Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that Turkey wants the international military operation against Gadhafi's forces to be concluded as soon as possible so that Libyans can settle their own future.

Related: Europe divided on Libyan operation

The UN-mandated intervention "to protect civilians" also drew criticism from Arab League chief Amr Moussa, who questioned the need for a heavy bombardment, which he said had killed many civilians.

Moussa said on Monday, however, that the league respected the UN resolution while stressing a need to protect civilians.

Russia joined in on the criticism of the UN resolution.

"The resolution is flawed. It allows everything and is reminiscent of a medieval call for a crusade. In fact, it allows intervention in a sovereign state," Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said recently.

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has warned against attempts to expand the goals of military strikes against Libya, saying that such moves would complicate the consensus around the UN resolution.

"It's important that we operate within the mandate of the UN Security Council resolution," he said on board a plane en route to Russia in his first public comment on the intervention operation.

Noting that the mission was backed by a diverse coalition, Gates said that additional objectives would "create a problem".

The role of the United States in commanding the multinational operation is also subject to change. Gates said that the US would relinquish control "in a matter of days" but would "continue to be part of the coalition".

France took a lead in the air strikes, and the UK followed up, with Italy and Canada joining the coalition. Qatar said it will participate, and other Arab allies are expected to join.

Related:58 percent say Britain is wrong to intervene

"France is in and being so active because of their self-positioning as an important Mediterranean power," Gong said. "Plus it has huge oil interest in Libya, while the UK's participation unintentionally reminds people of its several failures in the area - it might want to save some face from this action." France's intervention in Libya comes from its historical relations with the African countries and its desire to be the lead of Mediterranean countries, said Ma Xiaolin, a Beijing-based commentator on international affairs.

The US has hesitated during this tide of turmoil in Middle East and North Africa, letting France think it's a chance to take the lead, Ma said.

The Libyan government urged people in towns, cities and tribes to join a march from the capital, Tripoli, to Benghazi "so we could exchange condolences, ... announce forgiveness ... and then we could sit down as one family ..."

Late on Sunday night, Libyan officials took Western reporters to Gadhafi's compound in Tripoli, a sprawling complex that houses his private quarters as well as a military barracks, anti-aircraft batteries and other installations, to see what they said was the site of a missile attack two hours earlier.

Related: Cruise missile blasts Gadhafi's compound

A short walk from a brightly lit tent where Gadhafi receives his guests, the three-story building stood in ruins, and a circular hole was visible on its gutted facade. The US says it does not have Gadhafi on its target list.

A Libyan military spokesman announced a new ceasefire on Sunday, saying that "the Libyan armed forces ... have issued a command to all military units to safeguard an immediate ceasefire from 9 pm this evening".

Both before and after he spoke, heavy anti-aircraft gunfire boomed above central Tripoli.

In Cairo, a group of Libyans angry at the international intervention in their homeland blocked the path of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon following a meeting at the Arab League on Monday.

Ban had finished talks with the Arab League chief Amr Moussa and left the organization's headquarters in Cairo for a walkabout in nearby Tahrir Square, when dozens of Libyan protesters converged on him and his security detail.

The Libyans, carrying pictures of Gadhafi and banners critical of the US and the UN, blocked Ban's path, forcing him to return to the league and leave from another exit.

Xinhua-Reuters-China Daily