US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged Libya yesterday to immediately put an end to “unacceptable bloodshed” as she condemned Muammar Gaddafi’s protest crackdown.
“The world is watching the situation in Libya with alarm,” Ms Clinton said in a written statement. “We join the international community in strongly condemning the violence in Libya.”
“Now is the time to stop this unacceptable bloodshed,” she implored. “Our thoughts and prayers are with those whose lives have been lost, and with their loved ones.
“The government of Libya has a responsibility to respect the universal rights of the people, including the right to free expression and assembly.”
French President Nicolas Sarkozy also condemned the “unacceptable use of force” in Libya and called for an “immediate halt” to violence in the strife-torn north African country.
Mr Sarkozy also called for a “peaceful solution that will take into account the Libyan people’s desire of democracy and freedom.”
Condemning the use of force against the Libyan people, Mr Sarkozy said it was “only using its fundamental right to demonstrate and express itself freely”, a statement issued by his office said.
The statement said Mr Sarkozy was sending his “condolences to the families of the victims and sympathy to those wounded.”
Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights said the protests had resulted in up to 400 deaths. Human Rights Watch earlier cited a death toll of 233.
And after talks with Polish diplomats in Tripoli Poland’s Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said yesterday in Warsaw that Libya has descended into a “state of atrophy” and is reverting to an era of tribal rule,
“We are dealing with something like the atrophy of the state. The state has vanished: there is no police, no security forces, no municipal services, no army,” Mr Sikorski told Poland’s TVN24 commercial news channel.
“Libya has reverted to a time when tribes had a great deal of influence,” he said.
The minister said he had conducted extensive consultations with senior Polish diplomats in Libya on the situation in the oil-rich state ruled by strongman Muammar Gaddafi.
“Unlike Egypt, it seems that there are divisions within institutions – in the army, in diplomatic corps – this means that this conflict may escalate into more radical forms,” Mr Sikorski said.