The international community is ready to attack Libya in order to end violence against civilians, US President Barack Obama said Saturday, dpa reported.
The Libyan people need to be protected, Obama said in Brasilia, after meeting with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff.
US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said it was "very much in America's interests" to take part in the mission, but emphasized that the US had not led the calls for intervention.
"We did not lead this, we did not engage in unilateral actions in any way, but we strongly support the international community," in the mission, she said.
The call by the Arab League to implement a no-fly zone over Libya was also very important, she said.
"It would have been very unfortunate if the international community had ignored those requests," she said. It was in the US' interest to "forge strategic partnerships with Arab nations as we move forward in to this time of change in the Arab world."
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