In his first comment on the protests sweeping several Arab countries, Secretary-General of the Arab League Amr Moussa called for an end to bloodshed and to all kinds of violence in Libya. Since 17 February, Libya has seen continuing protests calling for the ouster of Muammar Qaddafi's regime. It is believed that more than 233 Libyans have been killed in clashes with the army, police and Qadhafi's private militias. Reports state that Libyan authorities use excessive force and live ammunition to break up the protests. In a press statement today, Moussa said he is gravely concerned about the ongoing events in Libya. He added that Arab nations' demands for reform, change and development are legitimate, particularly at this crucial point in Arab history. Moussa said that this is not the time to exchange accusations of treason or turn Arab states against one another. The nations have the same demands so it is normal for them to be inspired by each other, he added. On Saturday the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information criticized Moussa for failing to support pro-democracy protests sweeping Arab countries. The network urged Moussa to allocate even a little of his time to condemning the practices of Arab dictators and to clearly denounce the repression of protests in Libya, Bahrain and Yemen.
