MOSCOW. June 26 (Interfax) - In the opinion of Moscow, any use of force by the European Union in the prevention of illegal immigration in the Mediterranean must be approved by the UN Security Council, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said on Friday.
"There is a general understanding that any actions containing the use of force need authorization from the Security Council," he told reporters in Moscow, answering a question from Interfax.
Interfax asked whether Moscow deemed necessary UN Security Council approval of the first stage of the EU operation against illegal immigration in the Mediterranean, and the Russian diplomat answered, "As I understand, the first stage is limited to the exchange of information, so, no."
Gatilov noted that the question had been raised at the UN, and the Security Council had an idea to pass a related resolution. "But, so far, there are no consultations to the effect there, because, as we understand, the EU is trying to reach an agreement with the Libyans. However, the current political situation in Libya is extremely complicated and it is unclear who represents whom, so the issue has been stalling," he said.