Russia’s Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov has told his U.S. counterpart Robert Gates that Moscow wants an immediate ceasefire and political talks in Libya.
The U.S. Secretary of Defence responded by promising a scale-back to the Western military action in Libya in the next few days.
Talks between the defence chiefs of the two countries on Tuesday were overshadowed by the growing Western air strikes in Libya. Mr. Serdyukov said the Western nations had overstepped the U.N. mandate for imposing a no-fly zone in Libya. Russia abstained in the Security Council vote, and has since denounced “indiscriminate” use of force by Western militaries in Libya.
“U.N. Security Council Resolution 1973 only allowed for measures to protect the civilians and prevent escalation of the conflict,” Mr. Serdyukov said. “Unfortunately, the latest developments show that a veritable combat operation has been launched in Libya, causing damage to infrastructure and civilian deaths.”
“We are convinced that an immediate ceasefire and the start of dialogue is the shortest path to the safety of civilians,” Mr. Serdyukov told Mr. Gates after their closed-door talks.
The Pentagon chief argued that “the coalition is going to great lengths to avoid civilian casualties” and affirmed that “the significant military fighting that has been going on should recede in the next few days”.
