Australia: US first move in Libya crisis

The Sydney Morning Herald

Obama moves to freeze assets
By Nicholas Johnston

WASHINGTON: Barack Obama has signed an order freezing any US assets of Muammar Gaddafi, his family and members of his regime in Libya, in what the US says is the first in a series of sanctions.

The President's executive order says that Colonel Gaddafi ''and close associates have taken extreme measures against the people of Libya, including by using weapons of war, mercenaries and wanton violence against unarmed civilians''.

The US had earlier issued a warning to banks to monitor movements of Libyan-related assets and has suspended what had been limited military co-operation between the two countries.
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In a statement Mr Obama criticised the Libyan government for its ''continued violation of human rights, brutalisation of its people and outrageous threats'' and said the regime must be held accountable.

''We will stand steadfastly with the Libyan people in their demand for universal rights, and a government that is responsive to their aspirations,'' he said. ''Their human dignity cannot be denied.''

Earlier on Friday the administration temporarily shuttered its embassy in Tripoli following the evacuation of diplomatic personnel and other Americans by ferry to Malta and by chartered aircraft to Turkey.

The new White House press secretary, Jay Carney, said the US sanctions were ''a first step'' and ''we continue to review our options''.

As part of an effort to put a unified global response in place, Mr Obama plans to meet the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, tomorrow to discuss co-ordinated action. He also talked to Nicolas Sarkozy of France, David Cameron of Britain, Silvio Berlusconi of Italy and Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey.

The US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, will travel to Geneva tomorrow to meet other foreign ministers to discuss the suspension of Libya from the UN Human Rights Council. The council approved a recommendation on Friday to move ahead with the suspension.

http://www.smh.com.au/world/obama-moves-to-freeze-assets-20110226-1b97k.html