Obama: Libya Leader Gaddafi Must Leave Power Quickly

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron agreed on Tuesday that Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi must leave power quickly and weighed steps to stop the bloodshed, including a no-fly zone.

As Obama faces growing calls at home to help Libyan rebels seeking Gaddafi's ouster, he and Cameron discussed a "full spectrum of possible responses" during their telephone call, the White House said in a statement.

The two leaders would work on planning for several options, including surveillance of Libya with spy planes, humanitarian assistance, enforcement of a United Nations arms embargo and a no-fly zone, it said.

"They agreed that the common objective in Libya must be an immediate end to brutality and violence; the departure of Gaddafi from power as quickly as possible; and a transition that meets the Libyan peoples' aspirations for freedom," the White House said.

As the international community tries to reach consensus on what to do about Libya, Britain and France are working on a U.N. Security Council resolution for a no-fly zone that could be put forward if they believe conditions warrant it.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Tuesday a no-fly zone was a practical possibility but would require "a clear legal basis, a demonstrable need and strong international support and broad support in the region and a readiness to participate in it."

Cameron told the BBC that planning was needed in case Gaddafi refuses to step down.
"I think now we have got to prepare for what we might have to do if he goes on brutalizing his own people," he said.

LITTLE EFFECT ON HELICOPTERS

Obama is facing criticism, especially from Republicans, that he has been too cautious during the turmoil in Libya.

But the Obama administration is reluctant to get drawn into the conflict while the United States is entangled in Iraq and Afghanistan, stressing the need for international backing for any foreign military intervention.

U.S. officials have voiced concerns about the effectiveness of a no-fly zone.
Marine General James Amos told U.S. lawmakers that Libya's helicopter forces represent its strongest air power threat.

"There are several things that will give (Gaddafi's forces) enormous advantage. One is the ground movement of forces, vehicles," Amos said. "I think it's more than just aviation. I think it's very complex."

Senator John McCain, a vocal proponent of a no-fly zone, said he could not understand why Obama was resisting growing pressure to impose one.

"People are dying. The facts are very clear," McCain told Reuters as he left the hearing where Amos testified. "President Obama has said that Gaddafi has got to go. Wouldn't a no-fly zone be a very important way to make that happen?"

Senator John Kerry, a close Obama ally, has called for the United States to prepare for a no-fly zone and has floated the idea of bombing Libyan runways to ground Gaddafi's warplanes.

(Additional reporting by Susan Cornwell, Alister Bull and Arshad Mohammed; Writing by Caren Bohan; Editing by John O'Callaghan and Eric Walsh)

Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for Restrictions.

Comments

[silent echo]

01:26 AM on 03/19/2011

Nation building are we ??

[Promitheus]

12:05 AM on 03/17/2011

It seems easy to care and act over natural disasters, but what about preventing mass-deaths in man-made ones?

This is a letter from 10 years in the future from Libyan to Western Powers

'Dear Western Powers,

It is the year 2021 and Muammar Gaddafi is trying to sheepishly look upset from the screen to “mourn” the 1000s who died on this day when in his father’s words ‘Al-qaeda drugged rebels tried to defend Benghazi’ 10 years ago. As I see him speaking I cannot help but wonder:

Could the equation have been more obvious?

-Help the rebels and the new government will bend over backwards in giving you oil and love, instead of Russia, Germany and China
- Help the rebels and you’ll be remembered for giving at least one other country of the continent you once robbed its deserved chance at democracy
- Help the rebels and you’ll be a hero in the eyes of the world.

At this time in the century, 10 years ago, the European and US governments were still investing trillions into their military programmes and were willing to jump into wars such as the one in Iraq on poor information and little moral conviction. And yet when both good information and a moral conviction were true of Libya, requiring a fraction of the effort poured into mistaken conflicts (because she was going to liberate herself), it did not come. Or rather, it came too late.

Yours Sincerely,

Promitheus'

[Rosarita]

04:16 AM on 03/11/2011

Meanwhile, by their inaction, Gaddifi wins. Talk is cheap, the opposition needs help!

[DeuxExMachina]

05:52 PM on 03/09/2011

Currently there are stories that the Egyptian special forces are helping to train and co-ordinate Libyan rebels. My question is why is this supposedly INTERIM Egyptian military administration invovling themselves in other's conflicts. Are they doing it at the behest of the Americans or are they trying to recreate Egypt as it was during the times of the Pharaohs?
Secondly, with something the Egyptians can do, have they opened their border with Gaza to allow free flow of people, goods and building materials or are they still ganging up with the Israelis against their fellow Arabs.

[Heso]

12:58 AM on 03/10/2011

They aren't involving themselves in other's conflict, there are more than 1 million Egyptians in Libya till now, rebels need the help and instability in Libya is not good for Egypt, plus, teaching them how to fight and organizing themselves isn't really that resources consuming or that costly, i think that's the best they can/should do right now...

you are asking if the reason is "behest of the Americans" or "recreate Egypt" "Pharaohs", why not because they want to ?

"have they opened their border with Gaza to allow free flow of people, goods and building materials"

I am not sure how they are governing the border right now, but they did open the borders for people just after Mubarak was gone, and it was evident when twice, a group of Palestinians came from Gaza to attend a football match, i think i've read somewhere that borders are open for students, patients and goods, and the max no. of Palestinians to pass in a day is 300 only, but that's for now, let's hope they ease it more soon.

