[Becky Anderson:] An urgent appeal for humanitarian help as Libya's refugee crisis worsens. The U.N. ramps up its response just minutes ago, ousting Libya from the Human Rights Council. Later this hour, a message from an ousted president to Russia's leaders your fake democracy doesn't work. And an anti-Semitic rant leaves designer John Galliano heading for the door at Dior. Those stories and more tonight this hour, as we connect the world. First up tonight, international diplomats are warning of civil war in Libya if the crisis there continues. Two weeks on, there's no end in sight to the battle between rebels and the Gadhafi regime. We're going to begin this hour at the United Nations in New York, where the General Assembly has just voted to suspend Libya from the United Nations Human Rights Council. Richard Roth joining us with details Richard.
[Richard Roth, Cnn Senior United Nations Correspondent:] Yes, Becky, there were 47 countries on the U.N. General Assembly's Human Rights Council, sitting in Geneva. Now, Libya has been suspended a vote at the General Assembly, a meeting that's going on right now. The session started with strong words from the General Assembly president, from the U.N. secretary-general, who, in effect, said Libya and Libyan leader, Gadhafi, certainly brought upon themselves this issue. And the General Assembly president said the coun the the Assembly has to act for its very credibility.
[Joseph Deiss, President, U.n. General Assembly:] The situation in Libya is deeply disturbing. A failure to consider this issue...
[Roth:] U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the situation in Libya could definitely continue to deteriorate. As for the military situation, well, there's still no talk about it. The U.N. Security Council members would be deeply divided on a no fly zone, even if it was to protect humanitarian deliveries. In Washington, within the last hour, at the Pentagon, Joint Chiefs Chairman Mike Mullen and Defense Secretary Gates talking about the military situation. Two more Navy ships being moved to the Mediterranean. The military brass at the Pentagon, though, unable to confirm reports Gadhafi ordering his military forces to fire on civilians. As for the no fly zone, well, it could be complicated, says the Joint Chiefs chair.
[Adm. Mike Mullen, U.s. Joint Chiefs Chairman:] With respect to the no fly zone specifically, that it's an extraordinarily complex operation to set up. It's it has been done. Historically, we did it in Iraq for many years, North and South. And certainly if we were to set it up, if that were something that was decided to do, we'd have to work our way through doing it in a in a safe manner and certainly not put ourselves in jeopardy in doing that.
[Roth:] The French saying today that no fly zone would have to be approved by the United Nations Security Council. Russia and others would have concerns about that. Maybe too soon, whether the U.S. or others is going to seek an international mandate. And, Becky, here at the UN, at the General Assembly meeting that continues right now, after Libya was suspended from the Human Rights Council, sharp words between Venezuela and the United States, Venezuela saying all of this is from one imperialist country pursuing this course. Susan Rice of the U.S. saying such comments are shameful from a nation such as Venezuela, that is sowing hate around the world back to you.
[Anderson:] Yes, one of the countries, Richard, that was noted as a possible place of exile for Gadhafi, if, indeed, he were determined that he would leave. All right, Richard Roth there at the United Nations. Perhaps no real surprise, given what we're seeing in Libya, that the country has been expelled or certainly suspended from the Human Rights Council. We'll do more in this show on the no fly zone, with the Italian foreign minister a little later. Well, the United Nations, though, has called this a humanitarian catastrophe in the making. It says nearly 150,000 people have fled the violence in Libya, crossing into either Tunisia or Egypt. Well, many are carrying nothing but the clothes on their backs and they desperately need aid. Arwa Damon joins us now from Djerbe, Tunisia, near the Libyan border. What's the what's the status there at this point?
[Arwa Damon, Cnn International Correspondent:] well, Becky, where we were down at the border, it really was a scene of sheer chaos. The Tunisian authorities struggling, it appears, to try to keep the situation under control. Thousands, if not more, refugees were caught in no man's land, between Libya and Tunisia, so desperate to get across, they were literally, at some points, climbing on top of one another. We saw military, other Tunisian security officials, trying to push them back at some points. They were trying to jump over a wall next to a blue gate that was pretty much all that stood between them and this perception of safety that they were so eager to try to reach. Some of them have been waiting in no man's land for days. They weren't receiving water or food. So were a number of volunteers throwing loaves of bread, water, milk, biscuits up into the air, trying to provide what little relief that they could. But everyone really underscoring the fact that this truly is, as the U.N. put it, as you just mentioned, a humanitarian crisis that, in the next few days, is going to become a humanitarian catastrophe. Just imagine, yesterday, in the span of 12 hours, some 14,000 refugees crossed from Libya to Tunisia. The U.N. was fully expecting that same number to come across today, if not more. And they quite simply are not equipped to deal with the magnitude of the problem. Local Tunisian NGOs the population here has been really rallying to try to provide whatever help they can. But they are increasingly growing angrier toward the international community. In fact, according to many people who we spoke to, because they're saying international aid has just been so slow in coming Becky.
[Anderson:] All right, Arwa, just briefly, when you talk to those at the border who are crossing from Libya, where do they say that they were trying to go to at this point?
[Damon:] Well, right now, a lot of them just want to go home. The vast majority of them are foreign workers, a lot of people from Egypt. So were a number of people from Bangladesh, who actually were not able to cross the border. They're stuck in no man's land. We climbed over a wall to be able to speak to them. They're holding up signs that say, "Help us, please." One man we spoke to on the verge of tears, saying we only have one request and that is that we be saved. The problem is that when the refugees do arrive into Tunisia, there really isn't anywhere for them to go. The evacuations back to their respective countries, if, in fact, they are happening, are happening at such a slow pace, that we're only seeing the numbers increasing. There are tents that have been set up by the Tunisian military. The U.N. has just started setting up housing for these individuals, as well. But many of them were quite simply sleeping on the sidewalk. So now we saw families coming in with small children. And they, too, were telling us they simply don't know where they're going to go Becky.
