MOSCOW, April 17. /TASS/. The process of selecting a candidate for the UN new secretary general and prospects for reforming the organization and its Security Council were the focus of consultations between Kirill Logvinov, director of the Russian foreign ministry’s international organizations department, and his Libyan counterpart, Sufyan Belkhir, the Russian foreign ministry said.

"The sides exchanged views on a wide range of UN-related issues, including the ongoing process of selecting a new secretary general, prospects for reforming the world organization and its Security Council. Apart from that, they considered a number of countries-related and regional topics on the UN agenda with a focus on the situation in the Middle East in general and around Iran in particular. The diplomats noted that their positions on these matters are close and reiterated their shared principled commitment to resolving the crisis situation on the basis of the norms of international law, by peaceful means as part of the political and diplomatic process," the ministry said.

According to the ministry, the sides also discussed international steps toward restoring Libya’s unity with the United Nation’s pivotal role. "They stressed that any initiative on settling the crisis should be implemented in the format of an inclusive process envisaging the participation of all influential Libyan political forces," it said. "The diplomats reiterated mutual commitment to the further expansion of cooperation within the world organization."