The Libyan ambassador to the United Nations pleaded with the Security Council to take action against his own country, in an emotional address this afternoon.
Ambassador Mohamed Shalgham called on the world body to take the necessary action to stop violent attacks against protesters and civilians in his country.
“Please United Nations, save Libya. No to bloodshed. No to killing of innocents. We want a decisive , rapid and courageous resolution from you.” Shalgham told Council members.
In a rarely seen show of solidarity at the Security Council, foreign diplomats hugged and embraced the Libyan Ambassador after his speech. Earlier in the week, Shalgham had been lukewarm in his criticism of Gaddafi, but on Friday he said could no longer support the Libyan leader.
“It cannot continue. You cannot be a leader, or a king, or a president while you are killing your people just for saying I want to be free! It is not a crime to say I want to be free!” he told reporters afterwards.
Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, who spoke to Gaddafi for over 40 minutes on Monday, said he doubted the Libyan strongman would respond positively to the international community’s calls for restraint and said he hoped the Council would act quickly.
“I urge the Security Council to consider the wide range of options for action. Those include proposals for trade and financial sanctions, including targeted measures against the leadership such as a ban on travel and the freezing of financial assets.” said Ban, adding that some Security Council members had also called for an arms embargo.
However some have argued that such measures would not have the immediate affect of halting the violence that, according to the United Nations, has claimed the lives of over 1 000 people and is reportedly still carrying on through out the country.
French Ambassador Gerard Arnaud told reporters that at this stage, a military operation was not on the table.
The Security Council will meet on Saturday morning to continue discussing specific measures to be included in the resolution.