PARIS: US President Barack Obama and his French countepart Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday demanded an end to the use of force in Libya, the French presidency said.
"In the face of the continuing brutal and bloody repression, and to the threatening statements of the Libyan leadership, the two presidents reiterated their demand for an immediate halt to the use of force against the civilian population," it said.
In the telephone conversation initiated by Obama, Sarkozy said France would "demand a new urgent meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation in Libya," the French leader's office added in a statement.
Also Thursday, France's human rights ambassador said "precise and corroborating evidence" could prove that crimes against humanity were committed during the crackdown on the popular uprising in Libya.
Francois Zimeray said he had an unconfirmed figure of at least 1,000 people killed since the protests began last week.
The evidence includes "pictures (as well as) statements by Kadhafi and his son," Zimeray told AFP by telephone.
"I've heard figures from all kinds of sources saying there are more than 1,000 dead, but I don't have the means to verify them. That (figure) seems not impossible."
The Libyan government has said that 300 people have died in the protests, while rights groups have said at least 640 have been killed.
"What's certain is that Kadhafi will fall. There are no illusions about his ability to remain in the current context, you can see that he's unravelling," Zimeray said.
"When ministers and senior officials resign, there's not much of the state left. The question is when and at what human cost."
Zimeray said that Kadhafi's threat of a wave of illegal immigrants arriving in Europe was "shockingly cynical."
"People will risk their lives in the quixotic hope of a better future that we will not be able to give them. I see this as blackmail, the regime's parting shot." (AFP)
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