This file photo taken on November 20, 2010 shows British Prime Minister David Cameron speaking during a press conference in Lisbon. Cameron told Libya leader Moamer Gadhafi that it was “time to go”, saying there was no role for the long-serving ruler in the troubled country's future. -AFP Photo

LONDON: Prime Minister David Cameron said Monday he's ordered his top brass to work with Britain's allies on a plan to establish a military no-fly zone over Libya.

Cameron did not say whether that meant that the UK and its allies were preparing to enforce such a flight ban or simply making plans in case the situation there escalated.

But he told British lawmakers that ''we do not in any way rule out the use of military assets'' to deal with Moammar Gadhafi's embattled regime, which has attempted to crush pro-democracy protests with intense violence.

''We must not tolerate this regime using military force against its own people,'' Cameron said. ''It is clear that this is an illegitimate regime that has lost the consent of its people. My message to Col. Gadhafi is simple: 'Go now.'''

The international community already has moved to impose an arms embargo, visa bans and other sanctions on the Libyan government, part of an escalating global effort to halt his crackdown.

Negotiating the approval of a no-fly zone at the United Nations would be complex, but calls for the imposition of such a ban are growing.

Opinion

Editorial

Al Qadir ruling
Updated 18 Jan, 2025

Al Qadir ruling

One wonders whether the case is as closed as PTI’s critics would have one believe.
Atlantic tragedy
18 Jan, 2025

Atlantic tragedy

AS reports emerge of another migrant boat sinking — this time in the Atlantic off the coast of Western Sahara — ...
Cheap promises?
18 Jan, 2025

Cheap promises?

TALK is cheap. Can electricity also be? The government has recently announced that Pakistan will benefit from the...
Never again
Updated 17 Jan, 2025

Never again

The Gaza genocide has also revealed the utter helplessness of the Palestinian Authority in projecting Palestine’s case globally.
World Bank loan
17 Jan, 2025

World Bank loan

THAT the World Bank will give $20bn to Pakistan in the next 10 years to address some of the country’s most acute...
India’s dangerous game
17 Jan, 2025

India’s dangerous game

THE latest inflammatory remarks by India’s military brass about Pakistan mark a troubling departure from the...