United States President Barack Obama said on Monday that the U.S. policy on Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi is that he \”needs to go.\” Speaking at a news conference with Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, Obama said the military objective in Libya is to guard civilians from attacks by Gadhafi, not oust him from power.
The United States is concerned that Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi could return to terrorism and violent extremism if he succeeds in the battle against insurgents, Undersecretary of State William Burns said on Thursday.
Muammar Gadhafi told Libyan rebels on Thursday his armed forces were coming to their capital Benghazi tonight and would not show any mercy to fighters who resisted them. In a radio address, he told Benghazi residents that soldiers would search every house in the city and people who had no arms had no reason to fear.
Al Jazeera television said Libyan rebels rejected an offer by Muammar Gadhafi on Monday to hold a parliament meeting to work out a deal under which he would step down. Al Jazeera said sources from the rebel interim council told its correspondent in Benghazi that the offer was rejected because it would have amounted to an \”honorable\” exit for Gadhafi and would offend his victims.
Minister Louis Farrakhan at the Nation of Islam\’s annual meeting accused the Jewish community of pushing the United States into war with Libya and Iran. “President Obama, if you allow the Zionists to push you, to mount a military offensive against Gadhafi, and you go in and kill him and his sons as you did with Saddam Hussein and his sons, I’m warning you this is a Libyan problem, let the Libyans solve their problem among themselves,” Farrakhan said Feb. 27 during an address to the Nation of Islam’s 2011 Saviours’ Day convention in Rosemont, Ill., near Chicago.
President Obama condemned Libya\’s violent response to recent protests Wednesday. \”These actions violate international norms and every standard of common decency.\” Obama said with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton beside him, \”This violence must stop.\”
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