Libya's Ambassador to UN: Be Tougher on Gadhafi

The UN Security Council today condemned Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's crackdown on anti-government protesters and demanded an immediate end to the violence. A press statement agreed to by all 15 council members expressed "grave concern" at the situation. Libya's deputy UN ambassador Ibrahim Dabbashi, who has called for Gadhafi to step down, said the council statement was "not strong enough" but was "a good step to stopping the bloodshed."

Council members called on the Libyan government "to meet its responsibility to protect its population," to act with restraint, and to respect human rights, and international humanitarian law. The council issued the statement hours after Gadhafi vowed in a television address to keep fighting to his "last drop of blood" and urged his supporters to take to the streets, setting the stage for even more deadly violence. (More Libya stories.)