ID :
174841
Tue, 04/12/2011 - 11:39
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Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/174841
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AU must confront Libya without Gaddafi : Hague
London, April 12, IRNA – British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Monday that he respected the work that the African Union is doing to achieve a ceasefire in Libya but that it must “confront” the future of the North African country without Muammar Gaddafi.
Speaking at a joint press conference in London with his Italian counterpart Franco Frattini, Hague said he thought the AU, which boycotted the recent London conference on Libya, was “sincere” in seeking a genuine ceasefire but that it must meet the terms of UN resolutions and rebels who insist Gaddafi must go.
Members of an AU delegation were offering a peace proposal to rebel leaders in the city of Benghazi Monday to end Libya's eight-week conflict after saying it had been accepted by Gaddafi's regime but which reportedly makes no mention of him departing.
Hague indirectly emphasised differences with the AU proposal, saying there can be no ceasefire that does “not meet the conditions of UN security council resolutions 1970 and 1973 in full, and it is not acceptable for those representing the opposition in Libya, including the Interim National Council,'
'Anything short of this would be a betrayal of the people of Libya and would play into the hands of the regime which has announced two meaningless ceasefires since the fighting began without its vicious military campaign missing a single beat,' he said.
Frattini also declined to criticise the AU initiative directly but said that he “strongly hoped a way forward” could be found in cooperating with the UN and should include Gaddifi stepping down from power.
He said he shared an “common vision on the Arab spring” and revealed that Italy's defence minister would be meeting his British and French counterparts in the next couple of days to discuss “how to make military pressure more effective.”
The Italian foreign minister declined to say if his country would supply combat aircraft to help plug the gap left by the American withdrawal from the Nato-led force, citing political sensitivities with being the former colonial power in Libya.
Hague went further than previously when asked whether Britain recognised the interim council as the government of Libya, saying that the UK had closed its embassy in Tripoli but had diplomatic presence in Benghazi, the rebel stronghold.
He also revealed that members of the council would join part of the discussions of the Libyan contact group meeting in Qatar this Friday after it was confined to the sidelines of last month's London conference.
Speaking at a joint press conference in London with his Italian counterpart Franco Frattini, Hague said he thought the AU, which boycotted the recent London conference on Libya, was “sincere” in seeking a genuine ceasefire but that it must meet the terms of UN resolutions and rebels who insist Gaddafi must go.
Members of an AU delegation were offering a peace proposal to rebel leaders in the city of Benghazi Monday to end Libya's eight-week conflict after saying it had been accepted by Gaddafi's regime but which reportedly makes no mention of him departing.
Hague indirectly emphasised differences with the AU proposal, saying there can be no ceasefire that does “not meet the conditions of UN security council resolutions 1970 and 1973 in full, and it is not acceptable for those representing the opposition in Libya, including the Interim National Council,'
'Anything short of this would be a betrayal of the people of Libya and would play into the hands of the regime which has announced two meaningless ceasefires since the fighting began without its vicious military campaign missing a single beat,' he said.
Frattini also declined to criticise the AU initiative directly but said that he “strongly hoped a way forward” could be found in cooperating with the UN and should include Gaddifi stepping down from power.
He said he shared an “common vision on the Arab spring” and revealed that Italy's defence minister would be meeting his British and French counterparts in the next couple of days to discuss “how to make military pressure more effective.”
The Italian foreign minister declined to say if his country would supply combat aircraft to help plug the gap left by the American withdrawal from the Nato-led force, citing political sensitivities with being the former colonial power in Libya.
Hague went further than previously when asked whether Britain recognised the interim council as the government of Libya, saying that the UK had closed its embassy in Tripoli but had diplomatic presence in Benghazi, the rebel stronghold.
He also revealed that members of the council would join part of the discussions of the Libyan contact group meeting in Qatar this Friday after it was confined to the sidelines of last month's London conference.
