The United Nations General Assembly has unanimously voted to suspend Libya from the UN Human Rights Council in the wake of continuing attacks on pro-democracy protesters there by Muammar Gaddafi's regime. The brief resolution said “Expressing deep concern about the human rights situation” in Libya, the General Assembly “decides to suspend the rights of membership in the Human Rights Council” of the African nation. U.S Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has told Congressional lawmakers that Libya could become a peaceful democracy or face years of civil war. Mrs Clinton appeared on Capitol Hill to urge Congress not to cut funds needed to deal with crises abroad. Meanwhile, U.S Defence Secretary Robert Gates said the US was weighing a lot of options and contingencies. The comments came a day after the U.S began repositioning warships and military aircraft in the Libya region. In Washington yesterday, senior officials in President Barack Obama's administration maintained pressure on Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi to step down from power. US officials are sounding noticeably more cautious about the idea of imposing a no-fly zone over Libya. Defence Secretary Robert Gates has ordered two assault ships carrying helicopters and hundreds of marines into the Mediterranean. These ships could be used to ferry in aid supplies, but at a Pentagon news conference Mr Gates sounded reluctant for the US military to do anything more in Libya and raised questions over the broader implications of moving assets there.