Monday, March 21, 2011

Sovereignty, territorial integrity of Libya must be respected: Hina Khar


Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar said principles of respect for the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of states must be respected in Libya.

In a statement here on Monday, Hina Rabbani Khar said Pakistan has always upheld the principles of respect for the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of states as well as the principles of non-intervention and non-interference in internal affairs.

These principles are universal and must be respected in Libya, she said adding it is imperative that all sides adhere to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and relevant norms of international law.

The Minister said Pakistan is following, with serious concern, the developments in Libya in the wake of the military strikes.

The loss of precious human lives is indeed regrettable. Peaceful political solution needs to be evolved by the Libyan people themselves in the spirit of mutual accommodation and national reconciliation, she said adding stability, peace and unity of Libya are of paramount importance.

It is imperative that humanitarian norms are respected by all concerned in letter and spirit, she remarked.

The Minister said reports of civilian casualties are extremely distressing and raise serious questions and could have far-reaching implications about interpretation and implementation of humanitarian principles.

Pakistan enjoys close fraternal relations with the Libyan people and fervently hopes that they would succeed, sooner rather than later in restoring stability and peace and establishing a societal equilibrium that accords fully with their national aspirations, she added.

The Minister said there is a large Pakistani community in Libya and Pakistan remains mindful of the safety and security of its nationals.

“Our Embassy in Tripoli and the Special Task Force in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are working round-the-clock to ensure the safety of our nationals. The Government of Pakistan has so far, arranged evacuation of more than five thousand Pakistanis from Libya,” she added.

No comments: