NATO officials and EU ministers will meet Thursday to discuss possible action, including military action, against Muammar Qaddafi. An EU source said that a plan would be developed to remove Qadaffi from power as head of Libya. "The policy is getting him to go as soon as possible,” the senior EU diplomat told reporters. "No one is expecting Kadhafi will melt away in the next few days, but we are developing a range of responses," he added.
The United States, already embroiled in two wars in the Muslim world, wants NATO, with its large European membership, to take the lead on any action in Libya, sources in Washington said. Washington "believes that NATO is the natural choice for any military action,” a U.S. diplomat said.