Libyens fungerende udenrigsminister Abdel Ati al-Obeidi kom søndag til Grækenland, hvor han tilsyneladende forsøger, at få græsk støtte til en forhandlingsløsning, der kan standse kampene i hans hjemland, oplyser den arabiske nyhedstjeneste Al Jazeera mandag.
He has told the Greek prime minister in Athens that embattled Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is seeking an end to fighting in the country.
In a statement, the Greek foreign ministry said it was committed to seeking a “political, diplomatic solution” to the crisis in Libya, where government forces are battling rebels seeking to end Gaddafi’s decades-old rule.
“We reiterated the clear message from the international community: respect for and full implementation of UN resolutions, an immediate ceasefire to stop the violence, particularly against the civilian population of Libya.”
Speaking from Athens, John Psaropoulous, editor of the Greek magazine Odyssey, told Al Jazeera that close ties between the two governments date back to the 1980s.
“It stands to reason that Libya would reach out to the Greeks, if they would reach out to anyone in Europe, because Greece is a country that’s always been Arab-friendly in its foreign policy,” he said.
Given the poor state of the Greek economy, he added, its government is currently particularly susceptible to incentives from Libya, such as cheap oil.
