Allied air strikes will go on in Libya until Muammar al-Gaddafi stops attacking civilians, pulls back his forces and allows in humanitarian aid, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Tuesday.
Speaking at an international conference on Libya in London, the chief US diplomat also called for a “united front of diplomatic and political pressure” to force Gaddafi to step down after more than 40 years of power.
Military action will continue “until Gaddafi fully complies with the terms of (UN Security Council resolution) 1973, ceases his attacks on civilians, pulls his troops back from places they have forcibly entered, and allows key services and humanitarian assistance to reach all Libyans,” Clinton said.
The establishment of an immediate ceasefire was one of the top demands of the resolution authorizing “all necessary measures” to protect Libyan civilians, including air strikes on Gaddafi’s ground forces and a no-fly zone.
The resolution also demanded that the authorities in Tripoli “comply with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, human rights and refugee law and take all measures to protect civilians and meet their basic needs, and to ensure the rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian assistance.”
However, Clinton said the international community had to go beyond military pressure to “deepen the isolation of the Gaddafi regime.
“This includes a united front of political and diplomatic pressure that makes clear to Gaddafi that he must go, that sends a strong message of accountability and that sharpens the choice for those around him,” she said.
“It includes financial pressure, through the vigorous enforcement of sanctions, authorised under UN Security Councils 1970 and 1973,” she said.
Resolution 1970 imposed bans on assets and travel on members of the regime as well as an arms embargo.
Clinton said the international community should not attempt to impose its will on the Libyan people but should “stand with them as they determine their own destiny.”
She added: “We believe that Libya’s transition should come through a broadly inclusive process that reflects the will and protects the rights of the Libyan people.”
Clinton, who earlier met Mahmud Jibril of the opposition Transitional National Council (TNC), said the TNC and a broad cross-section of Libyan civil society and “other stakeholders have a critical contribution to make.”
The United States has stopped short of recognising the TNC after US officials said they were trying to obtain a “clearer picture” about their aims.
She said the United Nations, African Union, the Arab League, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the European Union “all have important roles to play” in supporting the transition.