United Nations, March 22: The UN Security Council has rejected Libyan government’s request that a meeting of the 15-member body be convened immediately to discuss what it termed as a military aggression by Western nations against the
North African oil-rich nation.
According to diplomatic sources, the Council–which met behind closed doors yesterday–to discuss the Libyan request in the form of a letter handed over to it earlier–would meet in accordance with its original schedule on Thursday, when Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to brief it over the situation arising
out of last week’s resolution authorising the world body to use all necessary measures, including a no-flight zone.
The UN chief is currently visiting the region. The sources said Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa of the Libyan government headed by Muammar Gaddafi had written to the council seeking such an emergency meeting.
The envoy of Beijing, which holds the rotating presidency of the council for this month, earlier called for the closed-door meeting.
Though it has not been officially stated, the Thursday meeting may also be a closed one.
An earlier resolution adopted by the world body, had imposed an arms embargo on Libya, travel ban of its officials and a freeze on assets of the country’s authorities. Meanwhile, the UN announced that the number of refugees leaving
Libya in recent days has reached about 4,000. It estimated that about 70 per cent of them left their country over the weekend. The International Organisation for Migration, a UN agency, put the figure of migrants leaving the country since the Libyan crisis began at 317,600.
–UNI