EU edges closer to sanctions against Libya
Germany is at the forefront of a push for the European Union to impose strict sanctions on Libya. US President Barack Obama has said "all options" are open to help stop the bloodshed in Libya.
The European Union's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, has called for sanctions against Libya. "It's time to consider what we call restrictive measures ... to ensure we put as much pressure as possible to try and stop the violence in Libya and see the country move forward," she told reporters Friday ahead of a meeting of EU defense ministers in Hungary. Those measures could include an assets freeze and travel ban against the regime, she added.
Joining the chorus of demands for international sanctions, Germany's Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said the EU should slap a total arms embargo on Libya. "The time is over for issuing appeals, it's time to act," he said in Berlin.
The UN Security Council is expected to decide on what measures to take at an emergency meeting later this Friday.
In Geneva, the UN's top human rights official urged the international community to act swiftly and decisively on Libya and put an end to the brutal crackdown on protesters. "Let us be clear that today's shocking and brutal situation is the direct outcome of a callous disregard for the rights and freedom of Libyans that has marked the almost four-decade long gruip on power by the current ruler," Navi Pillay told a special session of the UN Human Rights Council. She also spoke of alarming reports of mass killings, torture and arbitrary arrests. Thousands may have been killed or injured in the ongoing violence, she said.
US President Barack Obama, who on Wednesday condemned the violence as "outrageous" and "unacceptable," said the US would use a "full range of options" to stop the bloodshed. After consulting with the leaders of France, Britain and Italy on Thursday, Obama said Washington was considering every alternative, including sanctions and military action.
German President Christian Wulff on Thursday called Gadhafi a "psychopath," comparing the violence to "terrorism by the state."
Gadhafi loyalists open fire on protesters
Witnesses reported Friday that security forces loyal to Gadhafi had opened fire on protesters in several areas just outside the capital Tripoli. "The security forces fired indiscriminately on the demonstrators," said a resident, adding that there were dead bodies on the streets.
In a telephone statement broadcast via state television on Thursday, Gadhafi squarely laid the blame for the Libyan uprising on Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda network.
"It is obvious now that this issue is run by al-Qaeda," he said. "Those armed youngsters, our children, are incited by people who are wanted by America and the Western world. Those inciting are few in numbers and we have to capture them."
Gadhafi described the young protesters as "trigger-happy...shoot[ing] especially when they are stoned on drugs."
This was Gadhafi's second TV appearance in as many days. Earlier, he vowed to fight the protesters until the end and die a martyr.
Libyan sources said Thursday that Gadhafi was barricaded in the Bab al-Azizya compound in the capital, Tripoli, and was being protected by four military brigades. Despite his defiant stance, there were signs that his grip on power was slipping.
However, more reports were emerging that Gadhafi was increasingly using foreign mercenaries to support his violent crackdown.
The International Federation for Human Rights, citing Libyan exile groups, estimated there to be around 6,000 foreign fighters, 3,000 of them in Tripoli. Most of them were said to be from other African states such as Mali, Nigeria and Zimbabwe.
Mass evacuations
As a mass exodus of around 1.5 million European and other foreign nationals continued, both Italy and Turkey said they were drawing up plans for a military operation to get their nationals out of the country. At a meeting of the National Security Council, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the armed forces to "be ready at any time for a spot operation." Turkey has so far evacuated around 8,000 of its 25,000 nationals living in Libya.
Fleeing foreigners spoke of "hellish" scenes as they tried to escape the unfolding chaos.
"Libya is descending into hell," said Helena Sheehan, a British national who made it on a flight out to London's Gatwick Airport. "It's absolute chaos. There's just thousands and thousands of people trying to get out."
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