Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama on Thursday that the deaths of Libyan civilians during a western military intervention must be prevented, the Kremlin said in a statement.
“The president especially noted the necessity of preventing victims among the civilian population,” the statement said, relaying the details from a telephone conversation between the two leaders.
Russia backed United Nations sanctions against Gaddafi and his government earlier this month but abstained in the Security Council vote last week that authorised a no-fly zone, allowing armed intervention by a Western coalition.
Medvedev told U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates earlier this week Russia was concerned over possible civilian casualties in what he called the “indiscriminate” use of force in Libya, the Kremlin said.
The two leaders also discussed Russia’s troubled bid to join the World Trade Organisation as well as the problems of missile defence in Europe during the phone call, the statement said.
Gaddafi has accused Western forces of killing dozens of civilians, but his officials have not shown reporters in Tripoli any evidence of such killings. U.S. officials say they have no evidence Western bombs have killed any civilians.
Both leaders have worked to ‘reset’ ties between the once Cold War foes, an effort that was crowned by the New START nuclear arms pact’s entry into force last month.
Russia’s chief negotiator on the nuclear arms treaty with the United States has outlined tough conditions for further reductions, stressing Moscow’s demand for an equal say in creating a European missile shield, which Moscow worries could weaken its offensive arsenal and upset the balance of power.
