World leaders step up pressure on Gadhafi

The United States has frozen at least $30 billion in Libyan government assets, a U.S. Treasury official announced Monday -- one of a series of steps being taken by international leaders designed to break strongman Moammar Gadhafi's grip on power.
The $30 billion is the largest amount ever blocked under any sanctions program, according to David Cohen, the acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.
American officials slapped the sanctions on Libya last Friday, and the U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution on Libya on Saturday.
President Barack Obama met Monday with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to discuss a variety of measures under consideration. Ban later told reporters that "further action may well be necessary."

Gadhafi "has lost his legitimacy when he declared war on his people," Ban said of the Libyan leader. "This is again a totally unacceptable situation. I sincerely hope and urge him to listen to the peoples' call. That's my message to him."
All options are still on the table, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said at a meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.
"Gadhafi and those around him must be held accountable (for any actions) which violate international legal obligations and common decency," she said. "Through their actions, they have lost the legitimacy to govern."
Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, called Gadhafi "delusional," adding that "when he (Gadhafi) can laugh when talking to American and international journalists while he is slaughtering his own people, it only underscores how unfit he is to lead and how disconnected he is from reality."
The imposition of a no-fly zone over certain portions of the increasingly chaotic country is among the courses of action being contemplated, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters.
Carney indicated that exile is "certainly one option" for the Libyan leader. He also said that American officials are "actively reaching out" to Libyan opponents of the ruling regime, Carney said.
But any speculation on U.S. assistance to the Libyan rebels is premature, Rice said, calling it "unclear at this point who will emerge as the critical opposition element. We await to see how the opposition will coalesce."
Pentagon spokesman Col. David Lapan said the U.S. military is moving Navy ships closer to Libya.
Two U.S. Navy warships -- the carrier USS Enterprise and the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge -- are currently in the Red Sea and available to assist, U.S. military officials told CNN.
Lapan refused to indicate whether any American ground forces have been put on a heightened state of alert.
British PrimeMinister David Cameron echoed Washington's call for Gadhafi to step aside.
"We are taking every step possible to isolate the Gadhafi regime, deprive it of money, shrink its power and ensure that anyone responsible for abuses in Libya will be held to account," Cameron told members of Britain's parliament Monday.
In Brussels, the European Union banned the sale of arms and ammunition to Libya. It also prohibited any trade with Gadhafi's government that could lead to the acquisition of equipment that could be used for the repression of Libyans.
The EU also froze the assets of Gadhafi and five members of his family, while imposing a visa ban on Gadhafi and 15 other people tied to the regime's crackdown.
"The massive violence against peaceful demonstrators shocks our conscience," EU High Representative Catherine Ashton said. "It should also spring us into action."
Over the weekend, Italy suspended a treaty with Libya that includes a non-aggression pact, helping to pave the way for possible military action by U.S. or NATO troops. Italy is home to the U.S. Navy's Sixth Fleet.
Kurt Volker, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO, told CNN that Italy's suspension of the pact would not immediately suffice for military actions to be launched from that country.
The question, from the perspective of the Italian government, is "if you're really trying to think about military action, do you have some kind of authorization to do so?" he said in an interview. "You would need a U.N. mandate and possibly a NATO declaration or both, and there isn't anything like that on the table at the moment."
But, Volker said, others in the international community may soon have to decide whether to intervene militarily.
"At some point we have to face the question of are we willing to help them or not," he said.
The situation in Libya differs from that of Egypt, where the United States was trying to balance various interests, Volker noted. "We have no countervailing interests (here). ... (Gadhafi) has been a terrible dictator. He was a terror plotter. He blew up the plane in Lockerbie. So we have no reason not to be helping the people of Libya get rid of this tyrant."
Despite the growing international pressure, Gadhafi stood his ground Monday. Protesters fearful of violence stayed off the streets in Tripoli. Government officials warned that thousands of people could die if the popular uprising continues.
The death toll from the unrest -- now in its 14th day -- has already topped 1,000, according to a U.N. estimate.

Clinton noted Monday that U.S. humanitarian teams have been dispatched to Libya's borders at Tunisia and Egypt. Washington has set aside an additional $10 million for humanitarian aid, including medical supplies, she noted.

