Sat Jul 2, 2011 12:48AM
Russia has criticized the ambiguous interpretation of a UN Security Council resolution which imposed a NATO-led no-fly zone over Libya.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that international law should not “allow for ambiguity” with regard to interpretation of the UN resolution, the Press TV correspondent in Moscow reported on Friday.
“We have differences because of paragraph four [of the resolution] which allows anyone to do anything for any purpose. We abstained because the resolution co-authors refused to specify who will do what and outline the limits of using force,” Lavrov stated on Friday.
NATO began bombing "military targets" in Libya on March 19, after the UN Security Council approved a resolution on March 17, authorizing force by whatever means necessary, with the exception of a ground invasion, to "protect civilians."
Hundreds of people have been killed in Libya since the NATO airstrikes began.
The Russian foreign minister made the remarks at a meeting with his French counterpart, Alain Juppe, in Moscow on Friday.
On Thursday, Lavrov demanded an explanation from Paris over its supply of arms to Libyan revolutionaries and said if confirmed, France's action was in violation of the UN resolution.
However, during the meeting on Friday, the French foreign minister said that France's NATO partners and the UN Security Council had been informed about the country's decision to airdrop weapons to the Libyan revolutionaries.
Meanwhile, Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi threatened to attack Europe in revenge for NATO airstrikes on Friday.
Speaking via an audio message broadcast to tens of thousands of supporters gathered in a central Tripoli square, Gaddafi said his forces would target European "homes, offices, families" unless NATO stopped its campaign.
HSN/HGL
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