The Libyan government has said it is open to any political reform but Muammar Gaddafi must stay in power to avoid a new Iraq or Somalia. A spokesman told media that Colonel Gaddafi was a unifying figure, and insisted his forces only targeted armed rebels, not civilians. The Libyan leader has reportedly appeared in public in Tripoli. Meanwhile, evacuees from the besieged city of Misrata accused pro-Gaddafi forces of atrocities against civilians. Fighting has continued in the east of the country where the rebels have been trying to regain ground lost in recent days, and coalition aircraft attacked military vehicles believed to belong to Col Gaddafi's forces. The oil-rich country's vital coastal belt is effectively split between rebel forces in the east and government loyalists in Tripoli and the west. The son of Colonel Gaddafi has insisted that he and his father do not feel betrayed by the defection of the Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa who arrived in London last week.