Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has called for an international probe into the death of Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi and the role of NATO forces in his capture.
Mr. Lavrov said available video from Libya showed that Qadhafi was captured alive and then “deprived of life” in apparent violation of international humanitarian rules for armed conflicts. He also questioned the legality of the NATO air attack on the Qadhafi convoy that allowed rebel forces to capture the Libyan leader.
“The NATO raid on the convoy had nothing to do with the United Nations mandate to protect civilian population,” said Mr. Lavrov in an interview to three Russian radio stations on Friday.
“The convoy was not attacking anyone, they were just fleeing.”
Mr. Lavrov lashed out at Western assertions that Libya was a model case for dealing with similar regional conflicts in the future.
“We do not want outside forces to interfere in such conflicts — God forbid they happen again — with gross violation of international law, including U.N. Security Council resolutions,” he said.
“That is why I am convinced of the need to undertake a most thorough investigation into the events in Libya from the point of view of their conformity to international law,” said the Russian Foreign Minister.
