Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. G8 Backs Away from Libyan 'No Fly' Zone VOA News March 15, 2011 France's Foreign Minister Alain Juppe (3rd R) attends the G8 Ministers' Meeting in Paris, March 15, 2011 Photo: Reuters France's Foreign Minister Alain Juppe (3rd R) attends the G8 Ministers' Meeting in Paris, March 15, 2011 World powers are looking towards economic measures rather than military options to ease the Libyan crisis. A Group of Eight (G8) ministers' meeting in Paris urged the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday to impose additional pressure on Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi in an effort to get him to resign. However, the group stopped short of following the Arab League's lead by voicing support for a "no-fly" zone. Diplomats said Tuesday the G8 foreign ministers would ask the U.N. to use economic measures to pressure Mr. Gadhafi.  Earlier, France and Britain encountered resistance in their efforts to get the group to back the flight restrictions over Libya. Germany's Guido Westerwelle was among the foreign ministers who expressed skepticism at the plan. He said his country does not want to get "sucked into a war in North Africa" and wants to avoid what could be a "slippery slope."  Russia also voiced concern. The country's U.N. ambassador Vitaly Churkin said "fundamental questions needed to be answered" before imposing the measure. On Saturday, the 22-member Arab League agreed to ask the U.N. Security Council to authorize a "no-fly" zone.  Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held talks with representatives of Libya's opposition National Council on the sidelines of the G8 meeting. U.S. officials say Clinton agreed to consider the group's request for foreign assistance after her meeting with Mahmoud Jebril on Monday. The G8 includes Italy, Canada and Japan, in addition to France, Britain, Russia, Germany and the U.S. Separately, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned Western powers against imposing a "no-fly" zone over Libya. In an interview with a Spanish television station, he said foreign military intervention would worsen the situation in Libya. Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters. .