WASHINGTON |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States was working with allies on Friday to agree to a coordinated response to the turmoil in Libya, but Washington remained hamstrung by fears for Americans still in the North African country.
After talking by phone with the leaders of Britain, France and Italy on Thursday on immediate steps to end the crisis, President Barack Obama spoke with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan on Friday, the White House said.
"They discussed the range of options that both the United States and Turkey are considering to ensure the security of our citizens in Libya and hold the Libyan government accountable for its actions," the White House said.
But as Libyan government forces shot dead protesters in clashes in the capital Tripoli on Friday, there was little sign of concerted action from Washington or other foreign capitals.
In a first step, the U.S. Treasury has told American banks to closely monitor transactions that may be related to unrest in Libya for any possible signs that state assets were being misappropriated.
The Treasury advisory, issued late on Thursday, stopped short of freezing assets or imposing other financial sanctions on Gaddafi or other senior officials in his government.
The Obama administration has been criticized for its relatively restrained response so far to the Libyan leader's bloody crackdown on protesters, but U.S. officials say their chief concern has been the safety of Americans in the North African country.
A ferry carrying hundreds of Americans and other evacuees finally sailed from Tripoli for the Mediterranean island of Malta on Friday, removing what U.S. officials worried could be used as a bargaining chip by a besieged Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, whose behavior has become increasingly erratic.
The chartered ferry carrying more than 300 passengers, half of them U.S. citizens, sailed for the Mediterranean island of Malta at 6:37 a.m. EST on a journey expected to last about eight hours, the State Department said.
The vessel's departure had been delayed for two days by bad weather. Evacuees were kept on board as Gaddafi loyalists hunted opponents in the streets outside the port of Tripoli.
The State Department said a chartered aircraft would depart from a Tripoli airfield on Friday bound for Istanbul and that seats were available for U.S. citizens on a first-come basis.
The United States is also considering closing its embassy, a U.S. official said on condition of anonymity.
Now that the ferry has left and other Americans are set to depart, the White House is likely to come under increased pressure from lawmakers and others to adopt a tougher stance on Libya, either by ratcheting up rhetoric or taking action.
The Obama administration has said it is studying options that include sanctions, asset freezes, a "no-fly" zone over Libya and military action. But it has not committed itself and says it is consulting with the United Nations and allies.
There may be more clarity on Washington's position when the U.N. Security Council meets in New York later on Friday to discuss a French-British draft proposal for an arms embargo, financial sanctions and a request to the International Criminal Court to indict Libyan leaders for crimes against humanity.
(Reporting by Andrew Quinn, David Morgan and David Lawder; writing by Ross Colvin; Editing by John O'Callaghan and Eric Beech)
Source: http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/Reuters/PoliticsNews/~3/0I1EwqlaDNU/us-libya-usa-idUSTRE71K6D520110225
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