奥巴马演讲文本

THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon, everybody. Iwant to take this opportunity t o update theAmerican people about the situation in Libya. Overthe last severa l weeks, the world has watched eventsunfold in Libya with hope and alarm. La st month,protesters took to the streets across the country todemand their uni versal rights, and a governmentthat is accountable to them and responsive to theiraspirations. But they were met with an iron fist. Within days, whole parts of the country declared their independence from a br utal regime,and members of the government serving in Libya and abroad cho se to align themselves withthe forces of change. Moammar Qaddafi clearly los t the confidence of his own people and thelegitimacy to lead. Instead of respecting the rights of his own people, Qaddafi chose the path of brutalsuppression. Innocent civilians were beaten, imprisoned, and in some c ases killed. Peacefulprotests were forcefully put down. Hospitals were attacke d and patients disappeared. Acampaign of intimidation and repression began. In the face of this injustice, the United States and the international communit y moved swiftly.Sanctions were put in place by the United States and our allie s and partners. The U.N. SecurityCouncil imposed further sanctions, an arms embargo, and the specter of internationalaccountability for Qaddafi and those around him. Humanitarian assistance was positioned onLibyas borders, and t hose displaced by the violence received our help. Ample warning wasgiven th at Qaddafi needed to stop his campaign of repression, or be held accountable. TheArab League and the European Union joined us in calling for an end to vio lence. Once again, Qaddafi chose to ignore the will of his people and the internation al community.Instead, he launched a military campaign against his own peopl e. And there should be nodoubt about his intentions, because he himself has made them clear. For decades, he has demonstrated a willingness to use brute force through hi s sponsorship ofterrorism against the American people as well as others, and through the killings that he hascarried out within his own borders. And just ye sterday, speaking of the city of Benghazi - acity of roughly 700,000 people - he threatened, and I quote: “We will have no mercy and nopity” - no mercy on his own citizens. Now, here is why this matters to us. Left unchecked, we have every reason to believe thatQaddafi would commit atrocities against his people. Many thousa nds could die. A humanitariancrisis would ensue. The entire region could be d estabilized, endangering many of our allies andpartners. The calls of the Libya n people for help would go unanswered. The democratic valuesthat we stand f or would be overrun. Moreover, the words of the international communitywoul d be rendered hollow. And thats why the United States has worked with our allies and partners to s hape a stronginternational response at the United Nations. Our focus has bee n clear: protecting innocentcivilians within Libya, and holding the Qaddafi regi me accountable. Yesterday, in response to a call for action by the Libyan people and the Arab L eague, the U.N.Security Council passed a strong resolution that demands an e nd to the violence againstcitizens. It authorizes the use of force with an explic it commitment to pursue all necessarymeasures to stop the killing, to include the enforcement of a no- fly zone over Libya. It alsostrengthens our sanctions and the enforcement of a n arms embargo against the Qaddafiregime. Now, once more, Moammar Qaddafi has a choice. The resolution that passed l ays out veryclear conditions that must be met. The United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Arabstates agree that a cease- fire must be implemented immediately. That means all attacks againstcivilian s must stop. Qaddafi must stop his troops from advancing on Benghazi, pull t hem backfrom Ajdabiya, Misrata, and Zawiya, and establish water, electricity and gas supplies to all areas.Humanitarian assistance must be allowed to reac h the people of Libya. Let me be clear, these terms are not negotiable. These terms are not subject to negotiation.If Qaddafi does not comply with the resolution, the internationa l community will imposeconsequences, and the resolution will be enforced thr ough military action. In this effort, the United States is prepared to act as part of an international c oalition. Americanleadership is essential, but that does not mean acting alone - it means shaping theconditions for the international community to act togeth er. Thats why I have directed Secretary Gates and our military to coordinate thei r planning, andtomorrow Secretary Clinton will travel to Paris for a meeting wi th our European allies and Arabpartners about the enforcement of Resolution 1973. We will provide the unique capabilities thatwe can bring to bear to stop the violence against civilians, including enabling our Europeanallies and Arab partners to effectively enforce a no fly zone. I have no doubt that the menand women of our military are capable of carrying out this mission. Once more, t hey have thethanks of a grateful nation and the admiration of the world. I also want to be clear about what we will not be doing. The United States is n ot going todeploy ground troops into Libya. And we are not going to use force to go beyond awell-defined goal - specifically, the protection of civilians in Libya. In the coming weeks, we willc ontinue to help the Libyan people with humanitarian and economic assistance so that they canfulfill their aspirations peacefully. Now, the United States did not seek this outcome. Our decisions have been dr iven by Qaddafisrefusal to respect the rights of his people, and the potential f or mass murder of innocentcivilians. It is not an action that we will pursue alo ne. Indeed, our British and French allies, andmembers of the Arab League, ha ve already committed to take a leadership role in theenforcement of this resol ution, just as they were instrumental in pursuing it. We arecoordinating closel y with them. And this is precisely how the international community shouldwor k, as more nations bear both the responsibility and the cost of enforcing inter national law. This is just one more chapter in the change that is unfolding across the Middle East and NorthAfrica. From the beginning of these protests, we have made it clear that we are opposed toviolence. We have made clear our support for a s et of universal values, and our support forthe political and economic change t hat the people of the region deserve. But I want to be clear:the change in the region will not and cannot be imposed by the United States or any foreignpo wer; ultimately, it will be driven by the pe