Obama To Deliver Speech Monday On Libya

U.S. President Barack Obama will give a speech to the nation Monday explaining his decisions on the conflict in Libya.

A White House official says Mr. Obama will deliver the address from a U.S. military education institution in Washington.

On Friday, Mr. Obama briefed congressional leaders from both major political parties on what has been accomplished with the no-fly zone over Libya. A White House spokesman said the president also planned to update lawmakers on the transfer of command in Libya to NATO.

The president has been accused by some of failing to adequately communicate his plans for the Libya conflict. Some lawmakers, both Republicans and members of Mr. Obama’s own Democratic Party, have criticized him for not seeking congressional approval for U.S. military action in Libya.

But the White House on Friday said Mr. Obama has consulted with congressional leaders several times since last Saturday’s first assault on Libyan military installations.

The spokesman said the president’s decision on the U.S. missile attacks on Libyan installations was “well within” his constitutional right. He said Mr. Obama is “confident it was the right decision.”

In a separate briefing Friday in Washington, the U.S. ambassador to Libya, Gene Cretz, said Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi’s forces unleashed a “bloody wave of violence and oppression” and slaughtered citizens in response to peaceful protests. U.S. involvement in Libya is part of the effort to protect civilians.