US sets out stance as Cameron tells London conference on Libya that Gaddafi is still in flagrant breach of UN resolution Share9 Nicholas Watt , chief political correspondent, and agencies guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 29 March 2011 15.57 BST
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Hillary Clinton speaks and David Cameron listens during the London conference on Libya. Photograph: Getty Images Coalition military action in Libya will continue until Muammar Gaddafi complies with the terms of United Nations security council resolution 1973, Hillary Clinton has told world leaders meeting in London.
The US secretary of state was speaking at the opening of the London conference on Libya, at which David Cameron said Gaddafi is still in "flagrant breach" of the UN resolution and is allowing civilians to bleed to death in the streets of Misrata.
The conference comes as Gaddafi's forces have attacked rebel fighters east of the Libyan leader's home town of Sirte, prompting a panicked, chaotic retreat to the town of Bin Jawad.
Clinton implored countries to speak with a single voice and tell Gaddafi to leave power. She said that countries must work together so that the North African country "belongs not to a dictator, but to its people", promising to ratchet up pressure on the Libyan government in the hope of convincing Gaddafi's remaining loyalists to abandon the regime.
She said that military means alone will not force Gaddafi out after 42 years in power, and that further sanctions and diplomatic pressure ought to be applied. Her comments come at a key turning point in the international military action in Libya, as the United States steps back from its lead role and transfers authority for the whole mission to Nato.
Cameron said Gaddafi's behaviour in Misrata showed the need for military action which had averted a massacre and saved Benghazi. The prime minister underlined his message by giving a vivid account of the battle in Misrata as he addressed more than 40 foreign ministers and representatives of international organisations gathered at Lancaster House.
He said: "Gaddafi is using snipers to shoot [the people of Misrata] down and let them bleed to death in the street. He has cut off food, water and electricity to starve them into submission. He continues to be in flagrant breach of the UN security council resolution. That is why there has been such widespread support amongst the Libyan people - and in the wider Arab world - for the military action we are taking. It has saved lives, and it is saving lives."
Cameron, who convened the conference as Nato prepared to assume command of the military campaign from the US, chose his words with care. He did not repeat his demand for Gaddafi to stand down immediately and to face justice at the international criminal court.
The conference is attended by Ahmet Davutoglu, the Turkish foreign minister, who is hoping to broker a ceasefire between Gaddafi and the rebel forces. Franco Frattini, the foreign minister of Libya's former imperial ruler, Italy, who has raised the prospect of spiriting Gaddafi to exile, is also attending.
Cameron said the conference was designed to help create a peaceful Libya as he set out three goals for the meeting:
• Reaffirm the international community's commitment to UN security council resolution 1973 which allowed for "all necessary measures" to protect civilians in Libya. This has allowed for the imposition of a no-fly zone, the enforcement of an arms embargo and air strikes to protect civilians.
• Ensure that humanitarian aid is delivered to the Libyan people.
• Help the Libyan people plan for their future once the conflict is over. The prime minister announced that a contact group would be established to help monitor the transition. This will consist of the EU, the UN, the Arab League, the African Union, and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference.
Libya's Transitional National Council will be consulted, though this will be on an informal basis because countries such as Britain are unable to recognise it as the formal representative of Libya. Cameron, who was due to meet Mustafa Abdul Jalil, the chairman of the council,, on Tuesday hailed a "vision for a democratic Libya" set out by the council.
The prime minister said: "We should be clear about the scale of the challenge. It will mean looking afresh at our entire engagement with Libya and the wider region - from our development programmes to our cultural exchanges and trade arrangements. All our efforts must support the building blocks of a democratic society. Freedom of expression. The right to free and fair elections. The right to peaceful protest. Respect for human rights and the rule of law. These aren't values that belong to any one nation. They are universal."
The prime minister reached out to the Arab world by making clear that rebuilding the symbols of Islam, destroyed in the recent fighting, would be at the heart of the reconstruction of Libya. "When the fighting is over, we will need to put right the damage that Gaddafi has inflicted. Repairing the hospitals ruined by shells, rebuilding the homes demolished by Gaddafi's tank rounds and restoring the mosques and minarets smashed by his barbarity."
Clinton told the conference: "We have prevented a potential massacre ... This coalition military action will continue until Gaddafi fully complies with the terms of 1973, ceases his attacks on civilians, pulls his troops back from places they have forcibly entered and allows key services and humanitarian assistance to reach all civilians."
But Clinton, who endorsed the three goals of the conference, said that military action could not ensure the long-term stability of Libya. "Beyond the humanitarian crisis we know long-term progress in Libya will not be accomplished through military means. All of us have to continue to [put] pressure on and deepen the isolation of the Gaddafi regime. This includes a unified front of political and diplomatic pressure that makes clear to Gaddafi that he must go, that sends a strong message of accountability and that sharpens the choice for those around him."
The secretary of state endorsed the contact group and said the Transitional National Council would play a "critical role".
On the sidelines of the conference she met Mahmoud Jibril, a representative of the Libyan opposition fighting Gaddafi, "to talk about the path forward". Meanwhile, a senior administration official said the US will soon send an envoy to Libya to deepen relations with leaders of the rebels seeking to overthrow Gaddafi.
Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary general, announced that his special envoy, Abdelilah Mohamed al-Khatib, would travel to Libya after the conference to talk to both sides. The secretary general indicated that the two sides were guilty of human rights abuses. "We continue to receive deeply disturbing reports about the lack of protection of civilians including various abuses of human rights by the parties to the conflict," he said.
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