Arab League requests UN Security Council to implement no-fly zone in Libya

From the PBS NewsHour:

On Saturday, the 22-nation Arab League asked the U.N. Security Council to implement a no-fly zone in Libya to prevent Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's forces from more air attacks on the Libyan people.

Never noted for moving decisively, the League's swift action was surprising, as was the overwhelming vote. All but two League members -- Syria and Algeria-- backed the call. It had been foreshadowed by a statement last week from the Gulf states.

According to Arabic German Consulting’s website:

The Arab League, informal name of the League of Arab States, is a voluntary association of independent countries whose peoples are mainly Arabic speaking. Its stated purposes are to strengthen ties among the member states, coordinate their policies, and promote their common interests.

The Arab League was founded in Cairo in 1945 by Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Transjordan (Jordan, as of 1950), and Yemen.

Current members of the Arab League are as follows:

Algeria,Bahrain,Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen.

World stateswoman Hillary Clinton provides international leadership against Gadhafi

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is providing international leadership in the United States and Europe in opposing the brutal attempts by Moammar Gadhafi to overcome the rising opposition in Libya.

According to the AP:

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton implored the world on Monday to hold Moammar Gadhafi's regime to account for gross atrocities that include reports of executing soldiers for refusing to turn their guns on their fellow citizens.

In a breaking news update at the Huffington Post, Bradley Klapper reports:

GENEVA — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says the U.S. is sending assistance teams to Libya's borders with Egypt and Tunisia. The teams will help desperate refugees trying to flee a potential civil war.

Clinton says the U.S. has pledged $10 million to help refugees.

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European Union votes sanctions against Gadhafi

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

The Voice of America reports:

EU officials meeting in Brussels {on Monday, Feb. 28,} say the 27-nation bloc has agreed to a package of sanctions against Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, reinforcing measures adopted by the U.N. Security Council last week.

Officials say the EU sanctions include an arms embargo, asset freeze and visa ban on Gadhafi and members of his inner circle - measures already included in a U.N. Security Council resolution approved on Saturday.

{On the same day,} U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a human rights conference in Geneva that Gadhafi must leave immediately. She said the Libyan people should shape their own government.  She urged the international community to work together on Libya's next steps and said Washington is keeping many options open to help stop the government crackdown in Libya.

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