RAS LANUF, Libya - The United Kingdom and France spearheaded a drive at the United Nations for a no-fly zone over Libya as battles raged across the country and Muammar Gadhafi's son said a civil war would erupt if his father stepped down.

Any further United Nations Security Council action against Libya must ensure that it helps the country return to stability as soon as possible, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said on Tuesday.

"The North African country's sovereignty must also be respected," she said.

China wants countries to focus on implementing the current UN Security Council resolution on Libya and to "urge all sides involved to settle the conflict and calm the situation through dialogue and other peaceful means", she said.

"In the decision-making process, we believe, Libya's sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence should be respected," she added.

Meanwhile, the United States has pushed back against rising pressure from some US lawmakers for direct intervention in Libya, saying it first wanted to figure out what military options could be achieved in this oil-producing desert state which has been plagued by continuing violent unrest in the past few weeks.

Reuters-China Daily