Source: CNN

Houston day care owner faces charges in deadly blaze

Texas authorities have issued an arrest warrant for the owner of a day care center, claiming four children died and three were injured in a fire last week after she left them alone with the stove on, authorities said Monday.
Authorities hope to detain 22-year-old Jessica Tata on a felony charge that she caused injury to a child, according to Donna Hawkins, a spokeswoman for the Harris County District Attorney's office. Other charges could come at a later date.
Tata had been licensed since March 1, 2010, with state authorities to run the residential day care center, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services spokeswoman Gwen Carter said. The facility was cited once -- and the issue was sufficiently addressed -- for not having a fire extinguisher or carbon monoxide detector before she got her permit, according to Carter.
The arrest affidavit, dated Sunday, claims that Tata "unlawfully and recklessly" caused "serious bodily injury" to at least one of the victims Thursday, after she left that child and six others unsupervised in the home day care and drove off in her car.
The blaze itself likely originated on an electric stove inside, which was on and had a pot on it containing oil, according to Houston Fire Department arson investigator Thomas Wood. A definitive cause for the fire will be announced once the investigation is complete.
Neighbors John Chestnut and Geoffrey Deshano told investigators that they heard Tata screaming soon after she pulled into her driveway and went to the front door, the arrest affidavit said. No other adults or day care employees were at the facility, the men said.
The two told reporters that Tata's car was full of groceries when she returned to the house, adding that they called 911 and tried to help get the children out as smoke seeped from the building.
"I came to the side of the house in the backyard and smashed one of the windows open, and I could see a kid having his hands out," Deshano told reporters. "I tried to grab him, but the smoke got into my face and my mouth and I couldn't breathe or see anything, and so I had to pull back,"
Chestnut added that he crawled into the house in an attempt to rescue the children.
"I can't see anything, it's hot and I'm coughing and can't breathe and all I hear are kids left and right saying, 'Help me, help me!' " he recalled.
There were seven small children, between 15 months and 3 years of age, inside Jackie's Child Care when firefighters came minutes later.
Hawkins said Tata will be charged with at least one count of reckless injury to a child involving serious bodily injury. If convicted on that one count alone, she would face two to 10 years in prison.
Emmanuel Kajoh, whose 19-month-old daughter Elizabeth died in the fire, described Tata as a "very good lady" who "loves kids." He told HLN's Vinnie Politan that he never had problems with the day care, calling the incident "unfortunate."
Still, for all his positive thoughts about Tata prior to this incident, Kajoh said he couldn't defend her actions last week.

"She had options to call people," he said of the day care owner's decision to leave the children unattended. "Even it is one child, not several children, that was a really bad decision. And it cost four lives."

Source: CNN

Egypt's attorney general forbids Mubarak from leaving country

Egypt's attorney general issued an order Monday freezing the assets of former President Hosni Mubarak and his family and prohibiting them from leaving the country.
Attorney General Abdel Maguid Mahmoud ordered the moves after Mustafa Bakri, a member of Egypt's parliament who lost his seat after filing corruption cases against various officials, provided documents indicating Mubarak's family has secret bank accounts totaling more than 200 million Egyptian pounds ($147 million), according to EgyNews.
"I submitted the corruption documents on Sunday night and on Monday morning I was called in by the public prosecutor for investigation, and he asked me to rush to his office." Bakri told CNN. "The attorney general, himself, went over the documents in my possession and then issued his orders to bar Mubarak and his family from travelling and to impound their assets."
Mahmoud ordered the freeze for property owned by Mubarak, his wife Suzanne, his two sons Alaa and Gamal Mubarak, and their wives and children, EgyNews reported. The seizures include "movable properties, real estate, stocks, bonds and various financial assets."
It wasn't immediately clear how the order differed from a similar one reported last week.
Mubarak, through his attorneys and in official filings, has described reports of immense wealth as "fabrications and baseless rumors."
But Bakri said the documents he provided to Mahmoud "are the first solid and concrete evidence on the fortune collected illegally by Mubarak and his family."

Mubarak, who resigned February 11 after 18 days of protest against his rule, is believed to be staying at his residence in Sharm el-Sheikh.

Source: CNN

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood seeks political party status

Egypt's banned Muslim Brotherhood will apply to become a political party, it announced Tuesday.
The Brotherhood "envisions the establishment of a democratic, civil state that draws on universal measures of freedom and justice, with central Islamic values serving all Egyptians regardless of colour, creed, political trend or religion," it said in the statement.
Although officially illegal, the Muslim Brotherhood is regarded as one of the most organized groups in Egypt.

It has said it does not plan to run a candidate for president when elections are held to replace Hosni Mubarak, who resigned on Friday.

