allowing international use of force in Libya, saying it reminds him of the Crusades.

The leader of Al-Qaeda’s North Africa branch also warned Libyan rebels not to trust America and the US role in the international coalition bombing Muammar Qaddafi’s forces.

Amid the criticisms, a spokesman of the Libyan rebel movement on Monday said the rebels welcome more air strikes by foreign forces against Qaddafi’s army, but clarified that they do not want foreign ground troops to intervene in the war.

Ban Ki-moon's meeting with the Arab League comes a day after Moussa said that Arabs did not want military strikes by Western powers that hit civilians when the League called for a no-fly zone over Libya.

In a joint press conference with Ban at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo after their meeting on Monday, Moussa said: “The Arab League position on Libya was decisive and from first moment we froze membership of Libya ... Then we asked the United Nations to implement a no-fly zone and we respect the UN resolution and there is no conflict with it.”

“It is for protecting civilians and that is what we care about. We will continue to work on the protection of civilians. We urge everybody to take this into consideration in any military action,” he said.

When the UN chief left after the meeting at the Arab League, a group of protesters angry about international intervention in Libya converged on him and his security detail.

The protesters, carrying pictures of Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi and banners critical of the United States  and UN, blocked his path as he tried to walk away from the building. Ban returned inside and apparently drove out of the league from another exit.

On Sunday, Arab League chief Amr Moussa questioned Arab participation in the coalition after saying the international attacks went beyond the mandate to impose a no-fly zone.
 

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's remarks on Monday, reported by Russian news agencies, said the military actions against Libya prove that Russia is correct in its drive to strengthen its own defenses.

Putin’s remarks came as US Defense Secretary Robert Gates began a visit to Russia aimed at easing Moscow’s worries over a proposed NATO missile defense shield in Europe.

His statements indicated that Russian suspicion of the West and the United States in particular remains strong.

Russia abstained in the UN Security Council vote on the resolution authorizing force in Libya.

Abdelmalek Droukdel of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb also said the same America now attacking Qaddafi turned a “blind eye” in the past on his crimes against Libyans.

Droukdel, also known as Abu Musab Abdul-Wadud, says America got Qaddafi to give up weapons of mass destruction and Libyan oil so he could stay in power. The statement was posted Monday on a militant website.

It says “winds of liberation have started blowing in Libya” and urges Tunisians, Egyptians and Algerians to help their Libyan brethren fight Qaddafi.

Al-Qaeda has lobbied for Qaddafi’s overthrown and the establishment of Islamic rule in Libya.