MARTHA'S VINEYARD, Mass., Aug. 22 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama said Monday that while the situation in Libya was "still very fluid," Moammar Gadhafi's regime "is coming to an end."
Speaking at a podium on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts where he and his family are vacationing, Obama said he had conferred by phone with his National Security Council and spoke with British Prime Minister David Cameron "about the extraordinary events" taking place in Libya, where rebels had stormed into the capital, Tripoli, and were engaged in battles with Gadhafi loyalists.
"The situation is still very fluid," Obama said. "There remains a degree of uncertainty, and there are still regime elements who pose a threat. But this much is clear: The Gadhafi regime is coming to an end and the future of Libya is in the hands of its people."
After recounting the events since the Arab Spring protests began early this year, Obama said "the celebrations that we've seen in the streets of Libya shows that the pursuit of human dignity is far stronger than any dictator."
He tempered his comments by noting the fighting is not yet over with fierce fighting in some areas.
He also issued a call to Gadhafi to end the violence by formally surrendering.
"Although it's clear that Gadhafi's rule is over, he still has the opportunity to reduce further bloodshed by explicitly relinquishing power to the people of Libya and calling for those forces that continue to fight to lay down their arms for the sake of Libya," Obama said.
Obama said the United States "will be a friend and partner" with the new government and added that the international community would work to make sure critical humanitarian supplies reach the Libyan people.
Obama also saluted the U.S. military forces who were part of the NATO military forces that helped turn the tide in the rebels' favor.
"They've executed their mission with skill and extraordinary bravery, and all of this was done without putting a single U.S. troop on the ground," the president said.
"To our friends and allies, the Libyan intervention demonstrates what the international community can achieve when we stand together as one.
"Finally, the Libyan people, your courage and character have been unbreakable in the face of a tyrant. An ocean divides us, but we are joined in the basic human longing for freedom, for justice and for dignity.
Your revolution is your own, and your sacrifices have been extraordinary. Now the Libya that you deserve is within your reach."
