Germany welcomes nomination of UN special envoy to Libya

Mon, 07 Mar 2011

Berlin - German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle on Monday welcomed the UN's nomination of former Jordanian foreign minister Abdul Ilah Khatib as a special envoy for Libya.

Westerwelle praised Khatib as an "experienced politician from the region" who would give a "face and voice" to the international political and humanitarian efforts in Libya.

Germany previously campaigned for the UN to appoint somebody to lead consultations with the authorities in Tripoli and governments in the region.

At the same time, the minister called for states to place greater pressure on Libya, and said the issue should be raised again in the UN Security Council, of which Germany is a non-permanent member.

"Further targeted sanctions, such as an end to all payments to the Gaddafi regime, urgently belong onto the agenda of the EU and United Nations," Westerwelle said.

At the same time, the minister warned that any measure that went beyond sanctions - such as the enforcement of a no-fly zone over Libya - would have to be authorized by the UN Security Council and approved by partners in the region.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/370602,nomination-un%C2%A0special-envoy-libya.html.