Maxence Melo
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- Feb 10, 2006
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Feb. 24 (Bloomberg)
President Barack Obama said the U.S. is examining all options for pressuring Libya to end a violent crackdown on anti-government demonstrators, and he is dispatching Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to a meeting in Switzerland to work with her counterparts from other nations on a coordinated response.
In his first remarks on the uprising that has split the North African country and prompted a deadly response from Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi and his loyalists, Obama described the suffering and bloodshed as outrageous and said those responsible must be held accountable.
These actions violate international norms and every standard of common decency, Obama said yesterday at the White House after meeting with Clinton.
While Obama didnt specify what measures he would pursue if Qaddafi doesnt halt reprisals against the opposition, officials at the White House and the State Department said earlier that steps may include punitive measures, such as freezing Libyan assets, that might be taken by the U.S. alone or in conjunction with other nations.
That certainly includes looking at sanctions that could be imposed, either bilaterally or multilaterally, said Philip J. Crowley, the State Department spokesman. We believe its important to coordinate our efforts with the national community, our European allies, the United Nations and organizations like the Arab League.
Geneva Meeting
That is part of the reason for Clintons trip. Obama said she will attend a session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on Feb. 28 to work on a unified approach. Libya is a member of the council, and there have been calls to expel the country from that body.
The U.S. also is continuing to address turmoil elsewhere in the region and is seeking ways to support a peaceful transition in Egypt and Tunisia, where protests have toppled longtime leaders.
The uprising in Libya, which has the largest proven oil reserves in Africa, has been the most violent yet of the anti- government protests that have swept across the Middle East and North Africa over the past six weeks. Clashes between anti- government rebels and Qaddafis forces have resulted in the deaths of about 300 people, according to Human Rights Watch. Qaddafi warned Feb. 22 that he will fight the rebellion to his death.
The administration hasnt moved yet to take direct action against Qaddafi. That may be because U.S. officials are concerned about possible retaliation against American personnel still in the country, said Elliott Abrams, a deputy national security adviser under President George W. Bush.
Evacuations
The U.S. is rushing to evacuate its citizens from Libya. A ferry scheduled to leave Tripoli yesterday with U.S. diplomats and family members was delayed by bad weather.
Crowley said Assistant Secretary of State Jeffrey Feltman has spoken with Libyan officials in recent days and requested the Libyan governments cooperation as we remove our citizens and our diplomats and their families from Libya.
Once U.S. personnel are safe, the White House should move against the Qaddafi regime, Abrams said.
Abrams, now a fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, said U.S. actions might include freezing the countrys bank accounts so Qaddafi loyalists cant raid them, imposing an international arms embargo on Libya and creating a no-fly zone over the country enforced by the U.S. and NATO or European Union air forces.
I dont see any reason for us not to begin that discussion, Abrams said. You may run into Russian and Chinese vetoes, but the discussion itself would show how much we are concerned about this use of violence against the population.
Everything on Table
Clinton said at a news conference earlier yesterday that everything is on the table.
U.S. sanctions on Libya were lifted by Bush in 2004 in return for Qaddafis agreement to dismantle his countrys program to pursue chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.
The sanctions, imposed in 1986 because of Libyan involvement in terrorist attacks, limited U.S. oil development there, restricted air service between the two countries and froze about $1.3 billion in Libyan assets.
Daniel Byman, a Middle East analyst and director of Georgetown Universitys Security Studies Program, said that. all things considered, the Obama administration is saying the right things, condemning the violence. But we have very little influence in Libya.
Core Principles
Obama said the U.S. is applying the same core principles to Libya as it did in response to the popular uprisings that have toppled leaders in Tunisia and Egypt, as well as protests in nations across the Middle East and North Africa.
Those include condemnation of violence against protesters and support for the right of citizens to gather, speak freely and determine their own destiny, he said.
These are human rights, Obama said. They are not negotiable. They must be respected in every country.
White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters yesterday that the administration is monitoring oil markets for any effect on prices from the unrest in Libya, holder of the biggest proven reserves in Africa. He didnt elaborate.
We are monitoring oil prices very carefully, but I wouldnt speculate about where those prices will go in the future, Carney said.
Oil touched $100 a barrel in New York for the first time since October 2008, on concern that the uprising threatened to halt Libyan exports. Crude for April delivery settled at $98.10 after surging as much as 4.8 percent. Libya pumps 1.6 million barrels of oil a day, about 1.8 percent of world supply, according to Bloomberg estimates. Most of it is exported to Europe.
--With assistance from Kate Andersen Brower, Roger Runningen, Mike Dorning and David Lerman in Washington and Peter S. Green in New York. Editors: Joe Sobczyk, Leslie Hoffecker.
