UK, Italian defence ministers to meet Libyan interim govt

British Defence Minister Liam Fox and his Italian counterpart Ignazio La Russa arrived in Tripoli on Friday, ahead of scheduled meetings with Libyas interim government.The visit came as Libyan government forces launched their largest assault yet on Muammar Gaddafis hometown of Sirte, firing heavy artillery at one of the last major bastions of support for the deposed leader.Taking the coastal town would be an important step for Libyas new rulers. It would bring them closer to finally gaining control of the whole country almost two months after their fighters seized the capital Tripoli.Forces loyal to the ruling National Transitional Council (NTC) are under pressure to make swift progress on the battlefield but heavy resistance by Gaddafi loyalists has prevented them from taking the city for weeks.Gaddafi and several of his sons are still at large more than seven weeks after rebel fighters stormed the capital and ended his 42-year rule.De facto Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril said on Thursday (October 6) that Gaddafi was hiding in southern Libya under the protection of tribes, crossing occasionally into Niger, and government forces expected to pinpoint his whereabouts soon.British Prime Minister David Cameron and Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini visited Tripoli last month.