Talks to bring an end to the conflict in Libya should involve all of the country’s political forces, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday.
"It is important at this point to agree a list of participants of the future talks to resolve the conflict in Libya that would represent all political forces and tribes in Libya," Lavrov said ahead of a meeting with representatives of the Libyan opposition movement in Moscow.
The meeting in the Russian capital comes as NATO warplanes carry out further attacks on government facilities in the Libyan capital of Tripoli as part of a UN mandate to protect civilians from the forces of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Russia has refused to recognize the rebel Transitional National Council (TNC) as Libya's legitimate government, and still has formal ties with Gaddafi.
Lavrov said Libya must comply fully with UN Security Council resolutions and withdraw its troops from cities after a meeting with a Gaddafi envoy in Moscow last week.
The rebels rose up against Gaddafi's rule in February, inspired by similar uprisings in neighboring Tunisia and Egypt.
The rebels control Benghazi and other eastern cities while Gaddafi’s forces have retained Tripoli and the west.
On Sunday, EU foreign police chief Catherine Ashton opened an EU office in Benghazi, part of a drive by Brussels for international recognition of the TNC.
MOSCOW, May 23 (RIA Novosti)
