Russia tells Kadhafi envoy to obey UN resolution

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MOSCOW: Russia on Tuesday said the humanitarian crisis in Libya had reached "dangerous proportions" as it hosted an envoy of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi, telling Tripoli to adhere to UN resolutions.

The visit to Moscow by Muhammad Ahmed al-Sharif, general secretary of the World Islamic Call Society, the Libya-based group founded by Kadhafi, comes as Russia said it was also preparing to hold talks with rebels fighting the regime.

"We raised the issues that directly come out of our principal position aimed first and foremost at urgently ending bloodletting in Libya," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after talks with al-Sharif.

"We raised an issue about the need for the Libyan leadership to explicitly embrace and begin the implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions in full," Lavrov said.

"These resolutions demand that any use of military force against peaceful civilians be stopped."

Moscow, which has been strongly critical of the international campaign against Kadhafi's regime, had agreed to talk to both Kadhafi's envoys and rebel representatives.

Lavrov said the rebels had had to delay a visit planned for Tuesday for "technical" reasons.

However, a spokesman for the rebels' National Transitional Council (NTC), an umbrella group for the varied forces fighting to topple Kadhafi, said visiting Moscow alongside Kadhafi envoys "was never discussed with the Russians."

"It is out of the question to find us in Moscow at the same time as the emissaries of Kadhafi," Jalal Al-Gallal said.

"That would give legitimacy to the solution proposed by Tripoli. Under such conditions, were will not go there," he added, explaining that the rebels could visit Moscow "later, to discuss recognising the NTC with the Russians."

France, Gambia, Italy and Gambia have recognised the NTC as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people.

Lavrov said Kadhafi's envoy told Moscow that Tripoli was ready to cooperate if rebels and NATO stopped hostilities too.

"The answer that we heard could not be called negative," Lavrov said.

Russia's top diplomat once again reiterated the need to immediately begin negotiations to avoid further casualties.

"The main thing right now is to agree terms and conditions of a ceasefire," he said.

"This will create a firm foundation allowing at the next stage to begin national dialogue ... about the country's future, the future of a new Libya."

In a separate statement later in the day, Moscow called anew for the end to hostilities, saying the humanitarian catastrophe continued to escalate.

"The humanitarian damage from the Libyan crisis and the outside interference in it has reached dangerous proportions," the foreign ministry said, condemning fresh strikes on non-military installments. (AFP)