US Denounces Government Violence As "Unacceptable"

Washington - Still struggling to catch up with fast-moving events throughout the Middle East, the administration of President Barack Obama Tuesday joined a growing international chorus in denouncing efforts by the Libyan government to crush a growing uprising against the 42-year reign of Muammar Al-Gaddafi.

"The world is watching the situation in Libya with alarm," said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a statement released late in the day, a government holiday.

"The government of Libya has a responsibility to respect the universal rights of the people, including the right to free expression and assembly. Now is the time to stop this unacceptable bloodshed," the statement asserted. "We are working urgently with friends and partners around the world to convey this message to the Libyan government."

Washington’s statement followed by nearly half a day a stronger statement issued by the European Union’s (EU) 27 foreign ministers, who were meeting in Brussels. They said the Council of Foreign Ministers "condemns the ongoing repression against demonstrators in Libya and deplores the violence and death of civilians."

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who reportedly spoke with Gaddafi early Monday, also demanded a halt to the violence, according to spokesman Martin Nesirky. Meanwhile several senior Libyan diplomats, including its deputy ambassador to the U.N., resigned their posts to protest their government’s repression. The U.N. Security Council is expected to take up Libya Tuesday morning.

"We find it impossible to stay silent," Libya’s deputy U.N. ambassador, Ibrahim Dabbashi, told reporters at U.N. headquarters, accusing the government of "genocide". "The Libyan mission will be in the service of the Libyan people rather than in the service of the regime," he said.

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