20110225
reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama consulted the leaders of Britain, France and Italy on Thursday on immediate steps to end the Libyan crisis, as Washington kept all options open, including sanctions and military action, to stem the bloodshed.

The United States is working to build international consensus for action against Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's government, which Obama has condemned for "outrageous" violence against its people.

"I'm not ruling out bilateral options," White House spokesman Jay Carney said when asked whether the United States was considering military steps. "I'm not ruling anything out."

He said the situation in the North African oil-producing nation "demands quick action."

Obama's talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi -- one of the few world leaders to have had recent direct contact with Gaddafi -- were focused on next steps, the White House said in a statement.

"The president expressed his deep concern with the Libyan government's use of violence which violates international norms and every standard of human decency, and discussed appropriate and effective ways for the international community to immediately respond," the statement said.

U.S. officials said specific steps could include seeking stronger U.N. Security Council action, including possible sanctions, support for calls to suspend Libya from the U.N. Human Rights Council, and creating and enforcing a no-fly zone to prevent further government attacks.

Other measures under consideration including suspending Libya's export licenses, freezing the assets of certain Libyan individuals including members of the Gaddafi family, sending humanitarian relief and increasing the ability to broadcast into Libya, the officials said.