Reuters - Barack Obama in a speech on the situation in Libya, said Monday that the U.S. would, in concert with their allies, seek to hasten the day when Moammar Gadhafi should step down, but he stressed they would not use direct force to overthrow him.
In a televised address to the nation, Bush, accused by many members of Congress not to have explained the role of the international coalition in Washington, defended its decision to intervene militarily in the conflict in Libya.
At the same time, he clarified the limits of the action of the United States and sought to counter the impression that he had no clear goals nor credible strategy out of the conflict.
"For generations, the United States plays a unique role as an anchor of international security and defending the fundamental freedoms." Bearing in mind the risks and costs of military intervention, we're obviously reluctant to use force to solve the many problems facing the planet. But when our interests and values are at stake, we have a responsibility to act. That's what happened in Libya over the past six weeks, " the president said.
"Libya is directly between Tunisia and Egypt, two countries that have inspired the world when their peoples have stood up to take control of their destiny. For over 40 years, the Libyan people is led by a tyrant, Muammar Gaddafi.It deprives its people of freedom, uses his wealth, murdering its opponents at home and abroad, and terrorizing innocent people in the world - including Americans who were killed by Libyan agents.
GADDAFI DOES NOT "OVERNIGHT"
"Tonight, I am able to say that we stopped the progression of lethal Gaddafi," he said before a gathering of officers at the National Defense University in Washington, 10 days after ordering that the United States participating in Operation "Dawn of the Odyssey."
"We hit the air defenses (Gaddafi), which allowed the establishment of a no-fly zone.We targeted the tanks and other forces that were strangling the cities, and we cut to a large extent the supply lines, "he said.
The U.S. president also said that the award of U.S. Command in NATO would intervene on Wednesday.
"We will deprive the system of any weapon, interrupt his source of income, help the opposition, and we will work with other countries to hasten the day when Gaddafi will leave power," continued the president.
This, he said, "will not happen overnight," and he admitted that Qaddafi might be able to cling to power."Expanding our military mission to a regime change would be a mistake," he pointed out, however.
Obama spoke on the eve of the scheduled conference in London on Tuesday attended by 35 countries on the situation in Libya.
The issue of Obama's speech was to identify and clearly define the purpose and scope of the mission of the United States to Libya, to be understood by Americans, preoccupied with domestic economic problems, which are already of a dim view of the costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
