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Lifting Libya’s no-flight zone regime starts settlement process

On October 28, the UN SC adopted unilaterally resolution 2016, which had been drafted at the initiative of Russia

MOSCOW, October 28 (Itar-Tass) — The lifting of the no-flight zone regime in Libya will become an important step towards beginning of the post-conflict settlement in that country, Russia’s foreign ministry said on Friday, commenting on the resolution adopted by the UN Security Council on Thursday.

“The Russian side has raised several times an issue of making the decision by the UN SC,” the source said. “We based our position on the fact that the situation in Libya has changed cardinally, and the threat to civil population from the former regime has been overcome, and the Unified Protector operation of the coalition has lost all reasons.”

“Thus, it is an important step towards beginning of a post-conflict settlement in Libya, which should be supervised by the UN SC,” the source stressed. “It is important that the resolution focuses on the objective to have a representative government in that country.”

The UN “calls for the new authorities of Libya to follow democracy and supremacy of law, principles of national reconciliation and to undertake everything necessary to prevent repressions and extrajudicial reprisals.”

“In the framework of the traditionally friendly relations with Libya, Russia is ready to support organisation in that country of a democratic state, reconstruction of its economic infrastructures, including by means of mutually advantageous business connections,” the source at the foreign ministry said. “We hope that Libya’s authorities, like they have claimed several times, will follow their international obligations.”

On October 28, the UN SC adopted unilaterally resolution 2016, which had been drafted at the initiative of Russia. The resolution abolishes the no-flight zone above Libya. It says that from November 1, 2011, all measures, which the UN SC has introduced by its resolution 1963 to protect the civil population in Libya, are cancelled.

It is well known, that Russia has highlighted several times the fact that the NATO coalition participants have expanded inadmissibly the interpretation of this provision of the resolution, which caused many victims among civil population and a major damage to the social and economic infrastructures cased by massive rockets and bombs dropped by NATO’s air force.

The newly adopted resolution lifts all limits for flights of any flying vehicles in Libya’s air space and stops mechanisms, binding the member countries to undertake whatever efforts to prevent the said flights.

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