Wednesday 6 April 2011

The London Conference on Libya took place on Tuesday 29 March 2011 and was chaired by the Foreign Secretary, William Hagu




Q: What was the conference for?

A: The conference discussed the situation in Libya with UK allies and partners and took stock of the implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions 1970 and 1973. It considered the humanitarian needs of the Libyan people and identified ways to support the people of Libya in their aspirations for a better future.

It is critical that the international community continues to take united and coordinated action in response to the unfolding crisis. The meeting formed a contact group of nations to take forward this work.

Q: Who was invited to the Conference?

A: More than 40 Foreign Ministers and representatives from key regional organisations attended. These included the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, OIC Secretary General Dr Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the Prime Minister of Qatar, Foreign Ministers from key regional countries including Iraq, Jordan, UAE, and Morocco, Secretary Clinton, and Foreign Ministers from across Europe and NATO members, along with Secretary General Rasmussen. The Arab League, Lebanon and Tunisia were also represented.

Q: Was the opposition be invited?

A: No. We invited international partners to this conference to discuss the international effort to support the Libyan people. Of course it is important that develop and maintain our dialogue with key opposition groups in Libya including the Interim Transitional National Council, and we ensured this was done including in the run up to the conference. The Foreign Secretary spoke to Special Envoy Jabril on 22 March and invited him to London in the near future.

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Tuesday 29 March