White House on Libya: 'No options taken off the table'

Obama to call Sarkozy, Cameron to discuss int'l action against Gaddafi regime; plays down military angle; French official says 2,000 killed in uprising.

By JPOST.COM STAFF, ASSOCIATED PRESS

FEBRUARY 24, 2011 21:44

Anti-Gaddafi gunmen in Libya 311 AP (photo credit: AP) — Anti-Gaddafi gunmen in Libya 311 AP

(photo credit: AP)

The White House on Thursday said US President Barack Obama planned to call British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Nicholas Sarkozy to discuss possible actions by the international community to compel the Libyan government of Col. Muammar Gaddafi to end violence against anti-government protesters.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said no options have been taken off the table, including the possibility of military action. International discussions, however, have centered on a possible no-fly zone or other sanctions that would strike Gaddafi economically. The calls to Cameron and Sarkozy come as the UN Security Council agreed to consider further options against Gaddafi's regime, including sanctions.

Carney said Obama wants a concerted and broad based international effort to pressure the Libyan government. Carney did not mention Gaddafi by name.

The latest estimate of deaths in the ongoing unrest rocking Libya came from a top French human rights official, putting the number at 2,000, Reuters reported.

Earlier Thursday, a Libyan newspaper said that gun battles at an oil terminal some 30 miles from Tripoli left 10 people dead.