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The West's drive to oust Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was boosted Friday on the military front, with France and Britain vowing a "new phase" of operations, and on the diplomatic, with Russia joining calls for him to step down and head into exile. Presidents and prime ministers of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the US had met in the French resort of Deauville on the second and final day of the annual Group of Eight (G8) summit. "We demand the immediate cessation of the use of force against civilians by the Libyan regime forces as well as the cessation of all incitement to hostility and violence against the civilian population," the statement said, according to AFP. US President Barack Obama said after talks with President Nicholas Sarkozy that "we are joined in resolve to finish the job." "I talked late last night with the four other countries that are taking part in the operation over the last two months, and I believe we are entering a new phase," Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron said at his final summit press briefing. Sarkozy also confirmed Friday that he planned to visit the Libyan rebel bastion of Benghazi and expressed the hope that he could make the trip with Cameron. The world no longer regards Gaddafi as Libya's legitimate leader, Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev told a press conference Friday. "I have offered our mediating services to our partners," Medvedev added. Medvedev also said Russia would send its senior Africa envoy to Benghazi to contact the transitional national council there. A diplomatic source, quoting British intelligence reports, told AFP on conditions of anonymity that Gaddafi was hiding in hospitals, spending each night in a different one, as he became increasingly "paranoid" about NATO air strikes. As part of the Deauville Partnership with Arab nations, the rich countries also pledged $20 billion in aid to Tunisia and Egypt and held out the prospect of billions more to foster the Arab Spring, according to Reuters. Agencies |
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