Russian FM: Russia is ready to mediate between the parties in the Libyan crisis

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has deprived himself of legitimacy and
we need to help him resign, with Moscow being a mediator in the
process, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in
Deauville, Gazeta.ru reports.

With regard to other Arab countries, Ryabkov noted that the Syrian
situation is fundamentally different from the one in Libya and said
that Russia believes in the possibility of reforms in Syria.

Ryabkov also commented on talks on the issue of missile defense to
take place in Deauville. He said that Russia and the United States
have not yet acknowledged legally binding assurances on mutual
neutrality of defense missile systems, but negotiations on this issue
are in progress.

Barack Obama will visit Moscow at the end of this year.