TRIPOLI, June 20 (Xinhua) — The British Ambassador to Libya Frank Baker on Wednesday said Britain is discussing with the international community about taking joint action to help Libya on recent clashes in the oil crescent region.

Ambassador Baker made his remarks following a meeting with Chairman of the Libyan National Oil Corporation (NOC) Mustafa Sanalla.

“These are resources that belong to all Libyan people, and they are being destroyed by a terrorist leader and a number of people around him, including foreign nationals,” Baker added.

Baker confirm the British stance on the issue to oppose the clashes, saying “we are discussing with our international partners, including our friends in the (UN) Security Council, actions that we can take collectively to help Libya in this matter,” Baker said.

The clashes were between the army forces and the ally of Benghazi Defense Brigades, an extremist group that fight against the army, and Ibrahim Jathran, a wanted ex-chief of the oil installation guards service.

They launched an attack on the Libyan oil crescent region on Thursday and clashed with the army forces there.

The NOC evacuated all employees from the area, declared force majeure in the two large oil ports, and announced that the attack caused losses of 240,000 barrels of oil.

The corporation also warned against an environmental disaster due to damage of oil tank.

The oil crescent region is located some 500 km east of the capital Tripoli. It contains the country’s largest oil ports.

The UN Mission in Libya condemned the attack, warning that “this dangerous escalation puts Libya’s economy in jeopardy and risks igniting a widespread confrontation.”

SOURCE: AFRICAN NEWS