The UN Security Council has extended the authorization for six months allowing member states to inspect vessels that may be violating the Libya arms embargo. This resolution requests updates from the UN Secretary-General regarding its implementation and received majority support despite abstentions from Russia and China, which raised concerns about inspection effectiveness.
The United Nations Security Council has voted to extend the authorization allowing member states to inspect vessels suspected of breaching Libya’s arms embargo. In a resolution numbered 2780, the council has taken this step for an additional six months, giving countries the ability to inspect ships in international waters heading to or from Libya if they suspect those vessels are carrying arms or related materials, according to a report from Xinhua news agency.
Specifically, the resolution requests the UN Secretary-General to provide a report to the Security Council within the next five months regarding the execution of this measure. The vote for Resolution 2780 saw 13 members in favor, while Russia and China chose to abstain from the decision.
Russian and Chinese representatives criticized the effectiveness of the EU’s IRINI naval operation, which is the sole entity conducting inspections based on this authorization. They voiced concerns about the handling of intercepted materials and questioned the overall efficacy of this initiative.
The sanctions in question, including the arms embargo, were put in place back in 2011 amid political upheaval that resulted in the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi. The UNSC’s Libya Sanctions Committee holds the authority to designate vessels in relation to sanctions against Libya, which includes barring transactions involving crude oil unlawfully exported from Libya on such vessels, as well as providing bunkering services to designated ships.
This follows a previous Council action in June 2016, when Resolution 2292 was adopted, which authorized the inspection of vessels in the high seas to better enforce the existing arms embargo against Libya.
In summary, the UN Security Council has extended its authorization for inspections of vessels concerning potential arms embargo violations set against Libya. This move comes amid ongoing scrutiny of the operations and effectiveness of inspection regimes. The resolution was largely supported, though notable players Russia and China opted out of vocal support, reflecting broader concerns about the effectiveness of the current operations under discussion.
Original Source: www.socialnews.xyz
