Gadhafi increasingly alone as the opposition builds

BENGHAZI, Libya  Like few other leaders in recent times, Moammar Gadhafi stands alone.

Egypt's Hosni Mubarak had the public support of neighboring Saudi Arabia in his final days last month, and even Saddam Hussein had activists worldwide opposing the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

But Gadhafi, 68, faces an unprecedented collapse of influence and prestige, his 42-year rule of Libya shaken by rebellion within his nation and condemnation from the global community.

"Gadhafi has lost the legitimacy to govern, and it is time for him to go without further violence or delay," Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday in Geneva, where she was conferring with foreign ministers about Libya.

From sanctions to humanitarian aid, European nations made significant moves Monday to hasten the longtime dictator's departure. The United Nations Security Council froze Gadhafi's family assets and ordered an investigation of possible war crimes because of allegations that Gadhafi's military forces killed hundreds of unarmed protesters during the past two weeks.

How long Gadhafi can last remains a question. Despite continuing pressure from anti-government forces in eastern Libya, Gadhafi's military is holding fast in the capital of Tripoli. A provisional government has been established in rebel-held Benghazi, but it has not been recognized outside Libya.

Some foreign policy analysts warn that Libya could fall into anarchy if Gadhafi departs, leaving the country open to tribal blood-letting, civil war, infiltration by Islamic terrorists and a shutdown of oil production.

"The only possible outcome you can have is a prolonged period of instability," said Richard Downie, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "The question is, what form the instability will take and how long it will last."

Gadhafi has sent mercenaries and paramilitary forces to try to crush popular uprisings across Libya. A showdown appears to be looming 30 miles from Tripoli outside rebel-held Zawiya, where pro-Gadhafi forces have been massing, according to the Associated Press.

The estimated death toll so far ranges from the 300 reported by Human Rights Watch to the more than 1,000 reported by the Italian Foreign Ministry.

In an interview with ABC News on Monday, Gadhafi dismissed the flurry of diplomatic activity aimed at hastening his departure.

"My people love me," he said. "They would die for me."

'We are on full alert'

Libya's uprising followed revolts against authoritarian regimes in Tunisia, Egypt and elsewhere. Protesters complain about Gadhafi's repression and handing out economic favors to his family and regime loyalists.

In Benghazi, the hub of the resistance and Libya's second-largest city with about 1 million people, Army officers sympathetic with the protesters spent the weekend teaching civilians how to use weapons. Fears of an attack from forces loyal to Gadhafi are widespread in Benghazi.

"We are all on full alert because we don't know what will happen next," said Jamal Eltalhi, the head of the Benghazi Medical Center hospital. "But we are managing with the minimum number of nurses and doctors."

Staff and drug shortages mean that "if anything happens in Benghazi, this hospital will not be able to cope," Eltalhi said.

Meanwhile, Benghazi residents have formed a national council to try to bring some political organization to the revolution. The National Libyan Council — an umbrella organization taking care of humanitarian needs — won't negotiate with Gadhafi, said a spokesman, Hafiz Ghoga.

In addition, Libya's former Justice minister, Mustafa Mohammed Abud Ajleil, who resigned after the uprising began, is leading the formation of a joint military and civilian interim government based in Benghazi and is preparing for elections within three months.

Even in Gadhafi's stronghold of Tripoli, there were signs Monday of anti-government action.

A few hundred protesters marched in the Tajoura district after burying one of the victims of a deadly crackdown by Libyan forces last week, said Ahmad Hamadi, a resident of Tripoli. Pro-government forces dispersed the protesters, and no casualties were reported.

"We were peacefully walking toward Green Square when the militia drove in from both sides of the road," he said. "They shot randomly into the crowd until everybody had to flee."

Banks and many stores in Tripoli were open Monday. Even so, many residents stayed home. Food prices are soaring.

"A state of stability has reigned here for the past few days, (but) people are in a terrible situation," said Nouri Boukhchem, 45, a professor at Al-Wifak University in Tripoli. "Some are starving because of what has happened."

