(CNN) -- In a joint opinion piece to be published Friday, the leaders of the United States, Britain and France lay out in stark terms their contention that Libya's future must not include its leader, Moammar Gadhafi. "It is unthinkable that someone who has tried to massacre his own people can play a part in their future government," said the article, titled "Libya's Pathway to Peace," by U.S. President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy. "It would be an unconscionable betrayal." The article, which is slated to appear in the International Herald Tribune, Le Figaro, and Times of London, was sent to reporters by the White House.
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"Gadhafi must go, and go for good," leaders of U.S., U.K. and France say
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After Gadhafi's exit, U.N. countries will help Libya rebuild, the op-ed says
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Despite international help, Libyans alone will choose their next leaders, op-ed says
At that point, they added, "the United Nations and its members should help the Libyan people as they rebuild where @placeholder has destroyed -- to repair homes and hospitals, to restore basic utilities, and to assist Libyans as they develop the institutions to underpin a prosperous and open society."