World Leaders Urge Gaddafi to Quit

By Eric Sande

Leaders across the world have called on Muammar Gaddafi to leave office on Sunday . He is said to be running out of options and friends as international action to pressure him into surrendering gathers momentum, with Russia and China joining the west in backing calls to prosecute him for war crimes.

Gaddafi became the first sitting head of state to be referred to the international criminal court by unanimous vote of the UN Security Council.

The mayhem experienced in Libya has fanned fears that his hold on power could descend into civil war as the United Nations confirmed that nearly 100,000 people have streamed out of the country. Libyan protesters appear to take control of the city closest to Tripoli, threatening an endgame to his four-decade rule.

Hillary Clinton said the US was reaching out to the Libyan opposition and was not negotiating with Gaddafi.

"We want him to leave and we want him to end his regime and call off the mercenaries and troops who remain loyal to him," the US secretary of state said. "How he manages that is up to him."

US President Barack Obama said Gaddafi needs to "leave now," having lost the legitimacy to rule, in a call echoed by leaders in Britain, Germany and Italy.

"The time has long come for him to leave," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, saying a UN Security Council decision against his regime was a signal to all "despots.”

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said Gaddafi's downfall was now only a question of time. "It's inevitable that this will happen... I think we are at a point of no return," Frattini said.

Britain said it was revoking the diplomatic immunity of the Libyan leader and his family, including his high-profile son Saif al-Islam, who has had close links with the UK.

David Cameron echoed Barack Obama in calling on him to go. The PM said: "All of this sends a clear message to this regime: it is time for Colonel Gaddafi to go and to go now. There is no future for Libya that includes him."

The ado of statements and diplomatic activity reflected a sense in Washington, London and many capitals that it is less risky to act now that emergency evacuations have sharply reduced the number of foreign nationals stranded in Libya. But the UN did not discuss imposing a no-fly zone, as some had urged.

It is hoped the ICC referral will give Gaddafi pause for thought, and at least encourage restraint by his security forces as the confrontation with the opposition enters what looks like its final phase.

The UN secretary-general, Ban ki-Moon, told the Security Council: "I hope the message is heard, and heeded, by the regime in Libya. I hope it will also bring hope and relief to those still at risk.

"The sanctions are a necessary step to speed the transition to a new system of governance that will have the consent and participation of the people."