By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, March 10 -- Amid the stand-off on exporting oil from Libya, and with the UN Security Council set to meet on its UNSMIL mission at 10 am March 10, US State Department spokeperson Jen Psaki issued a statement on the evening of March 9:
"The United States is deeply concerned by reports that a vessel sailing under the name Morning Glory is loading a cargo of illicitly obtained oil at the Libyan port of As-Sidra. This action is counter to law and amounts to theft from the Libyan people. The oil belongs to the Libyan National Oil Company and its joint venture partners. These partners include U.S. companies in the Waha consortium. Any oil sales without authorization from these parties places purchasers at risk of exposure to civil liability, penalties and other possible sanctions in multiple jurisdictions."
The UN's envoy to Libya Tarek Mitri, scheduled to brief the UN Security Council on March 10, heads 200 miles south to Washington later in the week, to meet US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns.
Despite the oil (slick) drama, all of this is trumped by Ukraine, set to be the subject of a Security Council meeting at 3 pm on March 10, then a visit by Yatsenyuk to US President Barack Obama on March 12. Will the House of Representatives fight about US funding and IMF reforms be resolved? Watch this site.
