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UN Security Council Meets On Libya Amid Continuing Unrest

February 26, 2011

The UN Security Council is meeting again to discuss a sanctions resolution against Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi in a bid to stop his crackdown on antigovernment protesters.

Hundreds were reportedly killed in Libya in recent days in clashes between forces loyal to Qaddafi and opposition protesters seeking to overthrow the long-ruling leader.

Britain, France, Germany, and the United States have drawn up a resolution that says attacks on civilians could amount to crimes against humanity. The resolution, if approved, is expected to refer the ongoing violence in Libya to the International Criminal Court in The Hague for investigation and possible prosecution. It also calls for an arms embargo, travel ban, and assets freeze against Qaddafi and members of his regime.

A vote on the resolution could come later today.

During the Security Council's meeting on Libya on February 25, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the United Nations to act quickly to help stop bloodshed in Libya.

European leaders agreed that the UN and European Union should take urgent action against the regime in Tripoli, a spokesman for British Prime Minister David Cameron said today.

During telephone conversations with his counterparts from Germany, Italy, and Turkey, Cameron and other leaders agreed that "urgent action" was needed, including a "tough sanctions package targeting the regime directly."

In Washington, President Barack Obama's administration announced it is freezing the assets held in the United States by Qaddafi and members of his family.

New Violence

Antigovernment protesters in Tripoli came under heavy gunfire by government forces on February 25. Witnesses said people were confronted as they emerged from mosques after Friday prayers and begun demonstrations in different parts of the capital.

The AFP news agency quoted an unnamed Tripoli resident as saying gunfire could still be heard in the city all night, and that "the electricity was cut off."

"We were terrified. We thought that meant they were preparing for attacks. We grabbed whatever we could use as weapons and stayed by the door in case anyone broke in," the Tripoli resident told AFP by telephone.

Qaddafi, the 68-year-old former colonel who has been ruling Libya since 1969, seems to be determined to fight to the end.

The Libyan leader and his family insist that the uprising against the regime was brought about by Al-Qaeda terrorists and Islamic radicals.

Qaddafi appeared on state television, which showed him addressing hundreds of his supporters in the capital's Green Square.

"We will fight them and we will beat them," Qaddafi told the crowd. "Sing, dance, and prepare yourselves."

Arming Supporters

Qaddafi made it clear he was ready to arm his supporters.

“We are capable of destroying the enemies, destroying the enemies by the will of the people -- by the armed people. When necessary, arsenals will be opened to arm all Libyan people, all the Libyan tribes. Libya will turn into a red fire and embers," Qaddafi said.

However, even some of Qaddafi's closest allies are defecting and taking the side of antigovernment protesters. Qaddafi's childhood friend and Libya's envoy to the United Nations, Mohammed Shalgham, has become the latest high-ranking official to defect.

"It appears that, effectively, Gaddafi no longer controls the situation in Libya," Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said today. Berlusconi is considered to be Qaddafi's strongest ally in Europe.

Berlusconi so far has been more subdued in condemning the violence in Libya. Italy has close business ties with Libya, which is one of Rome's key oil and gas suppliers. Today he said the uprising in Libya could bring democracy but could also lead to the formation of dangerous centers of Islamic fundamentalism.

One of his sons, Saif al-Islam Qaddafi, offered negotiations with antigovernment forces.

"We are dealing with terrorists," Saif Qaddafi told reporters in Tripoli on the evening of February 25. "The army decided not to attack the terrorists and give them an opportunity for negotiation. We hope to do this in a peaceful way, and we will do so by tomorrow."

Saif Qaddafi denied rumors that foreign mercenaries were taking part in attacks on protesters. He said government forces would soon regain control of eastern areas.

The regime opponents said they now control most of the eastern areas, including Benghazi -- Libya's second-largest city after its capital.

Many of Libya's major oil fields are located in the eastern regions of the energy-rich country, which is the world's 12th largest oil exporter.

According to oil industry sources outside the country, crude oil shipments from Libya have almost halted in recent days due to reduced production, a lack of staff at ports, and security concerns.

The violence has prompted tens of thousands of people -- mainly foreign nationals working in Libya -- to leave the country. The UN chief Ban Ki-Moon said on February 25 that some 22,000 people have fled to Tunisia and 15,000 to Egypt.

A Filipino worker Pem Dapdap, who arrived in Manila today along with hundreds of others, said Tripoli airport was packed with people trying to flee the violence.

"The scene in the Tripoli airport was overwhelming. It was filled with suitcases, it looked like there was one hectare of suitcases," Dapdap said.

The U.S. State Department said today there "may be" some Americans still remaining in Libya after U.S. efforts to evacuate all its citizens.

compiled from agency reports

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/ban_calls_for_un_to_act_on_libya/2321473.html

Copyright (c) 2011. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.