G8 shies away from military intervention in Libya

The foreign ministers of the Group of Eight (G8) nations today shied away from endorsing military intervention in Libya, while warning hardline leader Muammar Gaddafi that failure to respect the basic rights of Libyans "would have dire consequences".

The foreign ministers of the Group of Eight (G8) nations on Tuesday shied away from endorsing military intervention in Libya, while warning hardline leader Muammar Gaddafi that failure to respect the basic rights of Libyans "would have dire consequences".

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In their final communique from the Paris meeting, the ministers called on the UN Security Council to increase the pressure "including through economic measures for Muammar Gaddafi to leave".

France and Britain had been pushing for a no-fly zone over Libya but other G8 members, including Russia, Germany and the US have balked at any military intervention.

The ministers from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Russia had held two days of talks on the situation in Libya - where Gaddafi's forces have wrested back much of the territory won by the opposition during a month-long uprising.

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton also attended Monday's talks before flying on to Egypt.

The UN has already imposed an arms embargo on Libya as well as targeted sanctions against Gaddafi and his inner circle.