EU heads of government set to hold an extraordinary meeting on Friday are expected to urge Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to quit and may decide on further sanctions against his state, Hungary's foreign minister said. "Before any military step we must send very clear political messages and I expect today's meeting of heads of state and prime ministers, that is, the extraordinary summit of the European Council, to do just that," Janos Martonyi told Hungarian public radio MR1-Kossuth in an interview.
"The essence of the political message is that Gaddafi must quit and the conditions for a democratic transition to begin in Libya must be created," he said. Hungary holds the EU's rotating presidency.Martonyi added that extra sanctions could include freezing the assets of Libyan oil and gas producer and export companies. "It cannot be ruled out that depending on the developments, which are not really favourable as a matter of fact, there will be further sanctions ... (including) ... freezing the assets of companies involved in oil and gas production and exports."
Martonyi also said efforts must be redoubled to provide humanitarian aid and evacuation. "One thing is for certain, whatever happens, we must work in the closest possible coordination with Arab countries."
France & UK
France and Britain favour targeted strikes in Libya in case Gaddafi uses chemical weapons or air strikes against his people, President Nicolas Sarkozy said Friday at an EU summit. Sarkozy said Paris had "many reservations" on military or NATO intervention in Libya "because Arab revolutions belong to Arabs". But he and British Prime Minister David Cameron were "ready on condition that the U.N. wishes, that the Arab League accepts and the Libyan opposition agrees, for targeted actions if Gaddafi uses chemical weapons or air strikes against peaceful citizens". Meanwhile, Sarkozy called on its European partners to follow its lead and officially recognize the opposition against Gaddafi, and he also proposed "the creation of humanitarian zones in north Africa" for people displaced by the turmoil as he headed into an emergency EU summit on Libya.
Arab League
A Libyan delegation dispatched by Gaddafi arrived in Cairo on Friday, aiming to attend an Arab League meeting on the Libya crisis, officials in Cairo airport and the Libyan embassy said.
The Arab League has suspended the Tripoli government in protest at its handling of the uprising against Gaddafi and it was not clear if the Libyans would be admitted to the meeting scheduled for Saturday at the body's Cairo headquarters.
The officials said the delegation was headed by Umran Abu-Kra'a, who they identified as the minister of electricity.
It also included Salma Rashid, appointed by Gaddafi to replace the Libyan Arab League representative who was one of the many Libyan diplomats around the world to abandon the Tripoli government in protest at its handling of the uprising.
Gulf Arab states -- all members of the Arab League -- said on Thursday Gaddafi's government was no longer legitimate.
The Gulf Cooperation Council called on the Arab League to take measures to stop the bloodshed in Libya, including the imposition of a no-fly zone to protect civilians.
The Arab League has suspended the Tripoli government in protest at its handling of the uprising against Gaddafi and it was not clear if the Libyans would be admitted to the meeting scheduled for Saturday at the body's Cairo headquarters.
The officials said the delegation was headed by Umran Abu-Kra'a, who they identified as the minister of electricity.
It also included Salma Rashid, appointed by Gaddafi to replace the Libyan Arab League representative who was one of the many Libyan diplomats around the world to abandon the Tripoli government in protest at its handling of the uprising.
Gulf Arab states -- all members of the Arab League -- said on Thursday Gaddafi's government was no longer legitimate.
The Gulf Cooperation Council called on the Arab League to take measures to stop the bloodshed in Libya, including the imposition of a no-fly zone to protect civilians.
African Union
The African Union, long courted by Gaddafi, rejected foreign intervention, but said it was sending a delegation of five heads of state to Libya soon to try to arrange a truce.
In practice, any military action will require the participation of the United States which, along with NATO, has expressed doubt over the wisdom of imposing no-fly zones without full international backing and a legal justification.
U.S. National Intelligence chief James Clapper said Gaddafi was "in this for the long haul" and was likely to prevail.
In practice, any military action will require the participation of the United States which, along with NATO, has expressed doubt over the wisdom of imposing no-fly zones without full international backing and a legal justification.
U.S. National Intelligence chief James Clapper said Gaddafi was "in this for the long haul" and was likely to prevail.
Malta's refusal
Meanwhile, Malta has refused a proposal from the Libyan government to act as a mediator with the European Union, Maltese Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said in comments published on Friday.
"We told the Libyans straight and plain that, at this stage, there is no mediation to do," Gonzi, who met with a Libyan envoy in Malta on Wednesday, was quoted as saying to European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.
"The Libyan authorities have to listen to the wishes of the people," he said.
European leaders were meeting in Brussels on Friday for a crisis summit on Libya. An EU source said the bloc had received no request to date for talks with an envoy from Gaddafii.
Libya's Undersecretary for International Co-operation Mohammed Taher Siyala flew to Malta on Wednesday for a meeting with Gonzi. He then flew on to Portugal for a brief meeting with Foreign Minister Luis Amado.
Siyala visited "the Maltese prime minister to explain the Libyan government's position on the recent events," the Maltese government said earlier in a statement following the talks on Wednesday.
"The prime minister reiterated the Maltese government's position... and insisted that all violence has to stop immediately," it added.
"We told the Libyans straight and plain that, at this stage, there is no mediation to do," Gonzi, who met with a Libyan envoy in Malta on Wednesday, was quoted as saying to European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.
"The Libyan authorities have to listen to the wishes of the people," he said.
European leaders were meeting in Brussels on Friday for a crisis summit on Libya. An EU source said the bloc had received no request to date for talks with an envoy from Gaddafii.
Libya's Undersecretary for International Co-operation Mohammed Taher Siyala flew to Malta on Wednesday for a meeting with Gonzi. He then flew on to Portugal for a brief meeting with Foreign Minister Luis Amado.
Siyala visited "the Maltese prime minister to explain the Libyan government's position on the recent events," the Maltese government said earlier in a statement following the talks on Wednesday.
"The prime minister reiterated the Maltese government's position... and insisted that all violence has to stop immediately," it added.
