Obama said he is considering humanitarian aid for refugees at the Libyan border. | AP, Reuters Photos Obama: U.S. weighing Libya options

President Barack Obama indicated Thursday that he may be ready to increase U.S. involvement in Libya as he called for the departure of Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi and said that establishing a no-fly zone over the country is an option he is considering.

In his first public remarks about Qadhafi, Obama said the colonel whose government has responded violently to protests in the country “has lost the legitimacy to lead, and he must leave.”


Obama also announced he had authorized the use of American aircraft to help Egyptians who have fled Tunisia return to their home country. And he said he has directed USAID to send humanitarian assistance to Libya to “address the urgent needs” of Libyans.

While he stopped short of endorsing the creation of a no-fly zone over Libya, he went slightly further than his defense secretary, Robert Gates, by saying that he’s thinking about it. Gates told lawmakers on Wednesday that “a no-fly zone begins with an attack on Libya.”

“That is one of the options that we would be looking at,” Obama said during a brief appearance in front of reporters with President Felipe Calderon of Mexico.

Citing the thousands of refugees at the Libyan border and concerns about food distribution, Obama said the options the administration is considering include providing “humanitarian” aid. He also said he wants the “capacity to act potentially rapidly” should the conditions there deteriorate.

Critics have called on Obama to side more openly with protesters in Libya and condemn Qadhafi, but today was the first time Obama has mentioned Qadhafi by name in the latest of a steadily escalating series of administration responses to the situation there.

Last Friday, Obama announced sanctions on Qadhafi, freezing his assets in response to what he called a “continued violation of human rights, brutalization of its people, and outrageous threats.”

“Going forward, the United States will continue to closely coordinate our actions with the international community, including our friends and allies, and the United Nations,” Obama said in a written statement. “We will stand steadfastly with the Libyan people in their demand for universal rights, and a government that is responsive to their aspirations. Their human dignity cannot be denied.”

In similar written statements over the past week, Obama has condemned the violence against Libyans. The administration also publicized its role in suspending Libya from the U.N. Human Rights Council.

The first statement released in Obama’s name since violence broke out in Libya came Feb. 18, when he said he was “deeply concerned” about attacks there and in Yemen and Bahrain. A week later, he called the leaders of Britain, France and Italy to discuss a “range of options” on Libya. He called Turkey’s leader the next day, and later welcomed new sanctions against the regime.

On Feb. 26, the White House said for the first time, in a statement describing a call between Obama and Germany’s chancellor, that Qadhafi must leave Libya “now.” The most recent statement on Libya came on Feb. 28, when Obama spoke with Canada’s premier about “the need to deter additional acts of violence.”

Unlike his first comments on Libya last week, Obama mentioned Qadhafi several times, repeatedly urging him to resign.

“Let me just be very unambiguous about this: Colonel Qadhafi needs to step down from power and leave,” he said. “That is good for his country. That is good for his people. It is the right thing to do. Those around him have to understand that violence that they perpetrate against innocent civilians will be monitored, and they will be held accountable for it.”