US to 'support' no-fly zone over Libya

An amended resolution tabled in the Security Council was drafted with the assistance of the American administration.

It also reflects the concerns of Russia - another permanent member of the council that, until now, has been lukewarm at best about the value of a resolution.

Speaking in the House of Commons in London, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the co-sponsored draft resolution called for "all necessary measures short of an occupation force".

"These extraordinary times call for an unprecedented response by the international community," he said.

"We have not brought about these events, we and our allies cannot determine the future of Middle Eastern countries or dictate who leads them.

"But neither can we be bystanders. Our values and our interests require us to be actively involved."

UK’s Prime Minister David Cameron has spearheaded the diplomatic efforts to prepare the ground ahead of talks at the UN, in what his spokesman described as a "race against time".

Overnight he spoke to a range of Arab leaders, impressing on them the importance of Arab involvement in policing whatever framework of restrictions the UN might agree on.

The hope in Downing Street has been that by securing the commitment of significant regional powers, the British Government could mitigate the concerns of key players at the UN.

Downing Street admits there remains a range of views within the Security Council, and securing the necessary votes - nine voting for and no abstentions - will not be easy.

However, the willingness of the US to weigh in behind a no-fly zone is a huge boost.

There has been speculation that Security Council members might try to water down the resolution, but that is likely to be strongly resisted by Britain, France and Lebanon - the resolution's key sponsors.

Downing Street has emphasised the Prime Minister's commitment to the key parts of the text.

"We think a no-fly zone is an important part of the resolution," the Prime Minister's official spokesman told journalists.

However, he acknowledged it alone would not have the desired outcome of toppling Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's regime.

"A no-fly zone is not a silver bullet," he said. "We need to be looking at a range of measures."

It comes as both Col Gaddafi's forces and opposition fighters claimed to be in control of Libya's western city Misratah.

Furthermore, rebels in the eastern town of Ajdabiyah said they have pushed back Gaddafi troops, despite claims on Libyan state TV that the territory is now under government control.

There are also reports that gunfire and explosions have been heard near the rebel stronghold of Benghazi.