DEAUVILLE, France. May 30 (Interfax) - Russia supports the G8's demand that Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi step down, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Friday.
"We are interested in Libya remaining an independent, free, sovereign state, not a state that is falling apart, not a flabby state, but one that can defend its interests on international floors. And most importantly, a state where all Libyan citizens have their rights guaranteed," Medvedev told a news conference in Deauville after a G8 summit.
Medvedev said he had told the other G8 leaders that Russia offers mediation in the Libyan conflict. "None of them believes this would be useless, and we are conducting such consultations anyway," he said.
He cited a summit declaration as saying the Gaddafi regime has ceased to be legitimate and that the dictator must go.