WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama said Friday that a no-fly zone over Libya to keep Col. Moammar Gadhafi from attacking rebels remains a possibility and “we are slowly tightening the noose around Gadhafi.” But he stopped short of moving toward military action.
“The bottom line is: I have not taken any actions off the table at this point,” Obama told a White House news conference.
He cited actions already taken, including new sanctions and the freezing of tens billions of dollars of Gadhafi’s assets.
‘It is in the United States’ interest, and in the interests of the people of Libya that Gadhafi leave,” Obama said. “We’re going to take a wide range of actions” to try to accomplish that goal, he added.
The president also said he’s prepared to tap the country’s emergency oil reserve should the situation demand it.
As gas prices rise some in Congress have been calling on Obama to tap into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
Obama spoke at a White House news conference Friday as gas prices in the U.S. climbed past $3.54 per gallon.
Oil prices have surged 24 percent since the middle of February as unrest in the Middle East rattled world markets, although prices slid Friday on the possibility of reduced demand because of the tsunami that hit Japan.
Republicans have sought to blame Obama’s policies for the high gas prices, saying he should be allowing more offshore drilling, though experts say more domestic production wouldn’t immediately impact prices.
