The implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions on Libya shows that “anyone’s word cannot be taken,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday.
“This is a situation when no one will believe a word [of what we’re saying] when we are talking about the creation of a no-fly zone only and nothing else,” Lavrov said.
The revolt in Libya against Gaddafi’s forty-year rule, which began in mid-February, has already claimed thousands of lives, with Gaddafi’s troops maintaining their combat capabilities despite NATO airstrikes against them. Fourteen of the 28 NATO countries are taking part in the operation Unified Protector in Libya, which includes airstrikes, a no-fly zone and naval enforcement of an arms embargo in response to attacks on civilians.
“Everyone who is somehow involved in the implementation of these resolutions should show the utmost responsibility to international law and the UN and should think about the UN Security Council’s authority,” Lavrov said after talks with Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolai Mladenov.
“Otherwise, if something like this is needed again, God forbid, the conversation will be different,” Lavrov added.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin sharply criticized the Western coalition attacking Libya on April 26, saying it had gone beyond the limits of United Nations Security Council resolution.
MOSCOW, June 2 (RIA Novosti)