LONDON: A draft statement from the European Union said that EU foreign ministers will condemn the use of lethal force and repression of anti-government protests in Libya at a meeting later on Monday. “The Council condemns the ongoing repression against peaceful demonstrators in Libya and deplores the violence and the death of civilians,” the draft statement said. “Freedom of expression and the right to assemble peacefully are fundamental rights of every human being which must be respected and protected.” The ministers are meeting in Brussels on Monday to discuss the uprisings in Libya and North Africa and in the Gulf. The meeting is expected to focus on Egypt and its neighbor, where the 42-year-old government of Muammar Gaddafi continues to use lethal force against anti-government protesters, leaving over 200 people dead, human rights organizations said. Libya told the European Union that it would stop cooperating on illegal migration if the EU continues to encourage pro-democracy protests in the country, the bloc's Hungarian presidency said on Sunday. BM
