The call for civilian protection was aimed to influence the U.N. Security Council, the European Union, the African Union, and the Arab League. It was timed to influence discussions at the Security Council and the U.N. Human Rights Council over the coming days. The organizations hail from countries including Egypt, Libya, Qatar, Morocco, Yemen, Syria, Algeria, and Saudi Arabia.
The open letter to world leaders, set to be released on Saturday but obtained by The Cable, calls on the international community and regional leaders to develop "immediate contingency plans for international intervention, under regional Arab leadership, to provide protection for civilians on the ground and to enable the rapid imposition of a UN Mandated No Fly Zone over Libya should such steps be necessary to protect civilians from further atrocities."
The groups also called for a U.N. investigation into atrocities conducted by the regime of Muammar al-Qaddafi, as well as punitive measures against the Libyan government, including sanctions, asset freezes, and an arms embargo.
"We fear we may be witnessing the calm before the storm. The window of opportunity to prevent further atrocities from occurring is closing fast. The people of Libya need you to act quickly and decisively," the letter stated. "Condemnation of such acts is not enough - world leaders must live up to their responsibilities to protect civilians from systematic slaughter."
The accompanying letter, signed by 30 prominent Arab intellectuals, called for the same measures and implored world leaders to use whatever means necessary to protect Libyan civilians. Signatories included Nagib Sawiris, President of Orascom Telecom Egypt; Amr Hamzawy, a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment's Middle East Center; Egyptian journalist Hani Shukrallah; and Paul Salem, the director of Carnegie's Middle East Center.
"We cannot and will not stand by and witness a brutal dictator exterminate his own people," they wrote. "We appeal to you as leaders who have the power to bring an end to this horror. Your failure to do so would be a lasting stain on the concept of the responsibility of world leadership and on humanity itself."
