Libya rebels repel attack on Misrata,
Gaddafi appears
* Eight rebels die beating off Misrata attack
* NATO bombs Gaddafi forces on outskirts
* Rebel-held Ajdabiyah shelled (Adds Misrata fighting, NATO, rebels reject deal)
By Maria Golovnina
MISRATA, Libya, April 9 (Reuters) - Libyan rebels beat off a new assault by Muammar Gaddafi's forces on the besieged western city of Misrata on Saturday, losing eight of their fighters in fierce street battles, the insurgents said.
As fighting raged on for the coastal town, where conditions are said to be desperate, a buoyant Muammar Gaddafi made his first television appearance for five days and his troops engaged rebels in more fighting on the eastern front of the civil war.
Rebel spokesman Mustafa Abdulrahman told Reuters by telephone that Saturday's fighting centred on the Nakl al-Theqeel road to Misrata port, where a Red Cross vessel brought in badly needed medical supplies earlier in the day.
Abdulrahman praised what he called a positive change from NATO, saying its aircraft carried out several air strikes on Gaddafi's besieging forces. Rebels have complained for days that NATO is too slow to respond to government attacks.
A Reuters correspondent on a government organised trip to Misrata described deserted streets in the city's south and said many buildings had been heavily shelled. Continued...
