Global General

Moscow urges halt of indiscriminate use of force in Libya

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-03-20 23:05

MOSCOW - Russia urges western coalition forces to stop indiscriminate air strikes in Libya, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.

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"We are calling on the respective states to halt the indiscriminate use of force," the ministry said in a statement.

"We are firmly convinced that the mandate deriving from UN Security Council resolution 1973, which was adopted as a rather controversial step, can not be used for attaining goals going clearly beyond its provisions," the statement said, as quoted by Interfax news agency.

The statement stressed that international society should only take measures "solely intended to protect civilians," citing latest reports that at least 50 civilians were killed and over 150 wounded in the multinational military strike against Libya.

The military operation against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi began on Saturday, involving the United States, Britain, France, Italy, Canada and other countries.