Libya - UN SCR Resolution 1973 (2011)

List of countries the US has bombed/oil reserves by country.
Libya is number 18,21,23, 35 and 10th respectively.




For information we publish a link to the full UN Security Council Resolution number 1973 and a brief explanation of what it does not authorise, courtesy of ex British Ambassador Craig Murray

"SCR 1973 SPECIFICALLY DOES NOT AUTHORISE GROUND INVASION
SCR 1973 SPECIFICALLY DOES NOT AUTHORISE VIOLENT REGIME CHANGE
SCR 1973 SPECIFICALLY DOES NOT AUTHORISE ARMING OF REBEL FORCES

SCR 1973 SPECIFICALLY DOES NOT AUTHORISE GROUND INVASION
Operative Paragraph 4
4. Authorizes Member States that have notified the Secretary-General, acting nationally or through regional organizations or arrangements, and acting in cooperation with the Secretary-General, to take all necessary measures, notwithstanding paragraph 9 of resolution 1970 (2011), to protect civilians and civilian populated areas under threat of attack in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, including Benghazi, while excluding a foreign occupation force of any form on any part of Libyan territory, and requests
the Member States concerned to inform the Secretary-General immediately of the measures they take pursuant to the authorization conferred by this paragraph which shall be immediately reported to the Security Council;

SCR 1973 SPECIFICALLY DOES NOT AUTHORISE VIOLENT REGIME CHANGE
Operative paragraphs 1 and 2:
1. Demands the immediate establishment of a ceasefire and a complete end to violence and all attacks against, and abuses of, civilians;
2. Stresses the need to intensify efforts to find a solution to the crisis which responds to the legitimate demands of the Libyan people and notes the decisions of the Secretary-General to send his Special Envoy to Libya and of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union to send its ad hoc High-Level Committee to Libya with the aim of facilitating dialogue to lead to the political reforms necessary to find a peaceful and sustainable solution;

SCR 1973 SPECIFICALLY DOES NOT AUTHORISE ARMING OF REBEL FORCES
Operative Paragraph 13
“13. Decides that paragraph 11 of resolution 1970 (2011) shall be replaced by the following paragraph : “Calls upon all Member States, in particular States of the region, acting nationally or through regional organisations or arrangements, in order to ensure strict implementation of the arms embargo established by paragraphs 9 and 10 of resolution 1970 (2011), to inspect in their territory, including seaports and airports, and on the high seas, vessels and aircraft bound to or from the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, if the State concerned has information that provides reasonable grounds to believe that the cargo contains items the supply, sale, transfer or export of which is prohibited by paragraphs 9 or 10 of resolution 1970 (2011) as modified by this resolution, including the provision of armed mercenary personnel, calls upon all flag States of such vessels and aircraft to cooperate with such inspections and authorises Member States to use all measures commensurate to the specific circumstances to carry out such inspections”;
On the arms embargo, the scope is simply geographic, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya being the official name of the country as recognised by the United Nations. Other provisions within SCR 1973 make it plain that phrase is simply used to denote the whole country.
Furthermore the initial UK draft of the Security Council Resolution contained a provision to exempt the rebels from the arms embargo. It read:
“to take all necessary measures, notwithstanding paragraph 9 of resolution 1970 (2011), to protect civilians and civilian populated areas under threat of attack in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, including Benghazi, while excluding a foreign occupation force of any form on any part of Libyan territory”
The phrase highlighted was dropped in the negotiating process. As paragraph 9 of SCR1970 institutes the arms embargo, the proposal would in effect have exempted the rebels from the arms embargo justified as protection of civilian populated areas. That has been dropped in negotiation and it is therefore explicit that the arms embargo applies to all of Libya."


1 comment:

  1. Do the 350 British Special Forces personnel reportedly in Libya constitute an invasion force? I think they do. Certainly if 350 Russian "Spetsnaz" were found to be operating here in Britain, it would be seen as an invasion by Russia.

    Once again we have the British ruling class bringing the UK into a foreign war - not to defend the UK against a threat (because Libya cannot be said to have attacked the UK since it ceased funding the Provisional IRA) - but to defend against a threat to their own specific interests - in this case, oil profits from Libya, because there is every chance the rebels could decide to keep more of the oil revenues in Libya.

    Of course the Tories want to see the back of Gaddafi and on that point few of us would differ. However they also want to see the preservation of compliant, client regimes, and this they will achieve in Libya by crippling the Libyan opposition. Hence their collaboration with the various Gulf sheikhs who grandly call themselves "kings" or "sultans", who are facing similar uprisings in their own lands. Those self-same, whisky guzzling parasites are being enlisted to "liberate" Libya as part of the NATO "coalition". This aspect of the Tories' strategy needs to be brought to wider public attention.

    Also it is a disappointment that Ed Milliband is enthusiastically supporting the Tory war on Libya. He should reflect on what he is doing, at a time when many decent and normal Labour activists and councillors - and a growing number of MPs - are using the opposition to the cuts to re-connect with trade union activists. Unqualified support for the Tory war puts that under threat, at a time when Labour are poised to beat the Tories in many local council elections.

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