Russia is not playing the role of mediator in the Libya conflict, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said yesterday after a Kremlin envoy was dispatched to the rebels' stronghold in Benghazi.
"We have never taken on a role of mediator in Libya," Lavrov told reporters in the Norwegian capital when asked about what has been seen by some as a Russian "mediation attempt."
"We consider that the outcome of the conflict depends on the Libyans," he added, ahead of a conference of countries bordering the Baltic Sea.
An official in Moscow said on Monday that Margelov would meet with rebel leaders but would not travel to Tripoli, contrary to what had been announced previously.