STABILITY IN NORTHERN AFRICA IS THE CONCERN OF THE WHOLE EUROPE
President Dalia Grybauskaitė attended an extraordinary European Council meeting on the situation in Libya and in the wider region of Northern Africa.
The leaders of all member states discussed tougher sanctions against the Libyan dictator and immediate EU aid measures for the people of Libya to help avoid a humanitarian disaster.According to President Dalia Grybauskaitė, it is very important for Lithuania to participate in the decision-making on Libya because these decisions may affect the country's economy in a major way.
"The developments in Northern Africa will affect the European economy as well as the Lithuanian economy and its recovery. We are already feeling the impact through rising fuel prices. We, the leaders of European states, must decide on how to help the region, especially Libya, and on whether or not to use military force in that country. Many states, including Lithuania, keep to the position that we cannot do this without a special UN Security Council resolution and without the consent from the Arab League," the President said. "I am very pleased that Lithuania's opinion on EU actions was taken into account."
Dalia Grybauskaitė further said that the EU leaders had agreed that to protect the civilian population, including from air strikes, member states would examine all necessary options, provided that there was a demonstrable need, a clear legal basis and support from the region.
The President underlined that it was necessary to prevent a humanitarian tragedy in Libya and that the European Union could and had to do it.
