Russia Warns Against 'Risky' Libya Ground Operation

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday warned against a Western ground operation in Libya, saying it would be an "extremely risky" action with unpredictable consequences.

Speaking in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana, Lavrov said that Russia was worried by signs of a move towards a ground conflict involving Western forces in Libya.

"We consider such steps to be extremely risky and fraught with unpredictable consequences," he said, quoted by Russian news agencies.

He pointed to the sending of military instructors by some EU states to assist rebels fighting the forces of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi as a prelude to a ground operation.

"There are cases in history when everything started with the sending of instructors and then everything went on for many years and led to the deaths of hundreds and thousands of people on both sides," he said.