[Anderson:] All right, Arwa Damon there, with what is the headline out of the region this evening. It's quite remarkable stuff 150,000 people, it's estimated, at the border. Well, the Libyan regime apparently trying to reassert a military presence along part of the Tunisian border. Witnesses say forces loyal to Gadhafi have returned to a southern border post days after leaving the area. With the situation in Libya so fluid, it's hard to pinpoint exactly which side controls what nationwide. We do know that Gadhafi's forces are in charge of the capital, Tripoli, and also reportedly are controlling his hometown of Sirt and Sabrata, shown here in gold. Now, rebel forces are said to control many parts of Eastern Libya and several western towns Benghazi, Misurata and Ajdabiya, shown here in red. Those are among those in rebel hands. The city of Zawiya is said to be contested in port. And that's a big oil area. Now, the government may be trying to change in tactics to win back some rebel areas. Today, it sent an aid convoy packed with food from Tripoli to Benghazi. The government invited the media to document that shipment and our Nic Robertson filed this report.
[Nic Robertson, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] As we're taken to a government aide convoy traveling to the rebel- controlled east of the country, there's confusion.
[Unidentified Male:] Please, please. He's ahead of this. Please OK. That's supplies. That's only supplies.
[Robertson:] Well, we've asked if we can see exactly what's on this truck. The driver told us there were tomatoes, other food goods. They're taking the tarpaulin off right now. When I looked at the fuel gauge, the fuel meter on the truck, it was about half full. The driver told me it will take him about 10 hours to drive 1,200 kilometers, about 800 miles or so, all the way to Benghazi. Government officials told us this morning that if we didn't come and cover this aide convoy going to Benghazi, then we wouldn't be able to go to Misurata, the town about 100 miles, 160 kilometers east of Tripoli, where we've heard that there's fighting going on. Well, that truck has got wafer biscuits on it. The other truck we've looked at has got sugar, we've been told about tomatoes being taken there. But what seems very surprising about this is the drivers, even though they've got the green flag on, the green flag that symbolizes they support Moammar Gadhafi and they're going to an opposition area, they tell us they're going to be OK. It seems a little bit surprising, but that's what they're telling us. Almost wherever we go now, whenever the cameras come out, you can almost guarantee there will be a crowd a spontaneous crowd that appears to gather, showing their support for Moammar Gadhafi. Whenever the camera appears now, the crowds do, as well. [voice-over]: So far, despite the aid convoy apparently going through the contested town of Misurata, no trip there for us. Nic Robertson, CNN, Tripoli, Libya.
[Anderson:] All right, so Libya's largest trading partner is Italy. It's suspended a bilateral friendship treaty and Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi now says that he will follow the line taken by the international community in dealing with the crisis. But critics say he was too slow to break what has been long time fairly cozy ties with Colonel Gadhafi. Well, earlier, I spoke with Italy's foreign minister, Franco Frattini. I began by asking him whether Mr. Berlusconi is still hesitant to put pressure on the Libyan leader. This is what he said.
[Franco Frattini, Italian Foreign Minister:] Nobody in Italy, in the political environment in the government, is supporting Mr. Gadhafi. Perhaps you will have noted that my prime minister didn't support any kind of measure in favor of Mr. Gadhafi. On the contrary, he spoke very clearly about Italy supporting all the sanctions decided already at U.N. level, at European level, as well. I said many times that we cannot consider Gadhafi as an interlocutor for the international community, I said also, the game is over with the regime of Gadhafi.
[Anderson:] But is he still hesitant to put pressure on the Libyan leader?
[Frattini:] I think my prime minister was clear enough, to say that we have to help the Libyan population, not the regime.
[Anderson:] So are you saying it is inevitable that he will go or are you specifically saying that he should go?
[Frattini:] Well, when a person keeping a regime in power is that gives orders to kill people, its own people, his brothers, his sisters, in the same country, do actions like that, it cannot be considered, as I said, an interlocutor. So he should leave. But what is very clear is that all the international community is pressing the same opinion Italy does and other European countries do. So we cannot play with words. If I I can say inevitable, I mean inevitable. Sooner or later, he should leave.
[Anderson:] Can you confirm you would allow NATO to use Italian air bases, and, indeed, do you support a no fly zone?
[Frattini:] I think it is a useful instrument, but we need a legal basis. And the legal basis is a political decision to be taken by Security Council.
[Anderson:] Will you follow Britain's lead, for example, and freeze the assets of the Gadhafi family?
[Frattini:] I don't know where there are, the assets in Italy, owned by the family of Mr. Gadhafi. But if, yes, they will be frozen.
[Anderson:] Foreign Minister, just how concerned are you about an influx of both refugees and, indeed, migrants from both Libya and Tunisia?
[Frattini:] I'm concerned. I believe that it is necessary to work together. But it is necessary, absolutely, to help refugees and migrants on the ground in the border areas between Libya and its borders. That's why I'm talking about humanitarian assistance to be provided for by Italy to these camps, refugees that are particularly at the borders between Tunisia and Libya.
[Anderson:] The Italian foreign minister. We don't seem to be hearing a lot from the prime minister these days. But certainly the view from Italy there. Well, we are covering every angle of this crisis in Libya. Coming up in the show, a look at the alternatives. If Gadhafi's regime falls, who will fill the void? Plus, stay tuned for the plagiarism scandal that has cost the German defense minister his job. That story just ahead. And we put your conn questions to our Connector of the Day your Connector of the Day today, Kevin Spacey. Find out what the play the Hollywood star wants adapted to the big screen. That's all coming up here on CONNECT THE WORLD.