Source: CNN

Dalai Lama's nephew dies in traffic accident

A nephew of the Dalai Lama died in northeast Florida Monday evening after he was hit by a car while walking along a highway.
"Yes, it is true unfortunately," said Tempa Tshering, a representative of the Dalai Lama in New Delhi, India.
Jigme Norbu, 45, was walking southbound along A1A in Flagler County when he was hit by a car driven by Keith O'Dell, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

Norbu was taking part in a "Walk for Tibet" from St. Augustine to West Palm Beach, according to the Ambassadors for World Peace website.

Source: CNN

Palestinian leaders slam Al-Jazeera over alleged peace process leak

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas lashed out Monday at Al-Jazeera, calling the Arabic TV network's release of alleged secret documents from Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations "shameful."
"The report aired by Al-Jazeera is an intentional mixing between the many Israeli proposals and the Palestinian positions," Abbas said in Cairo, Egypt, in comments published by the Palestinian news agency Wafa.
"We do not have anything secret to hide," he added. "All our negotiations and meetings and every issue discussed were presented to Arab countries with documents."
Dozens of Palestinians gathered Monday in central Ramallah, burning banners for Al-Jazeera and holding posters comparing the channel to Israel, Wafa reported.
The documents, which Al-Jazeera has dubbed "The Palestine Papers," suggest that Palestinian negotiators offered to give up large swaths of East Jerusalem to Israel during negotiations dating back to 2008. They suggest Palestinians have been willing to offer much larger concessions in private than previously acknowledged in public.
In one document from 2010, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Eraakat is quoted as telling a U.S. State Department official that the Palestinian offer would give Israel "the biggest (Jerusalem) in Jewish history."
In a statement Monday, Erekat said that "a number of reports have surfaced regarding our positions in our negotiations with Israel, many of which have misrepresented our positions, taking statements and facts out of context. Other allegations circulated in the media have been patently false."
He added, "Our position has been the same for the past 19 years of negotiations: We seek to establish a sovereign and independent Palestinian state along the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital and to reach a just solution to the refugee issue based on their international legal rights," and any proposed agreement "would have to gain popular support through a national referendum."
Abed Rabbo, one of Abbas' top advisers, accused Al-Jazeera of a "smear campaign."
"What happened is a manipulation of the documents and a misrepresentation of the facts and a true distortion, just for mockery and defiance," Abed Rabbo told reporters.
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, a representative for the Middle East Quartet, told CNN he does not believe Abbas would offer as much territory as the documents suggest. The Middle East Quartet -- composed of the United States, the European Union, Russia, and the United Nations -- has been trying to broker a peace deal.
"The idea that the Palestinian leadership had been offering concessions fundamentally in disagreement with the international negotiation that's known publicly is absurd," he said, adding that Palestinian leaders have "been sometimes probably too emphatic for the rest of us in their defense of Palestinian interests."
The U.N. special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, Robert Serry, weighed in as well. "I can personally attest to the commitment of the Palestinian leadership to secure the legitimate rights and interests of the Palestinian people, based on international law and U.N. resolutions," he said, as quoted by Wafa.
While the Palestinian Authority controls the West Bank, the militant group Hamas controls Gaza. Hamas quickly pounced on the Al-Jazeera reporting, condemning the Palestinian Authority team and saying it "does not have credibility to negotiate because it offered essential concessions."
"All the doubts and all the concerns of the Palestinian people and the resistance were true," Oussama Hamdan, head of Hamas foreign relations, said Monday in a CNN interview from Lebanon. "Those negotiators have no credibility and they are not authorized to negotiate on behalf of the Palestinians because of the division, because there is no united Palestinian institution and because they don't have cards of power to negotiate with the Israelis."
Hamas, which refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist, has carried out numerous terrorist attacks and is branded a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office declined to comment.
