Brussels, 14/05/2013 (Agence Europe) - On 14 May, the EU strongly condemned the car bomb attack near the Al Jala'a hospital in Benghazi (Libya) - an attack which has reportedly claimed between three and 15 lives and left around 30 people wounded. “This is the first time an attack was aimed at civilians and clearly had the purpose to kill and maim innocent people”, the European External Action Service (EEAS) tweeted. Back on 12 May, bomb attacks had targeted two police officers from the town. There were no victims.
On 8 May, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton had called on “all Libyans to respect the representatives and leaders whom they elected”. “Some of the incidents witnessed in Tripoli during the last days risk undermining the ongoing transition”, Ashton warned, stressing that “it is vital that the interests of the nation and respect for the democratic values which triggered the 17 April Revolution prevail”. She reiterated the EU's support for achieving a successful transition “through a process of transitional justice and reconciliation”.
Last week, the United Kingdom decided to evacuate some of its staff from its embassy in Tripoli. (CG/transl.fl)