Libyan authorities tried to show all was well. Military troops took foreign reporters on a tour in Sabratha, west of Tripoli, to see a pro-Gadhafi demonstration.

"To escape Gadhafi's wrath and avoid being threatened, you have to ... praise the great leader publicly," Boukhchem said. "He doesn't believe in neutrality. Either you are with him or against him."

By Patrick Baz, AFP/Getty Images Protesters tear a poster of Moammar Gadhafi in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi on Monday.

Pro-Gadhafi forces retook control of the western border crossings with Tunisia and bombed an ammunition depot in the rebel-held east, residents in the area said. The Libyan Defense Ministry denied the bombing. Regime forces also moved against two opposition-controlled cities closest to the capital Tripoli — Zawiya and Misrata — where the two sides are locked in standoffs.

An Associated Press reporter saw a large, pro-Gadhafi force on the western edge of Zawiya, 30 miles west of Tripoli, with about a dozen armored vehicles along with tanks and jeeps mounted with anti-aircraft guns. An officer said they were from the elite Khamis Brigade, named after a Gadhafi son who commands it.

'Nothing is off the table'

In Washington, the Obama administration intensified calls for Gadhafi to step down, moved military forces closer to Libya, set aside $10 million in humanitarian aid and announced that it has frozen at least $30 billion in Gadhafi's assets.

David Cohen, acting secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, wouldn't discuss details on which financial institutions held the assets, but he said it was the largest amount ever frozen as the result of a sanctions order.

At the White House, President Obama met privately with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon.

The latest videos on the rebellion in Libya.

Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told reporters that Gadhafi, "sounds just, frankly, delusional."

White House spokesman Jay Carney said exile is an option for Gadhafi, but that he will be "held accountable" for his actions.

The U.N. Security Council has told the International Criminal Court to look into possible crimes against humanity occurring in Libya, only the second such referral. The first was in 2005 when the U.N. asked the world's first permanent war crimes tribunal to probe mass killings in Darfur.

In Paris, French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said planes were headed to the rebel-held city of Benghazi with doctors, nurses and medical supplies. "It will be the beginning of a massive operation of humanitarian support for the populations of liberated territories," he said on RTL radio. He said Gadhafi needs to understand that "he should go."

The Pentagon said the U.S. military is repositioning naval and air forces around Libya. Marine Col. David Lapan, a Pentagon spokesman, said the move would allow for "flexibility once decisions are made."

Monday brought the first public proposal for military action against Gadhafi. British Prime Minister David Cameron told British lawmakers he is working with allies on a plan to establish a military no-fly zone over Libya, since, something NATO has refused to discuss. "We do not in any way rule out the use of military assets," he said.

"Nothing is off the table," Clinton said.

Officials defended the Obama administration's response to the crisis over the past couple of weeks. Critics say the administration has been slow to demand Gadhafi's removal and offer concrete support for rebels.

"The president has been a lagging indicator of international sentiment on Libya," said Danielle Pletka, an analyst at the American Enterprise Institute.

Asked why U.S. officials did not call for regime change in Libya sooner, Rice said the situation has "evolved" since protests began.

"We have been, as the president said, focused very urgently on the protection of Americans and ensuring that Americans are safe," she said. "But we have also at the same time been actively working and planning to enable the swift and decisive response that you've seen forthcoming."

The range of options the United States has for prying Gadhafi out of Libya are limited, analysts say. Downie said most options are "unattractive." A peacekeeping force, for example, would be stuck between warring factions.

"It seems to me if we don't take some kind of action here the most likely outcome is stalemate, a civil war that goes on and on and with no conclusive winner," said John Bolton, a former ambassador to the United Nations under President George W. Bush.

Thomas Donnelly, an analyst at the American Enterprise Institute, said the United States should move quickly to recognize the provisional government. The opposition seems united in their effort to remove Gadhafi and there is little danger of Islamic fundamentalists hijacking the revolution, since they lack an organized presence in Libya.

Clinton said the first priority is to address humanitarian issues. "Then we will be reaching out to recognized voices in the opposition who are assuming responsibility and doing what we can appropriately to assist them."