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, speaking to Israel radio, pointed out that the alleged negotiations took place under former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, a more left-wing government than Netanyahu's. "If the Olmert government was not able to reach an agreement despite the far-reaching concessions, everyone understands that a long-term interim agreement is what is needed," Lieberman said.
Yanki Galanti, a former Olmert spokesman, said an agreement was almost reached during negotiations between Olmert and Abbas from the end of 2006 to September 2008.
"After dozens of meetings ... there was a proposal that was reached. ... This offer was on all the issues we call core issues," Galanti told Israeli Army radio.
The core issues in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations are considered to be the status of Jerusalem, borders and refugees.
Rabbo, the Palestinian official, condemned not only Al-Jazeera, but also the leadership of Qatar, where the network is based.
"This is a first-class political smear campaign and the decision comes from the highest level in Qatar," Rabbo said, adding sarcastically, "and we thank the emir of Qatar on his commitment to transparency and to deliver the truth to a wider audience."
Referring to the "transparency" that Al-Jazeera said it was offering with its reporting, Rabbo added, "We hope that they extend this so-called 'transparency' to the greatest degree and address the role of the U.S. base in Qatar in spying on the Arab countries, and talk about Qatari relations with Iran and Israel."
The government of Qatar had no immediate comment.
On its website, Al-Jazeera says it was "given unhindered access to the largest-ever leak of confidential documents related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. There are nearly 1,700 files, thousands of pages of diplomatic correspondence detailing the inner workings of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. These documents -- memos, e-mails, maps, minutes from private meetings, accounts of high level exchanges, strategy papers and even (PowerPoint) presentations -- date from 1999 to 2010."
The network added, "We believe this material will prove to be of inestimable value to journalists, scholars, historians, policymakers and the general public. We know that some of what is presented here will prove controversial, but it is our intention to inform, not harm, to spark debate and reflection -- not dampen it."
Rabbo, however, accused Al-Jazeera of plotting to weaken the Palestinian Authority and Abbas, Wafa reported.
He called on independent Palestinian organizations to set up a committee to look into the authenticity of the documents, according to Wafa.
He vowed that the Palestinian Authority will not take action against Al-Jazeera staff in the Palestinian territories, the report added.
Al-Jazeera is not disclosing the source of the documents it received "over the last several months."
CNN could not immediately verify the authenticity of the documents.
U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley tweeted Sunday night, "The U.S. government is reviewing the alleged Palestinian documents released by Al-Jazeera. We cannot vouch for their veracity."
"The U.S. remains focused on a two-state solution and will continue to work with the parties to narrow existing differences on core issues," Crowley added.
Al-Jazeera said it will be revealing the documents through Wednesday.
The documents outline meetings among Israeli, Palestinian and U.S. officials in which Palestinian negotiators offered in 2008 to relinquish claims on nearly all of the settlements built in East Jerusalem. The offer was flatly rejected by the Israeli side, according to the posted documents.
Israel seized the eastern half of Jerusalem following war with its Arab neighbors in 1967 and considers it the nation's sovereign capital. The claim is rejected by the international community, which considers Israeli building in East Jerusalem to be illegal. Palestinians want the eastern part of the city as the capital for their future state.
The leaked documents could prove to be politically damaging for Abbas. Officials from the Ramallah-based government have consistently condemned growing Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem, and disclosures that Palestinians officials were willing to make offers that would allow Israeli construction to continue were being seized on by critics.
Sami Abu Zhuri, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza, said the leaked internal documents about Palestinian concessions on East Jerusalem illustrate the collaboration between the Palestinian Authority and Israel. He accused the Abbas government of working with Israel to put an end to the notion of a Palestinian state.

