WASHINGTON - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will try to rally support against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi on Monday at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, a group Washington once dismissed as toothless. Clinton's one-day trip will allow her to consult European and other foreign ministers as the United States examines options including sanctions and a "no-fly" zone to try to stop Gaddafi's violent suppression of anti-government protests. "She is going to rally the council and the international community to make a continued forceful effort to address the ongoing situation in Libya and the Middle East," Suzanne Nossel, deputy assistant secretary of state for international organisation affairs, told Reuters. "It will help strengthen the unity of purpose in the international community ... to categorically reject the behaviour of the Libyan government." Clinton will be the first US secretary of state to address the council, which the United States joined in 2009 after boycotting it for years amid charges it failed to confront abuses and acted primarily to condemn Israel, one of Washington's closest allies. The 47-member body, long riven by ideological differences, on Friday adopted by consensus a resolution condemning violence by Libyan forces and launching an international inquiry into atrocities it said may amount to crimes against humanity. It also voted to ask the UN General Assembly to consider expelling Libya from the group. "Today's vote must be followed by sustained commitment and consistent action," Clinton said in a statement on Friday, adding that she would discuss future steps on Monday. The UN Security Council and NATO also held meetings on Libya on Friday, signaling mounting concern over chaos in the North African nation, the world's 12th largest oil exporter. Political analysts said Clinton's trip to Geneva was aimed at coordinating with key European allies including Britain, France and Italy on the next steps, although they noted that Libya's crisis was fluid and the situation unpredictable. US officials say the Human Rights Council is a good place to start setting the parameters of international cooperation on Libya and could set the stage for more forceful Security Council action. "If you are looking at any further ratcheting up of international pressure, that unity is very valuable," said Nossel of the State Department. Charles Ries, director of the Centre for Middle East Public Policy at the Rand Corporation, said Clinton could use the Human Rights Council to firm up consensus as diplomats work on the Security Council, where veto-wielding permanent members Russia and China have often resisted moves to intervene in countries' internal affairs. "The UN Security Council is a very risky proposition if, for example, the Chinese were not in favour of voting a resolution, and I don't think the administration feels confident that it has all of those ducks lined up," he said.
