(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) A special envoy of Abdullah Al-Thani, prime minister of the internationally recognized government of Libya, met EU High Representative Federica Mogherini in Brussels Tuesday and delivered a message from him concerning the crisis of illegal migrants in the Mediterranean.
Speaking to a small group of journalists after the meeting, Nouri Baitulmal who is also an adviser to the Libyan prime Minister, said the message also expresses Libya's desire to cooperate in order to stop the flow of illegal migrants from which Libya has been suffering for thirty years.
"The time has come that there should be a cooperation between the two sides, but on the basis of respect of Libya's sovereignty and its territory," he stressed.
"We want the Europeans to understand our situation and it should be clear to them that the Libyans seek to cooperate with Europeans and non-Europeans to solve all problems," said Baitulmal.
He said the root problems of the illegal migration should be dealt with and not only stopping the boats carrying illegal immigrants.
"The real solution should begin in the countries from which these immigrants are coming and to support their economic developments," he said.
Asked about EU plans to launch military attacks to destroy boats that intend to carry illegal immigrants, the Libyan official replied that "history has proved that use of violence has never solved problems." "We came also to caution that our country will never allow interference in its internal affairs or taking of any direct or indirect steps that violate the integrity and freedom of Libya," he stressed.
Baitulmal said Libyans are suffering from ISIL more than others. "We are calling for international cooperation in order to try to solve this problem otherwise it will spread like the immigrants' problem," he warned.
On the formation of national unity government in Libya, he said the support for this must come from Libyan themselves. "They have the capability and the responsibility to find a solution. Europeans are of course concerned with what is happening in Libya because only the sea separates us, but the main responsibility lies on the Libyans themselves," he clarified.
The Europeans and others can help Libyans to meet with each other for dialogue and discussions, he added.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.