In addition to details about concessions made on the issue of East Jerusalem, Al-Jazeera reported that Palestinian officials also offered compromise positions on sensitive issues such as the right of return of Palestinian refugees and control of the Temple Mount, where stands the Al-Aqsa mosque, one of the most important sites in Islam.

Source: CNN

Death toll from flooding in Brazil surpasses 800

Devastating floods in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro state have killed more than 800 people, according to new government figures.
State authorities said late Sunday that 809 people were killed after flooding and massive mudslides flattened houses and wiped out entire neighborhoods in hillside towns.
The city of Nova Friburgo was the hardest hit, with at least 391 victims, Rio de Janeiro state government said.
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The flooding, caused by days of torrential rains, has left thousands of people homeless throughout the state, according to the government's tally.

Other states in the South American country have also seen heavy rainfall. Earlier this month, authorities in neighboring Sao Paulo state said flooding had killed 24 people.

Source: CNN

Son of former shah of Iran commits suicide

Alireza Pahlavi, son of the former shah of Iran, died Tuesday morning at his home in Boston, Massachusetts, a family spokesman said. The spokesman said it was a suicide.
Pahlavi, 44, was the son of the former shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, who was overthrown in 1979 and died the following year in exile in Cairo, Egypt.
"It is with immense grief that we would like to inform our compatriots of the passing away of Prince Alireza Pahlavi," the family website said.
"Like millions of young Iranians, he too was deeply disturbed by all the ills fallen upon his beloved homeland, as well as carrying the burden of losing a father and a sister in his young life. Although he struggled for years to overcome his sorrow, he finally succumbed."
The family learned of the death Tuesday at 2:30 a.m., said spokesman Ahmad Oveyssi.
Born in Tehran on July 28, 1966, Pahlavi attended schools in Iran before traveling to the United States in 1979 during the Iranian revolution. He obtained a B.A. from Princeton University in 1984 and a masters degree from Columbia University in 1992 and attended Harvard University in pursuit of a Ph. D. in Ancient Iranian Studies.
In June 2001, Pahlavi's sister, Leila Pahlavi, also committed suicide.

He is survived by his mother, Farah Pahlavi, his older brother Reza, his sister Farahnaz and his half-sister Shahnaz.

Source: CNN 

Governor of Pakistan's Punjab province assassinated

The governor of Pakistan's Punjab province was assassinated by his own security guard Tuesday, according to Interior Minister Rehman Malik, apparently because he spoke out against the country's controversial blasphemy law.
The security guard was arrested, Malik said. The shooting occurred at Islamabad's Kohsar Market, which is frequented by foreigners.
The guard, Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri, confessed to assassinating Taseer because "he did blasphemy of the Prophet Mohammed," said Naeem Iqbal, spokesman for Islamabad police. Qadri told police Taseer had described the blasphemy law as "the black laws."
The blasphemy law makes it a crime punishable by death to insult Islam, the Quran or the Prophet Mohammed.

After the shooting, Qadri immediately surrendered to authorities, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported, citing Malik.
Taseer was leaving the market when he was shot. The APP said he had had lunch with a friend at a cafe in the market. Earlier, Iqbal had said Taseer had gone into the market to make some purchases. He was taken to a hospital following the shooting, but died, apparently from blood loss, officials said.
However, Dr. Sharif Astori, spokesman for Poly Clinic Hospital, told CNN Taseer was "already dead when he was brought into the hospital."
Astori said doctors accounted for 26 bullets in his body. Most of the fatal wounds were to his chest, face, neck and legs, he said. Some of the bullets passed completely through his body.
Taseer knew he was targeted by some because of his stance on the blasphemy law, P.J. Mir, a Pakistani journalist and friend of Taseer's, told CNN. Mir said Taseer told him when the two ate dinner together last week that he had already told his wife to consider herself a widow.
Taseer "really felt for the people, felt for the people of all religions" and was not afraid to stand up for the downtrodden, Mir said. "Today we've lost a very good man."
He said Tuesday was a tragic day for Pakistan.
A spotlight was put on Pakistan's controversial blasphemy law in November when a Christian woman, Asia Bibi of Punjab province, was sentenced to death for blasphemy. A court found the 45-year-old woman guilty of defiling the name of the Prophet Mohammed during a 2009 argument with fellow Muslim field workers.
An investigation by a Pakistani government ministry found the charges against Bibi stemmed from "religious and personal enmity" and recommended her release. The government also said it would review the law.
In remarks to CNN in November, Taseer said Pakistan's President, Asif Ali Zardari, would pardon Bibi if the courts did not.
"He's a liberal, modern-minded president, and he's not going to see a poor woman like this targeted and executed ... it's just not going to happen," he said.
"The blasphemy law is not a God-made law. It's a man-made law," he said. "... It's a law that gives an excuse to extremists and reactionaries to target weak people and minorities."
No "big, rich, powerful man" runs afoul of the law, he noted. "It's only the poor people who they want to, you know, either grab their property or threaten them or get into local disputes. So the law is actually an unfortunate leftover from a military regime. It has to go in due course or be amended, and I think the pressure is on us, is on the parliamentarians now," he said.
"People have spoken up, I'm very happy to say," he added. "I took the initiative and I think from all sides ... people are coming out and openly condemning the blasphemy law. I think that's encouraging."
Taseer said he would like to see the law "changed in such a way that it just basically says, if you insult any prophet, no matter who he is, that's a criminal offense, but certainly not punishable by death."
Reaction to the assassination from officials in Pakistan and beyond was swift. Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani said in a statement he "strongly condemned" the incident. The Pakistan People's Party, the nation's ruling party, said it would observe two weeks of mourning over Taseer's death, according to GEO TV.
"I am shocked to hear of the assassination of Salman Taseer," British Foreign Secretary William Hague said in a statement. "His death will be a loss to the leadership of Pakistan."
In the wake of Taseer's death, Pakistan's minority minister pledged to continue pushing for amendments in the law.
"I will continue," Shahbaz Bhatti told CNN. "I will campaign for this... these fanatics cannot stop me from moving any further steps against the misuse of (the) blasphemy law."
Asked if he was in fear of his own life, Bhatti said he was not, but "I am getting threats. I was told by the religious extremists that if you will make any amendments in this law, you will be killed. But I am ready to sacrifice my life for the principled stand I have taken because the people of Pakistan are being victimized under the pretense of blasphemy law."
The English-educated Taseer created "a host of highly successful businesses," according to his official website, and is "the pioneer of cable television in Pakistan." He introduced the first English news channel in Pakistan, Business Plus.
His website describes Taseer as an activist who stood up to Pakistan's previous military leadership, calling it a "brutal and medievalistic dictatorship." He was arrested a total of 16 times, according to the website, placed on house arrest several times and spent time in "jails around the country."
He married twice and had six children, according to his website, which also contained a quote from him: "You live life once, you live it by your principles and you live it courageously -- that's what it's about." He lived in Lahore, Pakistan.
Taseer's official Facebook page lists his favorite books as Niccolo Machiavelli's "The Prince" and biographies "of everyone -- from Napoleon to Richard Branson to Hugh Hefner."

