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EU summit set to demand Gadhafi go

Protesters celebrate on a tank as they shout slogans against Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi near the port of Benghazi, Libya along the Mediterranean coast on March 6, 2011. Loyal and rebel forces continue to battle for control of the country. UPI/Mohamaad Hosam
Protesters celebrate on a tank as they shout slogans against Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi near the port of Benghazi, Libya along the Mediterranean coast on March 6, 2011. Loyal and rebel forces continue to battle for control of the country. UPI/Mohamaad Hosam | License Photo

BRUSSELS, March 11 (UPI) -- European leaders are poised Friday to demand Moammar Gadhafi quit, a draft document shows.

The four-paragraph declaration states "Colonel Gadhafi must relinquish power immediately," the EUobserver reported.

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The statement adds, "The EU stands ready to engage with the Libyan authorities in order to help Libya build a constitutional state and develop the rule of law."

EU leaders are seeking a united front after France's unilateral recognition Thursday of the rebel council in Benghazi gained no support from allies and angered some, the BBC reported.

Britain and France are pushing for a no-fly zone to keep Gadhafi from attacking rebels from the air.

Catherine Ashton, the EU foreign affairs chief, said there was "no rush to move forward" on the proposal without getting a U.N. resolution first.

"The Arab world has to lead," she said.

British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy wrote Thursday that Gadhafi belongs in jail in The Hague for war crimes.

Arriving at the summit, Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker countered, "Europeans would do well if they talk about the measures they want to decide on in the meeting and not the day before."

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