US: Mulling over taking "appropriate actions" on Libya crackdown

The United States is weighing "all appropriate actions" in response to Libya's violent crackdown on protesters and is analyzing a televised address by the son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to see if there are prospects for meaningful reform, a US official said on Sunday.   

President Barack Obama was being briefing regularly on fast-moving developments in Libya, and his administration will seek "clarification" from senior Libyan officials as it presses for an end to violence against peaceful demonstrators, the official said.

The latest US pressure came after unrest against Gaddafi's rule spread to the capital, Tripoli, and his son, Saif al-Islam, vowed to fight until the "last man standing" after scores of protesters were killed in the east of the country. 

He said in an address on state TV that the army stood behind his father as a "leader of the battle in Tripoli" and would enforce security at any price.  

Saif al-Islam also said the General People's Congress, Libya's equivalent of a parliament, would convene on Monday to discuss a "clear" reform agenda.

"We are analyzing the speech ... to see what possibilities it contains for meaningful reform," the U.S. official said.        

Without specifying the kinds of measures that might be at Washington''s disposal, the official also said: "We are considering all appropriate actions."