He had been governor of Punjab province since May 2008.

Source: CNN 

Ouattara supporter killed in Abidjan

The government of self-proclaimed President Laurent Gbagbo anounced Tuesday that a supporter of Alassane Ouattara was killed during a pre-dawn raid in Abidjan.
The raid took place around 5 a.m. in the Cocody neighborhood at the party headquarters of a key member of the pro-Ouattara political coalition that backed him for the runoff, the government said on national television.
"Sixty-three persons have been detained, eight injured, including seven police officers," said an Interior Ministry spokesman.
"The supporter died of his wounds... he was armed with a knife and had tried to attack police officers and gendarmes," added the spokesman, who identified the victim as a northern tribesman.
Police seized machetes, knives, daggers and traditional protection amulets associated with armed rebels, the spokesman said.
The raid took place after police received complaints about attacks against local residents carried out by the occupants of the building, said the spokesman.
Residents interviewed on the scene after the raid reported that supporters of Ouattara had been camping in the bulding since the November 28 election runoff, which international observers say was won by Ouattara.
The residents said the group had been involved in violence in the neighborhood, including robbing a bakery and clashing with pro-Gbabgo students from a nearby campus.
Two U.N. vehicles appeared on the scene following the raid, but were ordered to leave by police forces loyal to Gbagbo.
In the afternoon, the building was guarded by police officers who said no more supporters remained inside.
The incident came on the same day that talks between Ivory Coast's political rivals and African mediators failed to break the political impasse that has left Gbagbo clinging to power, despite international pressure for him to step down.
President-elect Ouattara has said he will not meet with Gbagbo until Gbagbo acknowledges electoral defeat.
"Ouattara has always been clear on this issue since the beginning," said Patrick Achi, Ouattara's spokesman.
However, Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, the envoy for the African Union, urged patience in resolving the crisis through negotiations.
"Military action will cost lives and we want to avoid that," Odinga told CNN.
The Kenyan leader, who visited Abidjan on Monday along with a delegation representing West African states, said Gbagbo agreed to negotiate a peaceful end to the crisis without conditions.
But Ouattara will not negotiate until he is recognized as the legitimate president and Gbagbo lifts a siege on the waterfront Golf Hotel, where Ouattara has been holed up since the runoff, Odinga said.
Gbagbo, who has given no sign that he is retreating from his claim to the presidency, told the African leaders he would pull back his military by noon Tuesday, but Ivorian forces remained at the hotel in the evening.
"The (African Union's) position is that Ouattara is the president," Odinga said. "The option that Laurent Gbagbo has is to negotiate a decent exit with guarantees."
African leaders have urged Ouattara to ensure that Gbagbo and his supporters will not be persecuted if he steps down.
ECOWAS has threatened to use "legitimate force" to remove Gbagbo and called a two-day meeting of its defense chiefs January 17 to plan steps if he has failed to step down by then.
Gbagbo has said he wants an an international committee to recount the vote.

Odinga said Tuesday that a recount was no longer possible because the election documents have been in the custody of Gbagbo's supporters who could have tampered with them.

Source: CNN