Briefing Skipper: Libya, Egypt, Oman, China

In which we scour the transcript of the State Department’s daily presser so you don’t have to. These are the highlights of Monday’s briefing by spokesman P.J. Crowley:

• Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in Geneva Monday, where she made the strongest comments to date about the state of the crisis in Libya. "Colonel Qadhafi and those around him must be held accountable for these acts, which violate international legal obligations and common decency. Through their actions, they have lost the legitimacy to govern. And the people of Libya have made themselves clear: It is time for Qadhafi to go – now, without further violence or delay," she said.
• Crowley said that U.S. Ambassador to Libya Gene Cretz, who is not in country, has been reaching out to opposition leaders over the weekend. No word yet on whether the U.S. will provide military assistance to the opposition. Meanwhile, USAID has dispatched two humanitarian teams to Egypt and Tunisia and allotted an initial $10 million to help with the effort there.
• The U.S. has withdrawn the recognition of Ali Suleiman Aujali as Libya’s ambassador to the U.S. "He no longer represents Libya’s interests in the United States," Crowley said. The administration is still in contact with the Libyan government and will deal with their charge d’affaires in Washington if necessary.  The U.S. diplomatic team that left Libya is on its way to Washington and will be put to work in the Near Eastern Affairs bureau.
• A no-fly zone could be an option, Crowley said. There is planning going on, but there would need to be some international authorization and establishment of rules of engagement, he said. "So I’m just saying that you can’t snap your fingers and declare a no-fly zone. There’s a lot of preparatory work that has to be done," he said. "Obviously, you know, NATO would be onelogical organization that could undertake a mission."
• As for Col. Muammar al Qaddafi’s assertion that everything is fine in Libya and everybody there loves him? "He should get out of his tent — (laughter) — and see what’s really happening in his country," Crowley said.
• State has reprogrammed $150 million to help with Egypt’s transition to democracy, Crowley said. Undersecretary for Political Affairs Bill Burns has just returned to Washington following a visit there that also included stops in Tunisia and multiple locations in Europe. Crowley was supportive of a plan to hold elections in Egypt by October. "Can it be done? Yes. But there’s a lot of work to do," he said.
• Iran has put political figures Mirhossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi under house arrest. "We strongly condemn the Iranian government’s organized intimidation campaign and arrest of political figures, human rights defenders, political activists, student leaders, journalists and bloggers," Crowley said.
• And the Arab wave of protests has now spread to Oman, where two demonstrators have been killed in clashes. "We have been in touch with the government and encouraged restraint and to resolve differences through dialogue. So, you know, some reports of perhaps a small number of people killed and, you know, we express our regrets to the families of those who have been killed," Crowley said.
• In China, foreign journalists were beaten and had their equipment confiscated. Ambassador Jon Huntsman met with the journalists afterward. "And we are deeply concerned that the Chinese authorities did not protect, you know, the safety and property of these journalists. And we expect them to hold the perpetrators accountable," Crowley said.