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Federal Minister Westerwelle welcomes naming of UN Special Envoy to Libya
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon yesterday appointed Abdelilah Al-Khatib, former Foreign Minister of Jordan, as the UN Special Envoy to Libya. The Special Envoy’s task is to evaluate the current humanitarian situation and other consequences of the violent clashes as quickly as possible through discussions in Libya and the surrounding region, and to provide the United Nations with a comprehensive picture of the situation.
Foreign Minister Westerwelle issued the following statement today (7 March):
“I welcome the appointment of Abdelilah Al-Khatib as UN Special Envoy to Libya. He is an experienced politician from the region who provides a face and a voice to the international community’s political and humanitarian engagement for Libya. Germany has from the outset advocated for the appointment of a Special Envoy to Libya.
At the same time, the international community must increase the pressure on the Libyan leadership. The UN Security Council has to take another look at the situation in Libya. Additional targeted sanctions and an end to all payments to the Qadhafi regime need to be urgent items on the EU and UN agendas.
Every action beyond the scope of targeted sanctions must be authorized by the UN Security Council and can only proceed with the approval of partners in the region.”
