A Libyan future including Muammar Gaddafi is 'unthinkable' and would represent an 'unconscionable betrayal' by the rest of the world, the leaders of Britain, France and the United States said.
British Prime Minister David Cameron, France's President Nicolas Sarkozy and US President Barack Obama vowed they would "not rest until the UN...resolutions have been implemented", in a joint article published in several international newspapers.
"It is unthinkable that someone who has tried to massacre his own people can play a part in their future government," the article, which appeared in the London Times, The Washington Post and French daily Le Figaro, continued.
"The brave citizens of those towns that have held out against forces that have been mercilessly targeting them would face a fearful vengeance if the world accepted such an arrangement. It would be an unconscionable betrayal," the leaders argued.
NATO tensions eased
The publication of the article underlined US commitment to the UN-mandated operation against Gaddafi's forces, easing earlier tensions between members of the Western alliance.
The three leaders promised that NATO and its coalition partners would "maintain their operations so that civilians remain protected" as long as Gaddafi was in power.
"Britain, France and the United States will not rest until the UN Security Council resolutions have been implemented and the Libyan people can choose their own future," they promised.
A failure to unseat Gaddafi "would condemn Libya to being not only a pariah state, but a failed state too", the three men warned.
Obama adds his name
The letter was originally drafted by Cameron and Sarkozy following their meeting in Paris on Wednesday, but Obama asked to have his name added to the article after he was sent a courtesy copy.
France revealed earlier that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had rebuffed appeals for more assistance with the enforcement of the UN resolution authorising all necessary means to protect Libyan civilians.
Washington pulled back around 50 combat planes from Libyan operations last week after handing over control of the mission to NATO, although since then they took part in some missions to take out Gaddafi's air defence systems.
Clinton later told NATO allies: "For our part, the US is committed to our shared mission. We will strongly support the coalition until our work is completed."
Backing up Clinton's promise, Obama's joint article stated it was the coalition's "duty and our mandate...to protect civilians".
The article stressed the mandate was "not to remove Gaddafi by force" but added it was "impossible to imagine a future for Libya with Gaddafi in power".
More pressure on Gaddafi
Britain and France on Wednesday agreed to step up military pressure on Gaddafi's regime after world powers meeting in Doha promised Libya's rebels cash and the means to defend themselves.
Looking to a post-Gaddafi future, the leaders said they were "convinced that better times lie ahead for the people of Libya".
After Gaddafi leaves, the three men predicted "a genuine transition from dictatorship to an inclusive constitutional process...led by a new generation of leaders.
"For that transition to succeed, Gaddafi must go, and go for good," they concluded.
Meanwhile, Gaddafi toured the streets of Tripoli on Thursday as NATO warplanes carried out a series of air raids that rocked the Libyan capital.
In an open-top 4x4 wearing dark glasses and a hunting hat, Gaddafi hailed bystanders as he put on a show of defiance.
