France will request an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council over the situation in Libya and to discuss the possibility of imposing sanctions, President Nicolas Sarkozy's office said today.
"Concrete measures are now needed, notably to give immediate access to humanitarian aid and to impose sanctions on those responsible for violence against the Libyan civilian population," the Elysee presidential palace said in a statement.
Mr Sarkozy spoke with US President Barack Obama earlier today to talk about Libya, the statement said, adding that both had expressed their demands for an immediate end to violence against civilians.
The UN Security Council upbraided Libya's rulers on Tuesday for using force against peaceful demonstrators and called for those responsible for such attacks to be held to account.
France's top human rights official said today that up to 2,000 people could have died so far in the unrest.
Britain also urged the world to exert greater pressure on Col Gadafy this evening and the European Union said it was considering sending a humanitarian intervention force to the country.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague called for an international investigation into Libyan state violence.
Meanwhile, the United States said it was looking at all options, including enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya, and did not rule out military action in its response to the crisis.
The international community must "increase the pressure on a regime which by all accounts is now committing serious offences," Hague told BBC Radio.
Britain wants Libya suspended from the UN Human Rights Council, which is due to meet tomorrow, Hague told Sky News.
The US State Department said the United States backed Libya's suspension from the council and was prepared to take additional steps to try to stop the violence.
Agencies