U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he is “outraged” by Libya's deadly crackdown on anti-government protesters, and told Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi to stop the violence “immediately.”
Mr. Ban said late Monday he had a 40-minute phone conversation with Mr. Gadhafi earlier in the day and “forcefully” urged the Libyan leader to end attacks on demonstrators by the security forces.
Mr. Ban said he has seen “very disturbing and shocking scenes” of Libyan security forces firing at protesters with warplanes and helicopters, actions he termed a “serious violation of international humanitarian law.” He said he told Mr. Gadhafi that human rights, freedom of assembly and freedom of speech must be “fully protected.”
The U.N. Security Council is due to hold emergency consultations on the turmoil in Libya Tuesday morning. Libya's deputy U.N. ambassador, Ibrahim Dabbashi requested the meeting after turning against Mr. Gadhafi and calling for him to be ousted.
Dabbashi said he and other Libyan diplomats in New York want international action to stop the Libyan leader from committing what they labeled a “genocide” against the Libyan people.
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay called for an international investigation into what she called Libya's “systematic and widespread” attacks on civilians. In a statement Tuesday, she said such attacks may amount to crimes against humanity.
Dabbashi also accused Mr. Gadhafi of crimes against humanity and called for him to face prosecution at the International Criminal Court. Dabbashi urged the international community to deny entry to the Libyan leader and to be on the lookout for money laundering in case he tries to flee the country or send funds abroad.
The chief of the Libyan mission to the United Nations, Ambassador Mohamed Shalgham, declined to endorse his colleagues' demands.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Monday Washington joins the international community in “strongly condemning … unacceptable bloodshed” in Libya. She said the Obama administration is working “urgently” to send Libya's government a message that it must respect “universal rights” of free expression and assembly.
Mr. Gadhafi also faced condemnation from the Organization of the Islamic Conference, an umbrella group of 57 predominantly Muslim nations. In a statement Tuesday, OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu accused Libya of using “excessive force” against protesters, and called for a “serious dialogue” to resolve their demands.
Iran's Foreign Ministry also condemned Libya for suppressing what it called the “righteous demands” of Libyans engaging in a regional Islamic awakening. Iran has faced criticism from Western nations for carrying out its own violent crackdown on anti-government protests in recent days.
China expressed “concern” about the turmoil in Libya but did not join other nations in condemning Mr. Gadhafi. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu urged Tripoli to “restore social stability and normality” as soon as possible and safeguard Chinese workers and property in the country.
Chinese media say armed looters attacked a Chinese-owned construction site in the northeastern Libyan town of Ajdabiya Sunday, stealing computers and forcing 1,000 Chinese workers to flee their living quarters. Ma says several Chinese citizens have been injured. He called on Libya to investigate attacks on Chinese interests and punish the perpetrators.
Mr. Ban said he has seen “very disturbing and shocking scenes” of Libyan security forces firing at protesters with warplanes and helicopters, actions he termed a “serious violation of international humanitarian law.” He said he told Mr. Gadhafi that human rights, freedom of assembly and freedom of speech must be “fully protected.”
The U.N. Security Council is due to hold emergency consultations on the turmoil in Libya Tuesday morning. Libya's deputy U.N. ambassador, Ibrahim Dabbashi requested the meeting after turning against Mr. Gadhafi and calling for him to be ousted.
Dabbashi said he and other Libyan diplomats in New York want international action to stop the Libyan leader from committing what they labeled a “genocide” against the Libyan people.
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay called for an international investigation into what she called Libya's “systematic and widespread” attacks on civilians. In a statement Tuesday, she said such attacks may amount to crimes against humanity.
Dabbashi also accused Mr. Gadhafi of crimes against humanity and called for him to face prosecution at the International Criminal Court. Dabbashi urged the international community to deny entry to the Libyan leader and to be on the lookout for money laundering in case he tries to flee the country or send funds abroad.
The chief of the Libyan mission to the United Nations, Ambassador Mohamed Shalgham, declined to endorse his colleagues' demands.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Monday Washington joins the international community in “strongly condemning … unacceptable bloodshed” in Libya. She said the Obama administration is working “urgently” to send Libya's government a message that it must respect “universal rights” of free expression and assembly.
Mr. Gadhafi also faced condemnation from the Organization of the Islamic Conference, an umbrella group of 57 predominantly Muslim nations. In a statement Tuesday, OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu accused Libya of using “excessive force” against protesters, and called for a “serious dialogue” to resolve their demands.
Iran's Foreign Ministry also condemned Libya for suppressing what it called the “righteous demands” of Libyans engaging in a regional Islamic awakening. Iran has faced criticism from Western nations for carrying out its own violent crackdown on anti-government protests in recent days.
China expressed “concern” about the turmoil in Libya but did not join other nations in condemning Mr. Gadhafi. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu urged Tripoli to “restore social stability and normality” as soon as possible and safeguard Chinese workers and property in the country.
Chinese media say armed looters attacked a Chinese-owned construction site in the northeastern Libyan town of Ajdabiya Sunday, stealing computers and forcing 1,000 Chinese workers to flee their living quarters. Ma says several Chinese citizens have been injured. He called on Libya to investigate attacks on Chinese interests and punish the perpetrators.