Britain condemns 'horrifying' violence in Libya

LONDON: British Foreign Secretary William Hague denounced the crackdown on protesters in Libya on Saturday as "clearly unacceptable and horrifying" and urged authorities there to rein in the army.

He also said London was "deeply concerned" by violence used against protesters in Yemen and in Bahrain, and expressed particular concern about reports of the harassment of journalists in the latter country.

On Libya, where rights groups said security forces had killed more than 80 people, Hague said: "I condemn the violence in Libya, including reports of the use of heavy weapons fire and a unit of snipers against demonstrators.

"This is clearly unacceptable and horrifying."

He added: "I call on the authorities to stop using force and to rein back the army in confronting the demonstrators.

"The absence of TV cameras does not mean the attention of the world should not be focused on the actions of the Libyan government."

Addressing another area of unrest in the region, Hague urged the authorities in Bahrain "to reach out to the protesters and to hold to account those responsible for deaths".

"I am also deeply concerned by reports of the harassment of journalists and we will be making that very clear," he said.

A wave of demonstrations has swept the Arab world, inspired by the ousting of long-serving rulers in Egypt and Tunisia, and the foreign secretary urged governments in the region to listen to their people's demands.

"The British government is deeply concerned by continuing reports overnight of unacceptable violence used against protesters in Libya, Bahrain, and Yemen and the deaths of protesters," Hague said.

"Governments must respond to legitimate aspirations of their people rather than resort to the use of force, and must respect the right to peaceful protest."