OTTAWA—Canada is preparing a full range of sanctions against the Libyan regime as situation in the violence-battered North African country spirals out of control, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced Friday evening.

Harper called the actions of Moammar Gadhafi “appalling” and said the long-reigning Libyan leader must be held accountable.

“I’ve instructed our officials to prepare a full range of sanctions against the Libyan regime, both in collaboration with our international partners or unilaterally if necessary,” said Harper in an announcement made late Friday. “No options have been ruled out.”

Gadhafi, who has clung to power for 45 years, has vowed to fight those opposing his rule and has called on his supporters to “defend the nation.” Hundreds have been killed as hardline government forces continue to crack down on protesters demanding change.

“Those responsible for ordering and carrying out atrocities against the Libyan people must be held accountable,” said Harper, adding that Canada will support a move by the U.N. Security Council to impose sweeping sanctions that could include an arms embargo, individual sanctions against key Libyan officials and an asset freeze.

Canada is asking the U.N. Security Council to refer the situation in Libya to the International Criminal Court and is also calling for Libya’s immediate suspension from the U.N. Human Rights Council, Harper added. Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon will attend a session of the council in Geneva on Monday to represent Canada’s views.

Canada’s announcement to move toward sanctions follows a similar step from the White House. The Americans have said they are asking allies to work with them on efforts to put pressure on Gadhafi to resign.

“Although our priority at this moment remains the evacuation we are actively preparing to move to the next steps and to take other measures,” said Harper.

The reference to evacuations was slammed by opposition politicians who pointed to the government’s problem-plagued handling of airlift efforts Friday.

One plane meant to airlift citizens from the Libyan capital flew away empty due to what the government called confusion on the ground. Meanwhile, a Foreign Affairs advisory warned Canadians not to go to the Tripoli airport, even as a second plane arrived late Friday.

The warning came as the road to the airport was considered dangerous and the situation at the airport chaotic. Foreign Affairs didn’t respond to an email asking for an explanation of how people are to be spirited out of Libya if they are warned away from the airport.

“The Prime Minister didn’t say that the Canadian government didn’t succeed in evacuating anyone from Libya,” said Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff.

Some 200 Canadians who have escaped the country so far got out on an American-hired ferry and planes brought in by various other countries.

Ignatieff also rubbed some salt in an old wound, pointing out the Tory government’s failure to land a seat at the U.N. Security Council will hamper its efforts to have an influence on the handling of the situation in Libya.

“Where is the institution that is going to put the sanctions and put the screws to Colonel Gadhafi? It’s the Security Council of the United Nations and we’re not on it, we’re at the sidelines, not at the centre.”

The New Democrats weren’t far behind in their criticism.

“This has been a botched effort,” said NDP Foreign Affairs critic Paul Dewar. “Staff on the ground are working hard, but they lack the necessary resources to deliver results.”

The Liberals and the NDP agreed on acting swiftly on the escalating situation in Libya however, with both calling for the establishment of a no-fly zone over the North African country to prevent Gadhafi from using military aircraft to gun down his citizens.

Political observers say such sanctions expressing international disapproval have the potential to turn up the heat on a leader like Gadhafi.

“Sanctions of this kind don’t have an immediate impact in practical terms, on the other hand, in psychological terms it just ratchets up the pressures that Gadhafi is under,” said Louis Delvoie, a Senior Fellow at the Queen’s University Centre for International Relations.

Delvoie, a career diplomat who worked in Egypt and also served as the Canadian ambassador to Algeria said the sanctions will add to Gadhafi’s burden as he deals with army deserters, a divided country and an opposing public that refuses to back down.

But sanctions and calls for Gadhafi to quell the violence in his country is about as far as an observing nation can go, Delvoie said.

“This is not a situation which lends itself to traditional peacekeeping,” he said. “We’re not going to start sending our armed forces in there to get themselves in the midst of a civil war.”

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Delvoie warns that even if Gadhafi is ousted, there isn’t an obvious leader or group to take his place because the country has lacked solid national institutions like a unified army or an opposition.

“One of the aspects of Gadhafi’s rule is that he’s been a superb manipulator of the various tribes and their chieftains in terms of divide and conquer ... but maintain a certain cohesion behind the regime,” said Delvoie.

“Once that breaks there is a risk there will be a free-for-all among the various tribes ... at the very least a divide between eastern and western Libya.”

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