The Libyan government officially rejected the United Nations (UN) Resolution 1970, which imposed travel ban and assets freeze on Gaddafi's family and some senior officials, and expressed "deep regret" over the position of the UN Security Council, according to an official statement released on Sunday.

The resolution was based on external media reports, rather than on accurate, well-documented, and verifiable information whose credibility has been ascertained by an independent and impartial facts-finding committee, the statement said.

The North African country is witnessing the worst unrest in the past four decades, which broke out on 16 February in the eastern city of Benghazi.

The mass protests, demanding an end to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's 42-year rule, have turned into violent clashes between anti-government protesters and pro-Gaddafi troops.

The parties responsible for the violence in the country are "sleeping cells which belong to al-Queda terrorist organisation operating in a region that they call the Muslim Maghreb," the statement added.

The Libyan government also said that the cells have attacked police stations, army barracks and ammunition depots, leading to victims from both sides.

The statement said that the resolution contravenes the provisions of the UN charter concerning the fact that the UN Security Council has no jurisdiction over the internal affairs of the states.

It also reiterated the government's commitments to the respect of human rights, and said the government has taken all necessary steps to safeguard all foreigners residing in Libya.

Meanwhile, an official from the Libyan foreign ministry told reporters in Tripoli that government forces are engaging in fights with anti-government insurgents in the eastern region.

The Libyan authority declared on Sunday morning that its troops had recaptured the county's third largest city of Misurata, some 210 km to the east of the capital of Tripoli.

Despite resistance by anti-government protesters in central Zawiya, about 40 km to the west of Tripoli, the army has regained control of the whole city, the official confirmed.

The Zawiya city has witnessed severe clashes between security forces and protesters in the past two days, which have caused more than 200 deaths.

– BuaNews-Xinhua