U.K. says violence no good in Middle East

• Tweet

KUWAIT CITY, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- With upheavals spilling across much of the Middle East and North Africa, British Prime Minister David Cameron stressed repression doesn't equal stability.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the Libyan reaction to anti-government protesters was unacceptable, echoing sentiments expressed across much of the international community. Similar, though less violent events, are unfolding in Bahrain, Yemen and much of the Arab world.

Cameron spoke Tuesday before the Kuwaiti Parliament saying that the region was at the "epicenter" of major change.

"History is sweeping through your neighborhood," he said in his speech. "Not as a result of force and violence but by people seeking their rights and in the vast majority of cases doing so peacefully and bravely."

Though protests in Egypt were largely peaceful, Cameron said his government couldn't stand by as regimes like Libya continue their harsh crackdown on demonstrators.

"Violence is not the answer to people's legitimate aspirations," he said. "Using force cannot resolve grievances, only multiply and deepen them."

Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi appeared on state television Tuesday saying he wouldn't step down despite losing control over parts of the country.