International pressure mounts on Gaddafi to 'go now'
![Libyan army paratroopers who joined the rebellion and anti-government fighters patrol the eastern city of Benghazi on February 27, 2011. World leaders have called on Gaddafi to surrender. [ABC]](http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/201102/r726280_5815233.jpg "Libyan army paratroopers who joined the rebellion and anti-government fighters patrol the eastern city of Benghazi on February 27, 2011. World leaders have called on Gaddafi to surrender. [ABC]")
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Libyan army paratroopers who joined the rebellion and anti-government fighters patrol the eastern city of Benghazi on February 27, 2011. World leaders have called on Gaddafi to surrender. [ABC]
Rachel Brown, Tim Palmer
Last Updated:
International pressure on Libyan Leader Moamar Gaddafi to surrender has gathered momentum, with Russia and China joining the west in backing calls to prosecute him for war crimes.
The world's leaders attending the UN Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva have called on Mr Gaddafi to 'go now', saying his military's force against the civilian population is unacceptable.
US secretary of state Hillary Clinton said the violence must stop.
"The United States and the American people support the aspirations and rights of the Libyan people," she said.
"They are clearly sending as strong a message as they are capable of doing that it is time for Gaddafi to go.
"We think that he must go - as soon as possible - without further bloodshed and violence."
Libya is set to be the first nation suspended from the Council.
European Union governments have now approved a package of sanctions against Mr Gaddafi, including a freeze on assets, an arms embargo, a travel ban, and referral of Libya's authorities to the International Criminal Court.
The UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, says he'll look at every way of stepping up pressure on Mr Gaddafi's regime and has not ruled out the use of military assets.
Sanctions are expected to be in place by the end of the week.
Foreign workers flee
Meanwhile, the United Nations says Tunisia is struggling to cope with the flood of people fleeing the violence in Libya.
The men from Egypt, Bangladesh, Turkey and Vietnam are piling up on both sides of the frontier.
The ABC's Tim Palmer reports the situation on the Libya-Tunisia frontier is worsening with increasing numbers crossing, as many as 10,000 people a day.
Small demonstrations have broken out among stranded Egyptian workers sleeping by the thousands in freezing conditions across sandy fields or on roads.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has acknowledged that Tunisian officials now need help to deal with the flood of foreign workers.
Many of those people say they were robbed or forced to pay bribes by Libyan officials as they fled.
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