Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey met a representative of the Libyan opposition, the National Transition Council (NTC), for a discussion in Bern on Wednesday.
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According to the Swiss foreign ministry, Jebril El-Waalfarvi informed the Swiss president about the current situation in Libya and potential developments from his point of view.
El-Waalfarvi also elaborated on the demands and political programme of the NTC.
Calmy-Rey expressed particular concern in the discussion about the difficult situation of the civilian population in Libya “which has been subject to targeted and abhorrent violence by the Libyan authorities”.
Switzerland will leave nothing untried, she said, to stand by the civilian victims of the civil war with diplomatic and humanitarian means.
Leading members of the Libyan opposition against Moammar Gaddafi’s regime set up the NTC in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi on February 27. Two NCT members are due to meet French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday.
France and Britain last week called an emergency European Union summit on Friday to work on a humanitarian and political response to the crisis in Libya.
The two countries have spearheaded efforts to get United Nations authority for a no-fly zone over Libya, although Western allies have appeared divided on both the idea and how it would be implemented.
Gaddafi has also dispatched emissaries to foreign capitals ahead of the EU summit, with one envoy meeting on Wednesday with Portuguese Foreign Minister Luis Amado.
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You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.