Tripoli, 27 February 2013:
Russia supports . . .[restrict]the goals of the new Libya, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said in a meeting today, Wednesday, with former Libyan post-revolution Prime Minister, Mahmoud Jibril.
“Russia has reaffirmed its firm support for Libya’s sovereignty, independence and unity,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement released after the meeting, according to the Voice of Russia.
The statement added that Russia also supported the aspirations of Libyans “for a better life through implementing comprehensive democratic transformations, and ensuring national accord.”
The meeting between Jibril, who heads the National Forces Alliance (NFA), and Lavrov focussed on the current security situation and efforts of the General National Congress to restore Libya’s economy and form new government institutions. Jibril and Lavrov also discussed recent developments in the Middle East and North African region.
“Special significance was attached to ways to strengthen the traditionally friendly Russian-Libyan relationships in various fields,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
Until now, Lavrov has taken a notably unsympathetic stand towards Libya since the revolution. Last October, he said that “war crimes” in Libya committed since the fall of the Qaddafi regime should be investigated by the International Criminal Court. Prior to that Moscow tried to introduce a motion in the Security Council demanding that the Libyan government negotiate with the pro-Qaddafi forces that were running Bani Walid at the time. [/restrict]
