Clinton urges Kadhafi to leave Libya

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton renewed calls Monday for Colonel Moamer Kadhafi to step down from power and leave Libya but stopped short of making it a non-negotiable demand.

Clinton also appeared open to a peace deal that the African Union (AU) said it has reached with Colonel Kadhafi, saying it needed full details of the plan before commenting further.

The European Union, which has coordinated closely with the United States, said meanwhile it backed the African Union's diplomatic efforts to bring a peaceful end to the weeks-old conflict in Libya.

"We have made it very clear that we want to see a ceasefire, we want to see the Libyan regime forces pull back from the areas they have forcibly entered," Clinton told a press conference.

"We want to see a resumption of water, electricity and other services to cities that have been brutalized by the Kadhafi forces," she said when asked for comment on the AU peace plan. (AFP)