May 25, 11

NEWS / Ban insists on ceasefire and transition talks in Libya during discussions with premier

25 May 2011 –
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has spoken with the Libyan Prime Minister and reiterated the urgent need for a real ceasefire and serious negotiations on initiating a transition to a government that fully meets the aspirations of the people of the North African country.

Mr. Ban told Al Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmoudi in a telephone conversation last night that his Special Envoy, Abdel-Elah al-Khatib, has had discussions with the opposition since he visited Tripoli last week, and that he would soon be going again to Tripoli, the Libyan capital, according to information released by the spokesperson of the Secretary-General.

The Secretary-General said that Mr. Al-Mahmoudi had again expressed his deepest concerns over the campaign of air strikes in Libya by a coalition of countries.

Libya has been engulfed by fighting since a pro-democracy movement opposed to the regime of Muammar al-Qadhafi emerged in February following similar protests in Tunisia, Egypt and other countries across North Africa and the Middle East.

Hundreds of people have been killed in the fighting and hundreds of thousands of others have been internally displaced or forced to flee to neighbouring countries.

The Security Council in March adopted a resolution which calls for an immediate ceasefire and authorizes United Nations Member States to take “all necessary measures” to protect civilians in Libya.

Soon after the resolution was adopted, some countries launched a bombing campaign against military assets in Libya that are considered a threat to the safety of civilians.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=38498&Cr=Libyan&Cr1=