By Sadiya Hamza
UNITED NATIONS – Libya’s UN Permanent Representative Ibrahim Dabbashi has urged the Security Council to take clear and frank position on those fight against the legitimate authorities in Libya.
Dabbashi, who made the call in New York on Wednesday, said that the position would leave no space for misinterpretation or false hopes for those fighting against the legitimate authorities.
He spoke after, Mr Olivier Nduhungirehe of Rwanda, presented the report of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1970 (2011).
The reports concerns Libya and it covered the period Sept. 16 to Dec.17.
He called for transparency with his government, especially information exchange, to be sure sanctions had not been taken against the legitimate Libyan authorities.
The Libyan army, he said, is waging war against terrorists and thus, the council should help it obtain the necessary weapons, which he guaranteed would not reach any other party.
“There is one legitimate authority represented in the elected House of Representatives.
“Armed groups are attempting to remove the legitimate authorities, rule by force and control the country’s resources in order to finance terrorism, both inside and outside the country.
“The council’s efforts to stop the fighting and encourage dialogue would not bear fruit unless it stopped dealing with those parties as equals,’’ he said.
Dabbashi said the council must call on the armed groups to stop fighting, surrender their weapons and leave the cities.
He said the council must call on states to assist the Libyan army in its struggle against terrorism.
“It is time for the Security Council to move from reaction to action,” he said.
According to him, the council must pre-empt events with practical measures that will help Libya restore order.
He said efforts by the Secretary-General’s Special Representative to help the parties agree on a cessation of hostilities and incorporated a democratic path had not borne fruit.
Libya, he said, was close to the situation prevailing in mid-2011, when a military solution was the only answer.
He said the Libyan House of Representatives had extended a hand, but the militias, comprising of Al-Qaida and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant/Sham continue to occupy state institutions.
Dabbashi said the groups conspire with other countries to destroy the House of Representatives and gain control of oil exports.
He urged the 15-member council to help the Libyan army obtain weapons and equipment needed to defeat terrorism and return state institutions to the legitimate authorities.
The council, he said, should also charge the secretariat with creating a plan for building state institutions and restoring stability, to be implemented as soon as the army regained control of those bodies.
He further said that the drafting of the constitution must be completed and elections held as soon as possible.
Nduhungirehe had told the council the steps taken by the panel to prevent the diversion of arms, adjustment of sanctions list and facilitate access to the strife-ridden North African.
He said the committee had been reaching out to Member States more actively than usual during the past three months.
He said they had between Sept. 25 and Nov. 24, drew attention to arms supplies requirement to the Libyan government, the high risk of diversion and misuse of arms in Libya, and post-delivery requirements.
Other steps were updates to sanctions list entries; a request to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya for help in facilitating the Panel’s access to Libya.
The others were a letter to the representative of Libya relating to five Panel recommendations; a request for information from Algeria on a listed individual; and a request to Oman in connection with the travel ban measure.
On Oct. 10, he said, the committee issued a note verbale to all states drawing attention to additional designation criteria set out in resolution 2174 (2014) and encouraged submission of information on individuals and entities that met those criteria. (NAN)
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