The Canadian and British prime ministers have been the latest to join the chorus of international leaders seeking Gaddafi's ouster. Their comments came as Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, prepared for crisis talks in Geneva, Switzerland.
On Monday, Clinton is due to meet foreign ministers from Britain, France, Germany and Italy on the sidelines of a UN Human Rights meeting in Geneva.
Clinton will also make the US administration's case for stronger action against Gaddafi, accused of excessive use of force while attempting to quell the rebellion against his nearly 42-year-old rule.
She will also look to co-ordinate future US sanctions on Gaddafi's government with senior officials from Russia, Australia and the European Union.
"The US is offering any kind of assistance to Libyans who might wish to consider overthrowing Colonel Gaddafi and his family," Clinton said.
Her statement came amid growing outrage over the bloodshed in Libya, blamed on forces loyal to Gaddafi. The embattled leader remains defiant despite the opposition gaining ground across the country, and has vowed to purge the country of protesters "city by city, house by house".
Tough sanctions
The United States is pressing Europe for tough sanctions on the Libyan government to turn up the heat on Gaddafi. US officials say that sanctions would convince Gaddafi's remaining loyalists to abandon his regime.
"The US has a wider sanctions regime than the UN has decided and they would like the Europeans to step in on that," Al Jazeera's Nick Spicer, reporting from Geneva, said.
Speaking in Cairo, John McCain and Joe Lieberman, two leading US senators, called for the immediate imposition of a no-fly zone over Libya.
They also urged the White House to recognise the 'provisional government' set up by Gaddafi opponents in the eastern city of Benghazi.
According to The New York Times, US and the European officials have been meeting to discuss the possibility of imposing a no-fly zone and taking measures to disrupt Gaddafi's internal communications abilities.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Ibrahim Sharquieh, the deputy director of the Brookings Doha Centre, said that a"no-fly zone is certainly a good idea".
"Although we have not seen credible independent evidence that Gaddafi has used jets to attack the protesters, that doesn't mean that he will not.
"I'd like to see some pressure, particularly from European leaders, who have good relations with Gaddafi, like [Italian prime minister Silvio] Berlusconi and [ex-British prime minister] Tony Blair, through direct communications and through phone calls.
"The key point that will change the balance of power in Libya will be more military officials joining the protesters," Sharquieh said.
Source: Al Jazeera and agencies
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