Britain calls for an emergency Security Council meeting on Libya

Britain called on Thursday to convene an emergency meeting of the Security Council to discuss the latest developments in Libya, after the launch of retired brigade Khalifa Hafter military operation to storm the capital Tripoli, which raised widespread condemnation locally and internationally.

Security Council sources said a closed session of the council would be held on Friday at British request.

In the context of international reactions, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Washington is following events in Libya in search of a political solution to achieve stability in the country.

Russia also expressed the hope to settle the situation there by political means without applying what it called the military scenario. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the crisis must be resolved through political and diplomatic means, noting that Moscow has been making efforts for this for years.

For its part, considered the Turkish Foreign Ministry that the division in Libya can be ended by dialogue between the Libyan parties only, stressing that it is important to refrain from movements that undermine the spirit of national reconciliation in Libya.

For its part, the French Foreign Ministry said that the decisive stage in Libya in the current period does not require military intervention. "Military positions and threats of unilateral military action will only bring Libya back into chaos," the ministry's account said in a tweet on Twitter.

Fifth statement
In a joint statement, the United States, France, Italy, Britain and the United Arab Emirates expressed their opposition to any military action in Libya and threatened to hold any Libyan faction to account for civil strife, expressing deep concern about the battles near the city of Gharyan, south of the Libyan capital Tripoli.

The five countries urged all parties to immediately reduce tensions that hinder the prospects for political mediation led by the United Nations.

The statement added that at this critical moment of the transitional phase in Libya, military concentration and the threat of unilateral actions only raise the risk of pushing the country into chaos.

The five countries called on all parties to cooperate constructively with UN envoy Ghassan Salameh, as the United Nations finalized the national conference to be held on April 14, 15 and 16.