The Arab League (AL) announced that it will hold an emergency meeting Tuesday afternoon to discuss the violent clashes in Libya.

The meeting of the permanent representatives of AL's 22 members will convene at 5:00 pm (1500 GMT) in its headquarters in Cairo, about the same time when the UN Security Council is due to meet over Libya in New York.

Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa called on Monday for an end to the violence in Libya, noting that "the demands of the Arab peoples for reform, development and change are legitimate, and the Arab nations' feelings are joined together in this decisive moment in the history of the region."

Protestors began to take to the streets in Libya last Wednesday, calling for an end to Muammar Gaddafi's 42-year-old rule. The pan- Arab TV Al-Jazeera and other media reported that Libya's security forces are using violence to suppress the protests, triggering serious concerns from the United Nations, the Arab Leagues, and the other countries.