Washington, Mar 1 : As clashes escalate in Libya,the country is on brink of "protracted civil war", Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned today and said US is working to translate the world's outrage against Muammar Gaddafi into action and results.
"The entire region is changing, and a strong and strategic American response is essential," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in her testimony before the House
Committee of Foreign Affairs."In the years ahead, Libya could become a peaceful democracy, or it could face protracted civil war, or it could descend into chaos. The stakes are high," she said.
The United States has joined the Libyan people in demanding that Qaddafi must go - now, without further violence or delay."We are working to translate the world's outrage into action and results," she said.Marathon diplomacy at the United Nations and with our allies has yielded quick, aggressive steps to pressure and isolate Libya's leaders, she added.
"USAID is focused on Libya's food and medical supplies and is dispatching two expert humanitarian teams to help those fleeing the violence and who are moving into Tunisia and Egypt, which is posing tremendous burdens on those two countries.
"Our combatant commands are positioning assets to prepare to support these critical civilian humanitarian missions. And we are taking no options off the table so long
as the Libyan Government continues to turn its guns on its own people," Clinton said.
Ilena Ros-Lehtinen, Chairwoman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs said that the previous Bush Administration committed mistake as it continued under the current
administration to conduct business as usual with the Libyan regime following the lifting of UN Security Council sanctions imposed in response to Libya's state-sponsored attacks, which claimed the lives of many.
Clinton said the United States has led the way in imposing very strict sanctions that are finding assets and preventing those assets from going to the Gaddafi family or the Gaddafi leadership.
"We have also worked closely with the European Union and member countries, because they also have many assets from the Libyans that they are tracking and freezing," she said.
Clinton also said that the US are very conscious of the desire by the Libyan opposition forces that they be seen as doing this by themselves on behalf of the Libyan people,that there not be outside intervention by any external force,because they want this to have been their accomplishment."We respect that," she added. PTI
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