[yappnmutt]

04:29 PM on 03/09/2011

war. the usa politicians' idea of a jobs program.

[kjordan3637]

12:16 PM on 03/09/2011

On a lighter note, you might enjoy these Top 10 Libya Cartoons... Scroll down the page about half way...

http://precisiontradingsolutions.blogspot.com/p/libya-crisis.html

[Wendy Davis]

11:07 AM on 03/09/2011

So many responses stating:  Don't start a war in Libya - This is not Iraq.  The people in Iraq were functioning relatively normally, as normal as one can expect in a region troubled with religious differences in a 14th century fashion, with death.  The subsequent bombing of Baghdad - shock and awe - was not needed, and was not necessary.  Libyans are revolting against a corrupt dictator.  Aiding these people before they end up corpses, because they will if the US does not help them, is what is needed.  Otherwise, at the end of this movie, you are going to have a country which is filled with extremists holding weapons while the women and children, the old and the sick suffer immeasurably in the shadows.  This is a humanitarian call for help. 

[annienomad]

12:06 PM on 03/09/2011

Agreed! Thanks for the post, Wendy. Uprising - Do You Hear The People Sing?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0t-gDKgeZvY

[Wendy Davis]

12:55 PM on 03/09/2011

It is such a relief to read a response that does not require me trying to make people understand that snipers are shooting at unarmed people without regard in Libya as I type this.  It's an exercise in futility to debate with some of these posters who seem robotic in their responses.  Thank you Annienomad :) 

[adrian nyu]

08:48 AM on 03/09/2011

Note to Pres. I kind of wouldn't take advice from Republicans on War Action - see Iraq and Afghanistan. We have lost too many young men and women, and there has to be International support. Pres Obama is taking advice from his Generals, and they know a whole lot more than some who want to jump right in. BTW, they are engaged in Humanitarian efforts, etc. there...bombs are not always the way to go.

[darthmaul]

08:47 AM on 03/09/2011

"People are dying. The facts are very clear," McCain told Reuters as he left the hearing where Amos testified. "President Obama has said that Gaddafi has got to go. Wouldn't a no-fly zone be a very important way to make that happen?"

This is the same simplistic thinking that has gotten us into the intractable conflicts were currently in. These same republicans are the ones crowing about government spending, yet not a peep about where all the money is going to come from to start a third military intervention? Probably from the money we save by gutting all the social and infrastructure programs at home,

[silent echo]

01:22 AM on 03/19/2011

What better way to cut Social Security than to say we don;t have the money.. we have 3 wars..

[clarkesq]

08:38 AM on 03/09/2011

So should Americans die instead of Libyans? What would Republicans have us do? Invade, as they so love to do?

[unionave]

08:37 AM on 03/09/2011

It is time to bring out General Clark .

[silent echo]

01:23 AM on 03/19/2011

I agree..

[PharmaCan]

08:31 AM on 03/09/2011

People are dying. The facts are very clear," McCain told Reuters as he left the hearing where Amos testified. "President Obama has said that Gaddafi has got to go. Wouldn't a no-fly zone be a very important way to make that happen?"

Wouldn't this very same set of facts, if applied to Afghanistan, be sufficient reason for some country to impose a "no-fly zone" on our forces there? Wouldn't they mandate our immediate withdrawal? But that's not really the issue here.

Any Senator, any member of Congress, any politician, pundit or adviser in this country who wants us to take military action in Libya had better first figure out how to pay for it. They need to march their hawkish posteriors up to Capitol Hill and start demanding the repeal of the extensions of the Bush tax cuts before they so much as breathe a word about getting us into another conflict.


We're broke - remember?

[DeuxExMachina]

06:58 PM on 03/09/2011

Better still, if these politicians, lobbyists and right-wing think-tank writers really believe in war with Libya then they and their adult sons should volunteer to be in the first front-line. The Ancient Athenians put a noose around any politican who wanted to make suggestions. If it was approved great. If declined, they dropped the trap-door.

[Renee Johnson]

02:49 PM on 03/15/2011

Thank you, thank you!!!!!!!!!! I soo agree. this is a civil war and we have enough of our men and women that have died already for wars that were not ours...We Are Broke...however the ones on the Hill are not...they can pay for it and send their own families to fight for a change!!!

[fitley]

08:29 AM on 03/09/2011

I thought that the headline "Republicans criticize the President" was more interesting. It made me think " Hmm I wonder if it's more earth shattering than his use of mustard on a hamburger"?

[ssb752]

08:39 AM on 03/09/2011

I'm trying to ketchup to your sarcasm, but I am still in a pickle. Lettuce be thankful it was over Libya.

[ldelp84227]

08:27 AM on 03/09/2011

I don't like what is going on in Libya, but why do we have to get in everyone's business. Our leaders have not treated us so great. What if some other country wanted our President to step down. Are we supposed to listen to other countries telling us what to do. NO.

Apparently all the Republicans care about is hurting people and war. They have brought so much anger to our country and they seem to forget their part in the destruction of our economy.



We are not happy about how corporations are running our country at the same time some of them are poisoning us. Yes many of us are sick from the products they make and no one is doing anything about it.

Very disturbing time in our world. Linda