MOSCOW, September 1 (Itar-Tass) ——Mikhail Margelov, special representative of the Russian President for Africa, doubts that the Transitional National Council of Libya (TNC) will evaluate contracts, signed with Russia by the Gaddafi regime, from a political point of view. He said so here on Thursday, commenting on Russia’s stand on the Libyan settlement before the opening of an international conference in Paris.
The Russian Foreign Ministry reported on Thursday that Russia recognized the Transitional National Council of Libya as current authority. “We proceed from the assumption that the treaties, signed by the Russian Federation and Libya, as well as other mutual commitments, will remain in effect in relations between the two countries and will be unfailingly observed,” said a representative of the Foreign Ministry.
On the instruction of President Dmitry Medvedev, Margelov will represent Russia at the Paris conference, which will outline ways of the post-war restoration of Libya.
“Suppositions were expressed recently by some mass media that the new Libyan government would not resume trade and economic contracts with Russia,” he said. ”When the hostilities between the insurgents and the Gaddafi forces were going on near Benghazi, with alternating success, representatives of the opposition assured me that all the contracts signed by Russia with the previous regime would be observed. These include contracts dealing with the oil sector, military-technical cooperation and the laying of a railway line.”
“At present the Transitional National Council is analysing the contracts, signed by the Gaddafi regime, in order to establish whether or not they are transparent. I do not think the new Libyan government will begin with the evaluation of contracts with Russia by political criteria, instead of technical and economic ones,” Margelov said.