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Russia not to participate in no-fly zone operations in Libya

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Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Monday said his country will not participate in any operation in regard to the no-fly zone in Libya or in any ground operations against the Northern African country, according to local media reports.

"We will not participate in any of the no-fly zone operations ( in Libya), we will not send any troops," Medvedev said, but also admitted he could not entirely rule out the possibility of the ground operation led by foreign countries in Libya.

Meanwhile, Medvedev called on the countries involved in the operation in Libya "to prevent further deaths among civilians and the disintegration of Libya as a state."

The president also urged the international communities to consolidate its effort to end the unrest in Libya through negotiations.

However, Medvedev said he still stood by Moscow's decision not to veto the UN Security Council resolution on Libya.

"We endorsed the first UN Security Council resolution but abstained from voting on the second resolution. That was done consciously to prevent an escalation of violence (in Libya)," Medvedev was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying.

"Russia did not exercise (the veto power) for one reason: I do not consider this resolution to be wrong. Moreover, I believe that this resolution generally reflects our understanding of what is going on in Libya," he was also quoted by RIA Novosti news agency as saying.

The Resolution 1973, which Russia abstained in voting, authorizes the use of force and the creation of a no-fly zone in Libya, where protesters and the government forces have been clashing for several weeks.