Archbishop Desmond Tutu has
said he is confident opponents of Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi will
succeed in bringing freedom to their country.
He was speaking on behalf of The Elders, an independent group of
global leaders which also includes Jimmy Carter, Nelson Mandela and Aung
San Suu Kyi.
The Elders said today that the only way to end the bloodshed in Libya
was for the international community to maintain pressure on Gaddafi to
step down.
They welcomed the unanimous vote in the United Nations Security
Council to refer Libya to the International Criminal Court over its
violent attempt to suppress the uprising.
They added, however, that the move was not likely to provide
immediate protection to civilians and that other measures may be
necessary to protect Libyans.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Archbishop Tutu praised the bravery of the Libyan people in standing up to Gaddafi.
“This is a moral universe – the Libyan people have right on their
side and I am confident that they will succeed in their quest for
freedom,” he said.
“I admire their courage in facing up to a leader who has in effect declared a brutal war on his own people to cling to power.
“Gaddafi must recognise the truth – that the people of Libya are demanding change and he cannot stand in their way.”
International pressure on the Gaddafi regime was notched up a gear
last night as the United Nations General Assembly agreed to suspend
Libya from the UN Human Rights Council last night, a move welcomed by
Foreign Secretary William Hague.
He was quoted by the Press Association as saying: “Suspension from
the council puts yet more pressure on the Libyan regime to listen to the
clear message of the international community – crimes will not go
unpunished and will not be forgotten, there will be a day of
reckoning
and the reach of international justice is long.”
Britain favours the imposition of a no-fly zone over Libya but the
proposal has failed to gain the support of the US and faces strong
opposition from Russia.
With only displays of defiance from Gaddafi and his family, UN
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warned that thousands of Libyans could die
in the struggle.
He said: “We need concrete action on the ground to provide
humanitarian and medical assistance. Time is the essence. Thousands of
lives are at stake.”