Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Monday Muammar Gaddafi was using "mercenaries and thugs" to suppress his own people and said the Libyan leader must step down immediately. "Gaddafi and those around him must be held accountable for these acts, which violate international legal obligations and common decency," Clinton said in an address to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, saying nothing was off the table as the international community considers its next steps. "It is time for Gaddafi to go, now, without further violence or delay," she added. She commented that "nothing is off the table," as long as the Gaddafi government threatens and kills its civilians. Speaking on Iran, Clinton said that Iranian authorities have targeted students, professors, bloggers, and activists. She added that she was proud the US was working with the UN Rights Council together with Sweden and other members to perform investigations on Iranian abuses. She added that Iranian human rights activists have pushed for such action to reign in international pressure on the Iranian government. Clinton also commented that the popular reforms and revolutions taking place in the Middle East are spreading. <img title="Click for full Jpost coverage of turmoil in the Middle East" alt="Click for full Jpost coverage of turmoil in the Middle East" src="https://www.jpost.com/HttpHandlers/ShowImage.ashx?ID=159809" style="height: 165px; width: 480px" width="700" height="500">Click for full Jpost coverage of turmoil in the Middle EastUK Prime Minister David Cameron called Monday on the fringes of the Gaddafi government to desert. Cameron added that he has not yet ruled out the use of "military assets," and has asked defense chiefs to work on no-fly zone.
