In an interview with CNN, President Obama makes clear that the US supports the removal of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his replacement with a government formed by the rebels.
He pointedly refused to rule out military assistance for the rebels, but said the international air campaign was focused on “ensuring that the people of Libya are not assaulted by their own military.”
“Keep in mind we don’t just have military tools at our disposal in terms of accomplishing Gaddafi’s leaving. We’ve put in place strong international sanctions, we’ve frozen his assets, [and] we will continue to apply a whole range of pressures on him.”
“Our hope is that the first thing that happens once we’ve cleared the space is the rebels are able to start discussing how they organise themselves, how they articulate their aspirations for the Libyan people, and create a legitimate government.”
See the interview here:
