The UN Security Council has extended for 12 months the mandate of the
United Nations Support Mission in Libya to assist the authorities in
defining national needs and priorities and match those with offers of
strategic and technical advice.
It has also modified the two-year-old ban on arms imports to boost the country's security and disarmament efforts.
In
a statement, the UN stated that the Council has adopted the Chapter VII
resolution unanimously, following briefings by the United Nations envoy
in Libya and Rwanda's Ambassador in his capacity as Chair of the
Council's Sanctions Committee, as well as a statement by Libya's Prime
Minister, Dr Ali Zidan who called for "patience" during the country's
steady "march" towards the establishment of a democratic State.
"Today's
resolution set out the tasks of the Mission, known as UNSMIL, which,
focused on managing the democratic transition and included technical
advice and assistance to the electoral process and the drafting of a new
constitution; rule of law promotion and human rights protection;
restoration of public security; countering weapons proliferation; and
supporting efforts to promote reconciliation," the UN statement said..
"In
important adjustments to the arms embargo, launched by resolution 1970
of 26 February 2011, the Council lifted the requirement that the
Sanctions Committee approve supplies of non-lethal military equipment
and assistance for humanitarian or protective use.
"It also
removed the need for notification to the Committee of non-lethal
military equipment being supplied to the Libyan government for security
or disarmament assistance, and urged the government to improve the
monitoring of arms supplied to it, including through the issuance of
end-user certificates."
The Security Council has decided to
retain the freeze on assets and extend for 13 months the expert panel
assisting the Sanctions Committee in monitoring implementation of the
remaining sanctions
Libyan Prime Minister Dr Ali Zidan,
addressing the Council for the first time since his election on 14
October 2012, sought continued assistance as the country sought to
fulfil the high ideals for human rights and development and prosperity,
and to contribute freely and effectively within the international
community.
He said his government was "quite happy" with the
mandate renewals, as the Special Representative and Secretary-General
had played a "very prominent role in achieving victory". He also thanked
those countries who had supported Libya in various ways towards
attainment of that goal on 20 October 2011.
Acknowledging that
the security challenges were "enormous and difficult", Zidan said Libya
"in a short time" had developed the mechanism and means to exert some
control, including in controlling weapons flows from and into the
country. In that, it strove to secure its borders and to have a national
guard assume security responsibility outside urban areas.
In six
months, he hoped work could begin on drafting a constitution, on which
future elections would be conducted. Additional efforts were under way
to rebuild what had been destroyed in recent years, including in the
areas of housing, electricity and communications, and health care.
Prior
to the resolution's adoption, the Secretary-General's Special
Representative and Head of UNSMIL, Tarek Mitri, reported that, in
mid-February, the Libyan people had taken to the streets to mark the
second anniversary of their revolution.
Thousands had gathered in
Benghazi's Freedom Square calling for an end to the political and socio
- economic marginalisation of the east and for greater stability.
Contrary to widespread concern, those incidents had not destabilised the
country, Mitri told the Security Council.
He commended the
Libyan leadership for its efforts to defuse tensions and provide
significant security measures during what he called a "largely peaceful
and celebratory demonstration of pride in the revolution".
Leaders
had reached out across the political spectrum in the east and used the
opportunity to reiterate their commitment to justice, national
reconciliation and improvements in the economic and local governance - a
key demand in the east.
Presenting several updates on the most
recent and critical developments, he discussed a political debate that
culminated in a decision that an amendment of the Constitutional
Declaration by the General National Congress was required in order to
move forward in drafting a new constitution.
In recent weeks, a
political crisis had resulted from the controversy over a proposed law
on "political isolation", with proponents arguing that it was a
necessary tool to protect the revolution and to ensure that those who
had corrupted public life under the previous regime be excluded from
public office.
He said the legitimacy of adopting measures to
exclude from public office individuals who had committed serious human
rights violations constituted a valid transitional justice measure.
However, UNSMIL urged caution on its adoption, and highlighted
international standards that should apply to any vetting mechanism.
The
UN body was informed that on March 5, a special session of the General
National Congress to discuss the draft law ended in disarray after
protestors threatened to use force unless Congress members voted to
adopt the draft law.
Mitri strongly deplored that armed
intimidation of the parliament and the attempted assassination of
President El-Maghariaf. Also last week, the Al-Assima television station was stormed by armed men, kidnapping but later releasing the director and five of his staff..
The first international high-level meeting since Libya's revolution was held on February 12 in Paris, he recalled.
International
partners endorsed the detailed priorities articulated by the Libyan
Government in the form of a Security, Justice and Rule of Law
Development Plan. "The onus is now on the Libyan Government to take
relevant policy decisions and create appropriate coordination structures
that would contribute towards the implementation of its action plans,"
he said.
The UN envoy underscored that Libya remains awash with
unsecured weapons and munitions, which posed a regional security risk
given Libya's porous borders.
He impressed again upon Libya's
political leadership that safeguarding the democratic transition would
require an inclusive dialogue leading to genuine national
reconciliation.
Ambassador Eugene-Richard Gasana of Rwanda said
that despite notable efforts, most of the challenges to implementation
and enforcement had persisted. He reported that Libya's security sector
was still being built, but meanwhile, the proliferation of weapons from
Libya had continued at a worrying scale and spread into new territory
tripolipost
