Source: Lacrosse Tribune
Russia demanded Wednesday that NATO apologize for civilian casualties
during the uprising in Libya last year and accused the Libyan
government of supporting a training center for Syrian rebels, provoking a
sharp response from the U.S. and Libya’s prime minister.
The sparring was another indication of how deeply divided the
international community remains over the turmoil in the Middle East,
particularly the bloody uprising in Syria.
Russia and China have accused NATO of overstepping its Security
Council mandate to protect civilians in Libya during the uprising last
year, and have strongly opposed any similar action in Syria.
Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said his country has received
information that “a special training center for Syrian revolutionaries”
has been established in Libya with support from government authorities.
He did not elaborate but expressed concern about “the uncontrolled
proliferation of Libyan arms in the region” and said training fighters
to attack Syria’s government was undermining stability in the Middle
East.
Churkin said he wanted to the raise the issues in the presence of
Libyan Prime Minister Abdurrahim el-Keib, who moments earlier had
addressed the U.N. Security Council on the challenges Libya is facing
after ending Moammar Gadhafi’s 42-year dictatorship.
Responding to Churkin’s accusations, el-Keib said that a matter
“which concerns the blood of Libyans should not be a matter of political
propaganda by any country against other countries.”
“I hope that the reason for raising this matter will not be to impede
or prevent the international community from interfering in the
situation of other states where their peoples are being massacred and
killed at the hands of their rulers,” el-Keib said, clearly referring to
Syria.
The Libyan prime minister did not address Churkin’s claim about the
training center for Syrian rebels. However, earlier Wednesday at the
International Peace Institute, el-Keib said Libya was financially
supporting Syria’s opposition.
He said the situation in Syria “is definitely analogous” to last
year’s uprising in Libya and urged the world to help the Syrian people
“obtain their freedom.”
El-Keib stopped short of calling for a NATO intervention similar to
the one that helped oust Gadhafi, saying it is not up to Libya to tell
the world what to do about the crisis.
U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice, meanwhile, defended NATO’s actions in
Libya and criticized Russia for again raising “this old canard.” She
quoted an international commission of inquiry on Libya, which concluded
that NATO “conducted a highly precise campaign with a demonstrable
determination to avoid civilian casualties.”
However, China’s deputy ambassador, Wang Min, noted that the
commission also said NATO airstrikes caused civilian casualties and
again called for a U.N. investigation.
Churkin went further saying: “We expect that NATO will recognize the
existence of civilian casualties, will excuse itself and say that it is
prepared to pay the appropriate compensation.”
