Ban "deeply concerned" by civilian casualties in Libya

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is "deeply concerned" by reports of the "unacceptably" large number of civilian casualties as a result of the conflict in Libya, his press office said in a statement on Thursday. "He expresses his sincere sympathies and solidarity with the Libyan people, in particular, those who have lost loved ones in the recent attacks carried out in the country," the statement said. The statement, the second in less than 24 hours, indirectly referred to the most recent NATO air strikes on forces loyal to Colonel Gaddafi which killed 85 civilians. The air strikes prompted rights groups to urge NATO to investigate the incident. "The Secretary-General calls on all parties to exercise extreme caution in their actions, in order to minimise any further loss of civilian life," the statement added. "He once again reiterates his strongly held belief that there can be no military solution to the Libyan crisis. A ceasefire that is linked to a political process, which would meet the aspirations of the Libyan people, is the only viable means to achieving peace and security in Libya," it stressed. Ban urged all Libyan parties to immediately engage with his Special Envoy, Abdel-Elah Al-Khatib, and respond concretely and positively to the ideas presented to them, in order to end the bloodshed in the country.