Secretary of State Clinton: "It is Time for Qaddafi to Go"

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton gestures as she speaks at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, Monday Feb. 28, 2011. The 27-nation bloc agreed an arms embargo, asset freeze and visa ban against Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi on Monday. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

Speaking in Geneva, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told members of the U.N. Human Rights Council that the world must hold Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi accountable for his actions.

Referring to the pro-Qaddafi troops as "mercenaries and thugs," Secretary Clinton suggested other governing bodies need to join the United States in sanctioning the Qaddafi regime in order to quell the bloody crackdown Libya has placed on its citizens.

She also spoke to the human rights body about the Libyan leader ending his 42 year dictatorship.

"It is time for Qaddafi to go - now, without further violence or delay," Clinton said.

The Secretary traveled to Geneva to meet individually and en masse with her counterparts to discuss stronger actions against Qaddafi's regime. The United States has already imposed financial sanctions and travel restrictions against Qaddafi and other senior members of his inner circle.

But Clinton hinted that the U.S. is not done with Qaddafi saying "nothing is off the table so long as the Libyan government continues to threaten and kill Libyan citizens."

Even before the secretary's speech, the European Union imposed its own arms embargo, visa ban and financial sanctions against Qaddafi's regime as part of a global effort to stop the Libyan leader's actions against his countrymen. Since eighty-five percent of Libyan oil is used by European countries, these sanctions may prove to be more difficult for Qaddafi.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle praised the E.U. sanctions, saying it shows a strong gesture to Libya if international communities stand united. Westerwelle participated in a meeting with Secretary Clinton and representatives from the U.K., Italy and France to discuss the growing violence in Libya. Westerwelle told reporters after the meeting the group "agreed that we need concrete and clear and strong sanctions because this war against their own people by the dictator Qaddafi is of course not acceptable."

Clinton also implored the Human Rights Council to suspend Libya from their body saying "it should not take bloodshed for us to agree that such regimes have no place here."

There are unconfirmed reports that as many as 2,000 civilians have been killed by pro-Qaddafi forces during the uprising.