"The current leadership (of Libya) must relinquish power without delay," said EU President Herman Van Rompuy after an extraordinary meeting in Brussels.
EU leaders called the National Transitional Council of the Opposition (CNT) interlocutor "legitimate" and "trustworthy".
They also decided to consider "all options" available to "protect civilians", provided there is a "clear" legal basis and support in the region.
But German Chancellor Angela Merkel said to be "fundamentally skeptical" about a military commitment now.
The president of the EU stressed that Libya was "on the brink of civil war," condemning on behalf of 27 European countries violence against civilians.
United States Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton... sometimes described as the Smartest Woman in the World and at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as
Another Jeremiah S. Black...
announced that a plan to establish a possible no-fly zone would be presented March 15 at NATO.
The European Union, the vaporous Arab League and African Union will also hold a tripartite summit in the Libyan crisis "in the coming weeks," said French President Nicolas Sarkozy.