Military Action Against Libya Possible -US

Military Action Against Libya Possible -US

US President, Barack Obama has said that his country and its NATO allies were still considering a military response to violence in Libya.

Speaking in the Oval Office, Obama said that the US will stand with the Libyan people as they face "unacceptable" violence.

He said that he has authorized millions of dollars in humanitarian aid.

Obama sent a strong message to Libyan leader, Moammar Gadhafi, saying that he and his supporters would be held responsible for the violence in Libya.

Obama spoke alongside Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who is in Washington for meetings.

Violence against protesters

Libyan warplanes launched multiple airstrikes Monday on opposition fighters in the second day of a harsh government crackdown to thwart rebels advancing on Gadhafi's stronghold in Tripoli.

Gaddafi's position

Gaddafi, in a message to governments planning sanctions, said that Libya was an important partner for the West in containing al Qaeda and illegal migrants trying to reach Europe.

Gaddafi said this on Monday, in an interview with the France 24 television station.

In his words, “Libya plays a vital role in regional peace and world peace. We are an important partner in fighting al Qaeda .

There are millions of blacks who could come to the Mediterranean to cross to France and Italy, and Libya plays a role in security in the Mediterranean."

Call for sanctions

Western governments have condemned Gaddafi for the killings of hundreds of people since protests against his rule broke out last month.

Several foreign leaders have demanded sanctions and an end to his four decades in power.

But in the past few years foreign governments, especially in southern Europe, have relied on Libyan help to stem the flow of sub-Saharan Africans migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean, and there has also been some cooperation in combating al Qaeda.

Gaddadi has denied his security forces shot innocent people, and repeated his assertion that the violence was orchestrated by al Qaeda.

Claims investigation

Gaddafi said that the African Union has sent a commission of enquiry to show that what was published about Libya abroad was 100 percent lies.

"The world has an image which is not based on anything and which is unreasonable," he said. "A distorted image has been formed of peaceful demonstrations," he said

An official at the African Union headquarters in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, said that a fact-finding mission was being planned but had yet to set off for Tripoli.

AP/REUTERS/Williams