Obama: U.S. must be ready to act quickly on Libya

                United States President Barack Obama on Thursday called on Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi to leave power and said he has approved the use of U.S. military aircraft to pick up Egyptians on the Libya-Tunisia border. At a White House news conference, Obama said Gadhafi has lost the legitimacy to lead and "he must leave." Obama also said he had approved the use of U.S. military planes to help move Egyptians who fled to the Libya-Tunisia border to get home.The U.S. president offered his most extensive remarks on the Libya crisis on a day when rebels strengthened their hold on the strategic oil installation at Brega after repelling an attempt by Gadhafi loyalists to retake it. Pledging to hold Gadhafi and his loyalists accountable, Obama said the U.S. and the entire world were outraged by violence against the rebels. He also lauded United Nations sanctions meant to put international pressure on Gadhafi to give up power. Obama suggested that if a situation existed where Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was "hunkered down" in his capital Tripoli, the United States might have to find a way to get food aid to Libyans. The U.S. and international community must be ready to act rapidly if warranted by a humanitarian crisis or to stop violence against civilians in Libya, Obama said. Moammar Gadhafi is safe for now, holed up in the Libyan capital surrounded by his followers and militiamen. Rebels hold a large swath of the east and a string of towns nearer the capital. But neither side seems capable of dislodging the other. The fate of the oil-rich country may depend on how long Gadhafi can maintain the loyalty of troops, mercenaries and tribes that still support him - and on whether the West decides to take military action to end the standoff. Nonetheless, analysts caution, it could be months before Libya is rid of its leader of 41 years. The prospect of a prolonged conflict in the vast and mostly desert nation could ruin Libya - breaking it up along regional or tribal lines, destroying its oil wealth and turn many of its six million inhabitants into refugees and asylum seekers in neighboring countries or across the Mediterranean in Europe. (21,55)