To contact the reporters on this story: Nicholas Johnston in Washington at njohnston3@bloomberg.net; Indira Lakshmanan in Washington at ilakshmanan@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mark Silva at msilva34@bloomberg.net
President Barack Obama said the U.S. is examining all options for pressuring Libya to end a violent crackdown on anti-government demonstrators, and he is dispatching Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to a meeting in Switzerland to work with her counterparts from other nations on a coordinated response.
In his first remarks on the uprising that has split the North African country and prompted a deadly response from Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi and his loyalists, Obama described the suffering and bloodshed as outrageous and said those responsible must be held accountable.
These actions violate international norms and every standard of common decency, Obama said yesterday at the White House after meeting with Clinton.
While Obama didnt specify what measures he would pursue if Qaddafi doesnt halt reprisals against the opposition, officials at the White House and the State Department said earlier that steps may include punitive measures, such as freezing Libyan assets, that might be taken by the U.S. alone or in conjunction with other nations.
That certainly includes looking at sanctions that could be imposed, either bilaterally or multilaterally, said Philip J. Crowley, the State Department spokesman. We believe its important to coordinate our efforts with the national community, our European allies, the United Nations and organizations like the Arab League.
Geneva Meeting
That is part of the reason for Clintons trip. Obama said she will attend a session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on Feb. 28 to work on a unified approach. Libya is a member of the council, and there have been calls to expel the country from that body.
The U.S. also is continuing to address turmoil elsewhere in the region and is seeking ways to support a peaceful transition in Egypt and Tunisia, where protests have toppled longtime leaders.
The uprising in Libya, which has the largest proven oil reserves in Africa, has been the most violent yet of the anti- government protests that have swept across the Middle East and North Africa over the past six weeks. Clashes between anti- government rebels and Qaddafis forces have resulted in the deaths of about 300 people, according to Human Rights Watch. Qaddafi warned Feb. 22 that he will fight the rebellion to his death.
The administration hasnt moved yet to take direct action against Qaddafi. That may be because U.S. officials are concerned about possible retaliation against American personnel still in the country, said Elliott Abrams, a deputy national security adviser under President George W. Bush.
Evacuations
The U.S. is rushing to evacuate its citizens from Libya. A ferry scheduled to leave Tripoli yesterday with U.S. diplomats and family members was delayed by bad weather.
Crowley said Assistant Secretary of State Jeffrey Feltman has spoken with Libyan officials in recent days and requested the Libyan governments cooperation as we remove our citizens and our diplomats and their families from Libya.
Once U.S. personnel are safe, the White House should move against the Qaddafi regime, Abrams said.
Abrams, now a fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, said U.S. actions might include freezing the countrys bank accounts so Qaddafi loyalists cant raid them, imposing an international arms embargo on Libya and creating a no-fly zone over the country enforced by the U.S. and NATO or European Union air forces.
I dont see any reason for us not to begin that discussion, Abrams said. You may run into Russian and Chinese vetoes, but the discussion itself would show how much we are concerned about this use of violence against the population.
Everything on Table
Clinton said at a news conference earlier yesterday that everything is on the table.
U.S. sanctions on Libya were lifted by Bush in 2004 in return for Qaddafis agreement to dismantle his countrys program to pursue chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.
The sanctions, imposed in 1986 because of Libyan involvement in terrorist attacks, limited U.S. oil development there, restricted air service between the two countries and froze about $1.3 billion in Libyan assets.
Daniel Byman, a Middle East analyst and director of Georgetown Universitys Security Studies Program, said that. all things considered, the Obama administration is saying the right things, condemning the violence. But we have very little influence in Libya.
Core Principles
Obama said the U.S. is applying the same core principles to Libya as it did in response to the popular uprisings that have toppled leaders in Tunisia and Egypt, as well as protests in nations across the Middle East and North Africa.
Those include condemnation of violence against protesters and support for the right of citizens to gather, speak freely and determine their own destiny, he said.
These are human rights, Obama said. They are not negotiable. They must be respected in every country.
White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters yesterday that the administration is monitoring oil markets for any effect on prices from the unrest in Libya, holder of the biggest proven reserves in Africa. He didnt elaborate.
We are monitoring oil prices very carefully, but I wouldnt speculate about where those prices will go in the future, Carney said.
Oil touched $100 a barrel in New York for the first time since October 2008, on concern that the uprising threatened to halt Libyan exports. Crude for April delivery settled at $98.10 after surging as much as 4.8 percent. Libya pumps 1.6 million barrels of oil a day, about 1.8 percent of world supply, according to Bloomberg estimates. Most of it is exported to Europe.
--With assistance from Kate Andersen Brower, Roger Runningen, Mike Dorning and David Lerman in Washington and Peter S. Green in New York. Editors: Joe Sobczyk, Leslie Hoffecker.
To contact the reporters on this story: Nicholas Johnston in Washington at njohnston3@bloomberg.net; Indira Lakshmanan in Washington at ilakshmanan@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mark Silva at msilva34@bloomberg.net
