US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would travel to Geneva next week to address a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council and mobilize the international community against the Gaddafi regime of Libya which has been using lethal force against its own people.
Clinton, at the direction of President Barack Obama, would be travelling to Geneva on February 27 and 28, State Department spokesman P J Crowley said.
"While in Geneva, she will hold consultations with her counterparts on the situation in Libya, and events and trends in the broader Middle East," he said.
Clinton will also address the high-level segment of the 16th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, he said.
The US joined many concerned members of the Human Rights Council in supporting this session, he said.
Crowley said that the US support suspending Libya from the Human Rights Council.
"The Libyan Government has violated the rights of its people. Taking this step continues the increased isolation that the Libyan Government is facing, including announcements
made yesterday by the Arab League and the African Union," he said. The US supports the universal rights of the Libyan people which includes the rights of peaceful assembly, free speech, and the ability of the Libyan people to determine their own destiny, he said.
"These are human rights. These are not negotiable, and they must be respected in every country, and they cannot be denied through violence or suppression," Crowley asserted.
He said the US has been in continual contact with the Libyan Government.
Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Bill Burns has had two conversations Friday with the Libyan Foreign Minister Musa Kusa talking about the situation in the country as well as expressing America's gratitude for the cooperation that Libya has shown in helping it with the evacuation of its citizens.
Meanwhile, the State Department asked American nationals to leave Libya as soon as possible as the situation in Libya is very unpredictable.
"But obviously American citizens throughout the world will make their own judgments as to whether to stay or whether to leave," he said.
There are about 6,000 American citizens who have been registered with the US Embassy in Libya before these events occurred.
"The vast majority of them are dual nationals, and my understanding is that they would need the permission of the Libyan Government to depart. So there will be American
citizens who, for one reason or another, remain in Libya in the coming days, weeks, and months," he said.