Regional organizations, by holding emergency meetings, are ramping up their efforts in finding solutions to end the violence in Libya.

European Union (EU) foreign ministers gather Thursday in Brussels to discuss the Libyan situation and pave the way for an EU summit a day later that is expected to mull tougher measures against Muammar Gaddafi's government and more humanitarian aid to insurgency-torn Libyans.

However, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said Wednesday that "everything that goes beyond targeted sanctions must be mandated by the United Nations and must, above all, have the backing of the Arab League."

Also on Thursday, Gulf foreign ministers and NATO defense ministers will respectively meet in Riyadh and Brussels to talk about the Libyan crisis.

The NATO meeting may discuss the establishment of a no-fly zone over Libya, which has been strongly demanded by the opposition forces in Libya.

On Tuesday, U.S. President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron discussed possible options against the Libyan government, including the setting up of a no-fly zone.

In their phone conversation, the two leaders agreed to "press forward with planning, including at NATO, on the full spectrum of possible responses, including surveillance, humanitarian assistance, enforcement of the arms embargo and a no-fly zone," the White House said.

NATO Chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Wednesday that NATO stands prepared for all eventualities in Libya, but needs a UN mandate for future operations.

"At NATO we stand prepared for any eventuality. NATO is not looking for reasons to intervene in Libya, but as a defense and security organization we have the necessary plans," Rasmussen said.

He stressed "a future operational role would be pursuant to a UN Security Council mandate."

VietNamNet/Xinhuanet