By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Deauville (France): Russia’s G8 partners would like it to play a mediating role in the search for a settlement in Libya, President Dmitry Medvedev’s spokeswoman said Thursday.
“In every bilateral meeting such a request was heard,” press secretary Natalia Timakova told journalists after Medvedev had bilateral talks with US President Barack Obama, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron on the sidelines of the G8 summit in Deauville, France.
“In the bilateral meetings, everyone thanked the president for his constructive position on Libya. More than that, in practically all the discussions, it was requested that Russia undertake a mediation mission for a settlement in Libya,” she added.
Medvedev during the summit in France Deauville held Thursday, bilateral talks with US President Barack Obama, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said Thursday that Libyan Prime Minister Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi had a telephone conversation with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who is in Deauville with the president.
The ministry said the call was initiated by the Libyan side, which asked for assistance in reaching an agreement on a ceasefire and the start of negotiations without preconditions.
Lavrov reaffirmed Russia’s position that the UN Secority Council resolutions 1970 and 1973 must be strictly adhered to, the ministry said, adding that he told the Libyan prime minister how the Russian leadership views the prospects of overcoming the crisis in Libya “in the light of the discussions that took place between Medvedev and participants of the Deauville summit.”
There are real chances for a settlement, the Foreign Ministry said, but it is up to Libyans, “including Tripoli, which must demonstrate responsibility for the fate of the country and its people.”
Russia abstained in the Security Council vote authorising the NATO-led military operation to protect civilians in the war-ravaged North African country, and has strongly criticised the alliance’s handling of the operation.