Libya: UN Secretary General Calls for Ceasefire

By Staff Writer

GENEVA—U.N.  Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday called for an immediate ceasefire in Libya conveying his concerns about the need to protect the civilian population.   

Ban says he spoke with Libya's Prime Minister Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi by telephone late Tuesday evening to urge a ceasefire and demand unimpeded access for U.N. humanitarian workers there. He also called on Gadhafi's forces to stop attacking civilians.

Accepting the plea, al-Mahmoudi agreed to receive a special U.N. envoy who would now travel to Tripoli to undertake "negotiations for a peaceful resolution of the conflict and unimpeded access for humanitarian workers."

The prime minister suggested his government is willing to engage in an immediate cease-fire, to be monitored by the United Nations and the African Union. But, first and foremost, the U.N. chief says violence in the besieged city of Misrata must end so humanitarian aid can reach those trapped by the fighting.

“The uprisings across North Africa and the Arab world is a rare but fragile opportunity to advance democracy and human rights”, said Ban. He added that the movements must be "nurtured and carefully handled by the people who created it."

He also called on all nations' patrol ships off the Libyan coast in the Mediterranean Sea to help prevent more tragedies like the apparent deaths of all 600 African migrants aboard an overcrowded ship to Europe that broke apart within sight of the Libyan capital.