20110323
Xinhua
ALGIERS, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Algerian Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci said Tuesday that his country called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and foreign intervention in Libya.

"Deep crisis" in Libya" was aggravated by the action of air forces" of Western countries, Medelci said at a press conference with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov who arrived here late Monday for a two-day working visit.

"We deem this intervention disproportionate regarding the objective set by UN Security Council Resolution 1973," he added, referring to the last week-passed resolution that endorses a no- fly zone and authorizes "all necessary measures" to protect civilians in Libya.

The Algerian foreign minister said Algeria seized this occasion as an opportunity to call once more for "the immediate cessation of hostilities and foreign intervention in Libya to save lives of our brother Libyans, and to permit them settling peacefully and permanently the crisis, within the respect and the preservation of their unity, their territory integrity, and their full sovereignty. "

Medelci said Algeria is to join the efforts of the African Union, which is to hold a meeting on March 25 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and that his country follows "closely" efforts of the Secretary General of the UN, who is due to gather the UN Security Council next Thursday, on the demand of Libya, in order to proceed to "an objective assessment" of the situation there.

Medelci said his country requires sending a UN finding facts panel to Libya, and that the controversial positions held by dispute parties in Libya has made the situation more ambiguous.

Meanwhile, he said that Algerian Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia and U.S. Vice President Joe Biden have talked via phone the crisis in Libya, without giving further details.

Some Algerian parties had also condemned the foreign military intervention in Libya. The Algerian left wing Labor Party (PT), which has 20 seats in the parliament said in a statement released Monday that "the Secretarial General of the party's political bureau strongly denounces the foreign military intervention in Libya, which caused tens of casualties."

The statement added "the protection of human rights and liberties are only a pretext which cannot cover the real plans of the imperialist war seekers behind such an intervention -- plundering Libya's wealth."

Algeria previously warned against possible consequences of any foreign interference in Libya under the cover of human rights issue.

"The alarming proliferation of weapons in Libya would stimulate the appetite of other parties that might be necessary and commit terrorist acts, which fight would remain ineffective without the joint efforts of all states," Medelci said in an interview with local AlKhabar newspaper several days ago.

He also condemned the pretext of foreign interference in the country's affairs, saying "the only card officially advanced in foreign interference in a country is the issue of human rights."

"I do not think it is the only pretext for foreign interference in the country affairs. And everyone knows that the Arab region is full of wealth and mainly energy, and is characterized by popular anger against the policies of major states which do not allow us to solve problems in the region," he said.