You're reading: UK’s Hague: assessing need for Libya evacuations

Britain is assessing whether to evacuate its citizens in Libya, Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Monday, and he called on the Libyan authorities to protect human rights and basic freedoms.

"The credibility of the Libyan government in these matters has been undermined so far by the failure to protect their own people and to respond to the legitimate grievances of the people in Libya," Hague told reporters as he arrived for a meeting of European Union foreign ministers to discuss the situation.

"We want to see proper protection for foreign nationals in Libya and in particular assistance for them as they are trying to leave the country… Those who are able to leave safely should leave by commercial means. That situation is constantly under review. We will assess the needs for evacuations as things progress," he said.