Tripoli, March 02: The Organization of the Islamic Conference has emphasized that it was against any military intervention by US and its Western allies in Libya.
Speaking at the UN human rights council, OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu stressed that the crisis should be settled peacefully.
“Allow me to underline our position against any possible military intervention on the situation in Libya,” Ihsanoglu said on Tuesday
“To this end, all options should be utilized for the settlement of disputes through peaceful means and without resorting to the use of force,” he added.
Ihsanoglu said the OIC has sent two missions to assess the humanitarian needs at Libya’s borders with Tunisia and Egypt.
On Monday, the United States positioned naval and air forces around Libya.
The country, along with Britain and France, has also sent hundreds of Special Forces to Libya’s east. The forces are setting up bases in the cities of Benghazi and Tobruk.
The developments come as tensions heightens in Libya where fighting has flared up between anti-government protesters and forces loyal to embattled dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
Pro-Gaddafi forces have now massed in the country’s west, preparing to re-take the city of Nalut from the demonstrators.
Residents fear an imminent attack by the government forces. The regime keeps suppression of the popular uprising as more cities in the west and east fall under the protesters’ control.
The forces loyal to Gaddafi are struggling to prevent the protesters from taking the fight to Tripoli where the ruler is holed up.
A brutal crackdown by the regime on opposition protests that began nearly two weeks ago has left an estimated 2,000 people dead so far.
Gaddafi and his family members have been holding a tight grip on the country’s industries for the past four decades. Reports say they have hidden away a massive amount of wealth in secret foreign bank accounts.
Colonel Gaddafi has been in power since a military coup in 1969.
——–Agencies