Nato, Europe pile pressure on Qadhafi

Nato and Europe piled pressure on Moamer Qadhafi 's regime Friday, joining forces to rescue foreigners stranded in Libya while EU governments geared up to take part in a possible no-fly zone. As the European Union agreed to slap sanctions on Tripoli, Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen met with EU defence ministers in Godollo, Hungary, to discuss a vast evacuation effort under way to pluck foreigners to safety.
In Brussels, the 27-nation bloc agreed to slap an arms embargo, assets freezes and travel bans on Libya, including a ban on selling Tripoli law enforcement equipment used to crack down on protesters. The sanctions are expected to come into force in several days, diplomatic sources told AFP.
The sources refused to say, however, who or how many Libyans were targeted "to avoid a run on assets", while in Washington, the Treasury Department warned banks to be vigilant of transfers linked to Libya's political leaders amid international moves to agree sanctions against Qadhafi 's regime. Asked whether a military intervention was an option, Rasmussen said: "I don't want to go into specifics at this time. I think clear priority must be given to evacuation of people in need and maybe also humanitarian assistance."
Governments world-wide have been scrambling to evacuate tens of thousands of citizens stranded in Libya amid fears of an all-out civil war. Some 3,600 Europeans were still stranded in Libya after several EU countries including Britain, Germany and Greece deployed planes and ships to evacuate their citizens, according to the EU.
The 28-nation alliance is ready to act as an "enabler and co-ordinator" to help alliance members with evacuations, Rasmussen said, calling the effort a "massive challenge." "This crisis in our immediate neighbourhood affects Libyan civilians and many people from Nato allies," he said. The EU has taken a careful approach on sanctions out of concern for the safety of foreigners still stuck in Libya.
But as European defence ministers met in an 18th-century palace in the town of Godollo outside Budapest, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said it was time "to ensure we are putting as much pressure as possible to try and stop the violence in Libya." The chief EU diplomat said the United States and EU countries had discussed the possibility of imposing a no-fly zone over Libya to prevent Qadhafi forces from bombing protesters.
EU governments are making "contingency plans" to help police Libyan airspace, but "the EU needs a UN Security Council resolution first," an EU diplomat said on condition of anonymity. Rasmussen said Nato has not discussed the idea of a no-fly zone yet but he also stressed that a UN mandate would be needed first. US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday that France and Italy would be best placed to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya. But French Defence Minister Alain Juppe said such action should be taken collectively.