Rebel fighters meet resistance during push into Sirte

Fighters had breached defences south and west of the city, about 8km (5 miles) from the centre, but met heavy resistance and retreated, the National Transitional Council said.

An NTC spokesman was reported as saying by the BBC that fighters had been forced to retreat about two kilometres to treat casualties following their incursion into the outlying areas of Sirte, where they reportedly clashed with snipers in a high-rise tower and an elite unit of pro-Gaddafi troops.

The anti-Gaddafi fighters - made up of battalions from Misrata, 200km (120 miles) to the west - suffered at least four deaths and seven wounded, although a report quoting the Misrata Military Council said 11 were killed and 34 hurt.

Gaddafi spokesperson, Moussa Ibrahim, told a Syrian TV channel that "thousands of volunteers" were ready to "liberate Libya" from the NTC.

"There are thousands upon thousands of young volunteers who are ready on the various fronts," he said in a phone call to the pro-Gaddafi al-Rai channel.

He went on: "We are in fact strong. We have the capabilities, the means and plans to liberate the whole of Libya."

NTC fighters are facing resistance in a handful of pro-Gaddafi bastions, including the desert town of Bani Walid, the southern outpost of Sabha and Sirte, Gaddafi's birthplace.

Last week anti-Gaddafi forces claimed to be mere hours from taking Bani Walid, but were driven back, and now their advance there has stalled.

Earlier, crowds in Benghazi cheered Britian's David Cameron and France's Nicolas Sarkozy, the first foreign leaders to visit since Gaddafi was deposed.