China calls for immediate ceasefire in Libya

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BEIJING, Mar 23 (agencies): China called Tuesday for an immediate cease-fire in Libya where the U.S. and European nations have launched punishing airstrikes to enforce a U.N. no-fly zone. All parties must "immediately cease fire and resolve issues through peaceful means," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said at a regularly scheduled news conference, citing unconfirmed reports that the airstrikes had caused civilian deaths. China was one of five countries that abstained from last week's vote on the U.N. resolution to allow "all necessary measures" to stop Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's assault on rebel-held towns. It was approved with the backing of the United States, France and Britain. Beijing has been sharply critical of the airstrikes that hit Libyan air defenses and forces for a third night Monday. The Foreign Ministry registered "serious reservations" about the resolution, and on Monday the country's most important political newspaper compared the Western airstrikes against Libya to the U.S.-led invasions in Iraq and Afghanistan. North Korea also Tuesday urged an immediate halt to the airstrikes. An unidentified Foreign Ministry spokesman said they were a "wanton violation" of Libya's sovereignty and a "hideous crime against humanity." Another report adds: Fiery Russian condemnation of the allied air assault on Libya threatened to complicate Defense Secretary Robert Gates' meetings here Tuesday with leaders who are already at odds with the U.S. over missile defense issues. Gates was scheduled to meet with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov. But he was not expected to see Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who railed Monday against the strikes on Libya, likening them to "a medieval call for a crusade." Meanwhile: Turkey Tuesday slammed Western-led air strikes on Libya as potentially counter-productive and ruled out any combat mission in the conflict-torn country. "We have seen in the past that such operations are of no use and that on the contrary, they increase loss of life, transform into occupation and seriously harm the countries' unity," Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a speech to his Islamist-rooted party in parliament. "Naturally, we will question the Paris meeting, naturally we will criticise it," he said, referring to Saturday's summit which preceded the strikes, with France making the first air strikes. Turkey, NATO's sole predominantly Muslim member and a key regional player, "will never point a gun at the Libyan people," he said, adding that Ankara's position would be explained to NATO allies at a meeting in Brussels Wednesday.