By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, September 15 -- As the United States took over presidency of the UN Security Council, on September 3 Inner City Press asked Ambassador Samantha Power about the scheduled September 15 meeting about Libya, from which the US and others have pulled their diplomats given fighting between armed groups near their embassies.
Inner City Press asked Ambassador Power what the Security Council's role should be in Libya, particularly after airstrikes by regional countries supporting militias in the country. Video here and embedded below, with US Mission transcript.
Samantha Power replied that “it's no secret that with so many arms in the country and so many non-state actors” the situation has “escalated rather than diminished in recent weeks.” She said the US is supportive of new Special Representative Bernardino Leon's efforts and is “hopeful he can be a point person.”
On September 15 Inner City Press asked Leon about the airstrikes; he said he has read the same reports but has no information.
When Ambassador Power came to the Security Council stakeout later on September 15, she read out "press elements" on Libya. But time only allowed, as organized, for questions on ebola, the Golan Heights and a legal basis for bombing Syria.
(Power said she would not speculate on a possible legal basis. Then she cited Iraq's al-Abadi, leading one to wonder: could Iraq's self-defense be cited as a legal basis?)
But what about the airstrikes in Libya, attributed by US sources to Egypt and the UAE? Has the need for these countries' support against Islamic State or ISIL impacted the US' view of their unilateral actions on Libya? We will don't know, but will continue to seek to ask and otherwise dig.
After welcoming for the US the UN's takeover of peacekeeping in the Central African Republic (as Inner City Press noted yesterday, the US is re-opening its embassy, with 20 troops), Power described a September 18 UN Security Council session on ebola, with one or more voices from the field and a desire for "concrete commitments." This being the UN, let's see.
Inner City Press covered in some detail, here and elsewhere, the switch to Leon from previous envoy Tarek Mitri. Samantha Power on September 3 said Leon's predecessor made efforts to use the UN's good offices to facilitate dialogue but “it's fair to say not enough came of those efforts.”
She said perhaps now the situation in Tripoli and Benghazi will “add urgency to efforts to forge a consensus... It has happened in more difficult circumstances than this one” but “no one can overstate the challenges facing the Libya people.”
Going bigger picture, Ambassador Power said that “notwithstanding a history of some division on aspects relating to Libya, you saw the speed” with which Security Council's members “changed the presumption” so that arms flows into Libya have to be pre-approved. Still, she said, that Security Council resolution is not a panacea.
Inner City Press will cover the Libya session on September 15, and asked on behalf of the new Free UN Coalition for Access that the closed door Council consultations on Libya (and other topics this month) be followed by a question and answer session. Watch this site.
Updated with US Mission transcript:
MODERATOR: Last question is Matthew.
QUESTION: Matthew Lee, Inner City Press. Thanks for the briefing and, on behalf of the Free UN Coalition for Access, hoping for a (inaudible) stakeouts after consultations to hear what happened and ask you about it.. On Libya, I know that the U.S., UK, and France, with Germany and Italy, have been issuing a lot of joint statements, but what’s the role of the Security Council, especially now that there have been airstrikes reportedly by regional countries supporting militias there?
Thanks.
AMBASSADOR POWER: On Libya, as you know, the security environment deteriorated to such an extent that U.S. personnel had to depart the country because of the fighting that was going on near our embassy, but I want to underscore that that has in no way diminished our role or that of our partners whether inside the Council or internationally, regionally, and in terms of other stakeholders at trying to support the efforts of the Libyan people above all and the Libyan Government, the elected government to bring this crisis to an end. It’s no secret that with so many arms in the country, so many non-state actors, this has proven more than challenging, and the crisis has escalated over recent weeks rather that diminished.
I think we are very supportive of the new – Special Representative Leon’s efforts, and we are hopeful that he can be point person. As you know, his predecessor really made an effort to use the UN good offices to try to facilitate national dialogue among the parties, but it’s safe to say that not enough came of those efforts. And now perhaps in light of the human toll that this crisis is taking, the massive displacement, the fear that people in Tripoli, Benghazi, and elsewhere are experiencing in light of these – this fighting, maybe that will add urgency to the sort of efforts behind the scenes for people to forge some kind of national consensus.
It has happened in more difficult circumstances even than this one, but no one can overstate the challenge that the Libyan people face, again, above all given how militarized the situation has become. When it comes to the Council, that’s exactly what we will discuss, again, when we have our consultations. And we’ve just passed a resolution, as you know, aimed at halting the flow of arms into Libya, sanctioning those who are illegally bringing in arms, and we don’t pretend that that resolution is a panacea, again, given the amount of arms on the ground and given the networks that exist on the black market and elsewhere to bring in arms, but we think this could make a difference, and we’re very eager to hear from Mr. