London, April 05: Abdul Ilah Khatib, the UN special envoy for Libya, reported to the Security Council on Monday that a solution “lies with the Libyan people themselves,” dpa news agency reported.
“At this time, it is still very difficult to know how long it will take for the Libyan conflict to be resolved,” Khatib said three weeks after he was appointed to lead efforts at finding a solution to the Libyan impasse.
The remarks come while revolutionary forces appeared to be losing ground even with the support of NATO airstrikes against Gaddafi loyalists.
“Furthermore, it is also clear that the international community must continue to come together and do all it can to support this quest for a solution,” Khatib said, addressing the division among Security Council members about the goals of its resolutions authorizing sanctions and a no-fly zone in Libya.
He said the international community must provide the “necessary support” for the UN to fully implement the resolutions on Libya.
The UN envoy who has visited Tripoli, Tobruk and Benghazi and talked with Libyan officials and revolution leaders said he is prepared to visit other Libyan cities when the time is ripe for further talks.
Khatib said fighting continued in Libya over the weekend in Misurata, Zawiya and Brega, while unconfirmed reports said that Gaddafi forces have started shelling towns southwest of Tripoli. NATO airstrikes continued over the weekend around Sirte and Ras Lanouf, east of Tripoli.
More than 400,000 people have fled Libya, with 12,000 of them stranded at Libya’s borders with Egypt and Tunisia, the official said.
——–Agencies