Ban blasts Qadhafi, calls Libya situation dangerous

February 24, 2011



The U.N. Secretary General expressed disgust that the Libyan ruler had not responded positively to a string appeal by him. On Tuesday, the U.N. Security Council issued a strongly worded statement calling on the Libyan regime to stop attacking pro-democracy protesters



U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon has blasted Muammar Qadhafi for ignoring his call to stop a violent crackdown against protesters in Libya, warning that the situation could turn "very dangerous" in the North African country.



The Secretary General referred to his 40-minute conversation with Mr. Qadhafi earlier this week, and expressed disgust that the Libyan ruler had not responded positively to a string appeal by him.



"After such long and extensive discussions and my strong urging, and even appeal to him, he has not heeded... This is not acceptable," he said.



Mr. Ban had spoken to Mr. Qadhafi on Monday and asked him to stop the violent crackdown against peaceful protesters and initiate a broad-based dialogue to address their concerns.



"What he (Mr. Qadhafi) has done is totally unacceptable," Mr. Ban told journalists yesterday.



Mr. Ban warned that the volatile situation in the North African nation could take several directions - many of them could be dangerous.



"The situation is developing rapidly towards a very dangerous situation... Therefore we need to very carefully monitor the situation," he said.



International censure against Mr. Qadhafi escalated after reports that protesters had been fired upon from war planes.



On Tuesday, the U.N. Security Council issued a strongly worded statement calling on the Libyan regime to stop attacking pro-democracy protesters, and also called for accountability against those who had carried out these attacks against civilians.



In its statement, the Council, "condemned the violence and use of force against civilians, deplored the repression against peaceful demonstrators, and expressed deep regret at the deaths of hundreds of civilians."



Observers, however, are calling for stronger action on part of the U.N. such as establishing no-fly zones, imposing sanctions and setting up a humanitarian corridor.



"The specific measures, like no-fly zones and some other specific sanctions, including specific measures, like sanctions, are the ones which the Security Council needs to determine," Mr. Ban said.



The Arab League also issued a statement barring Libya from attending its meetings until it stopped attacking its citizens.



Mr. Qadhafi, however, has refused to relent in the face of a massive uprising against his 42-year-old reign, vowing to die a martyr and asking his supporters to snatch back the streets of Libya from the opponents.



Mr. Ban also welcomed the decision by the Geneva-based U.N. Human Rights Council to meet in a special session tomorrow with the possibility of setting up an international investigation into the recent events in Libya.



Navi Pillay, UN human rights chief, has already called for an independent investigation.



Following the overthrow of leaders in Tunisia and Egypt, large-scale protests have erupted in several countries in the Middle East and North Africa including Bahrain, Yemen and Libya.



Ban said yesterday that he is dispatching top officials to Egypt and Tunisia to assess the situation on the ground.



Libya, however, has responded with an extreme show of force resulting in the death of hundreds of people.



"I condemn them loudly and without qualification," Mr. Ban reiterated saying, "those responsible must be held accountable in courts of law."


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