Russia calls on UN, AU to use peacekeeping potential to resolve Libya crisis

The Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday that it is important to activate political and diplomatic efforts to resolve the Libya crisis by using the peacekeeping potential of the U.N. and African Union (AU).

Moscow's concern was growing over coalition forces' actions in Libya that go beyond the mandate of the U.N. Security Council's Resolution 1973, Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich told a press briefing here.

Therefore, Russia thinks that "it is important to intensify political and diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the crisis with the help of the peacekeeping potential of the U.N. and AU as much as possible," he said.

Meanwhile, Lukashevich said Russia has urged not to substitute the U.N. Security Council's mandate on Libya by the other alliances' actions, be it NATO or the contact group on Libya.

"NATO's arguments, which claimed that the use of force is legitimate because it has been approved by the block's 28 countries, look unconvincing," Lukashevich said.

The Russian ministry insists that all decisions concerning a settlement in Libya could only be controlled by the Security Council, because that body has made the decisions.

Russia also believed that the actions of the International Criminal Court against Muamar Gaddafi must correspond with international laws, including immunity of top state officials, Lukashevich said.

Posted in: AU to use peacekeeping potential to resolve Libya crisis,Russia calls on UN