World

Libya rebellion: Qaddafi must step down, says US

State Department says quick and decisive action averted possible humanitarian crisis.

Quatrina Hosain March 26, 2011

ISLAMABAD:

The US State Department has called on Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Qaddafi to step down, saying he had lost legitimacy when he turned guns on his own people.

US State Department spokesman Mark C Toner spoke to journalists in South Asia via an audio link on Friday, saying an unfolding humanitarian crisis in eastern Libya had been averted by quick and decisive action. “We call on Qaddafi to step down,” Toner said, but added that the current Nato-led air strikes were not to bring about a regime change but to protect Libyan civilians.

“UN Security Council Resolution 1973 is not about Qaddafi leaving power. It is about direct humanitarian assistance and relief and protection of civilians who are under attack in eastern Libya,” Toner stressed, but added: “We are going to seek to bring pressure on Qaddafi and we’ve done that already.”

When asked by The Express Tribune if sanctions or ground troops were on the cards, Toner said an arms embargo was already in place and Nato was allowed to board ships and ensure that Qaddafi’s arms supply was also cut down.

“The goal is to completely isolate him until his only choice is a stark one; that he steps down from power and allows a peaceful transition to take place,” Toner said.

Toner said the situation remained fluid in Libya but an emerging opposition in Libya was increasingly more coherent. “We need to understand their needs and their aspirations,” Toner said, adding that it was up to the Libyans to decide.

He repeatedly stressed that the enforcement of a no-fly zone over eastern Libya had averted a humanitarian crisis, especially in the eastern city of Benghazi, where, Toner said, 700,000 civilians had been warned by Qaddafi in an edict that they would receive “no mercy.”

Toner said he was not aware of any confirmed civilian casualties in the air strikes by coalition forces, adding he was aware of the Libyan regime’s claims in this regard.

The State Department spokesman said the US acted in concert with key allies and a transition to a broader coalition with Arab participation was underway, with the UAE sending in 12 planes to enforce the no-fly zone.

“We have a strong coalition. It’s an international effort in which Nato has command and control capability and has taken control,” Toner said, adding that support for UNSC Resolution 1973 came after a plea from the Arab League. “It’s up to each country what role they want to play,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 26^th, 2011.

COMMENTS (7)

Cautious | 13 years ago | Reply Gaddafi is a bonafide bad guy - all the ranting about the West stealing oil is typical Muslim blather - long on xenophobic bias ignoring facts. Akin to the USA invading Iraq to steal it's oil - pretty obvious that the USA didn't take a drop of oil. The reality is that Arabs were living in tents before the West found the oil - paid enormous sums to develop the oil - then the Arabs reneged on the contracts and formed a monopoly to control the price of oil. Remember that the next time you fill up your automobile.

Shakir Ayub | 13 years ago | Reply US, France, Britain and Canada; Your objective is only to invade oil rich countries and to rage war to sell more and more weapons. you are deceiving your people by misusing their tax money and also the world in the name of so called democracy and human rights. your human rights mean killing innocent civilians wherever you have interests and downplaying your fascist acts by wrong interpretation through your media champaign.

VIEW MORE COMMENTS

Altaf | 13 years ago | Reply With democracy you mean "western hypocracy". Don't you so called democracy supporters feel any shame when innocent civilians are slaughtered by missiles and bombs dropped from air and sea by the planes/ships of Western democrats. Look at Iraq, Afghanistan and even in Pakistan how millions of innocent people have been killed or maimed for life by the missiles dropped under the guise of fighting terrorism. This is how democracy is to be imposed. Libya which is no threat to world peace is being bombed to have taken stand against US and Western poers. Can tell me how much deomcracy is in UAE which has contributed its warplanes to patrol Libyan airspace to impose no-fly zone? This war is again for Oil. These Western powers will replace Gaddafi with puppet of theirs just like they have done in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is all Zionist evil planning "to bomb and destroy".

jamin | 13 years ago | Reply qaddafi,can not win,42years is not 42days people should stop qaddafi.democracy is the best form of goverment in the world,he should step down with all his cohort.nobody have any right to blame the coalition partners on what they are doing in libya.thanks God we have country like usa and european countries that always out to help the oppresed from our wicked and greedy rulers and their wicked supporters in third world countries. did qaddafi have any right to remain in power for 42 years even if he is the best man on the whole of libya?no sane person can support qaddafi,any blood being shed in libya is on the head of qaddafi,his family and his supporters.he is presenting empty coffins to the world to believe him,his game is up,is only fools can believe him and his supporters.we need change now in libya.

Anwar | 13 years ago | Reply If Qaddafi wins....the whole world loses.!

abdexter | 13 years ago | Reply v well said ben...I thnk a human wid sane senses is gonna agree 2 wat u hav mentioned, gr8 goin brother...

Ben | 13 years ago | Reply The world is at it again. Libya seems to be Iraq of this decade and the “civilized” world is out to “protect” Libya’s civilians from the atrocities of Col Qaddafi. Iraq’s Saddam had huge possessions of weapons of mass destruction and therefore, was to be punished through a senseless massacre of millions of innocent Iraqi civilian. The same is going to repeat in Libya, this time under the umbrella of a UN resolution. There are atrocities in other parts of the world but those parts and the humans living there have not so far attracted the attention of the world for the simple reason that those countries either do not have oil reserves or if they do, those are practically West’s petrol stations. And the US will make every effort to squeeze the pipes providing oil to power China’s economy. Haven’t you heard some cynic saying that China is poised to be the Number One global economy in the near future?

Replying to X