UNITED NATIONS - Nestor Osorio, the Colombian permanent representative to the UN who holds the rotating UN Security Council presidency for April, said here Thursday that the Security Council renews its call for a political solution to the ongoing Libyan conflict.

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His statements came as he addressed reporters outside the Council chambers after closed-door Council consultations with B. Lynn Pascoe, UN under-secretary-general for political affairs.

"The members of the Council, after listening to Mr. Lynn Pascoe about the situation in Libya, the persistence of the violence, the continuation of the attacks from the government to the civilian population and the critical situation that has been observed in Libya, we renew, all the members, our call for a political solution for the violence to stop and to see how a real verifiable ceasefire could be obtained," Osorio said.

The conflict in Libya has continued between the regime of Muammar Gaddafi and rebel forces assisted by air strikes from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Osorio told reporters that the Security Council is "in general terms dismayed with the situation" in the North African country. He added that Abdelilah Al-Khatib, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon's special envoy to Libya, will be traveling to the rebel-held stronghold of Benghazi on Friday before returning to New York.

"It has been impossible for him to have a dialogue with Gaddafi, according to what we have been informed and he is planning to be in New York next week and we hope that the council could have a brief from Mr. Al-Khatib," Osorio said.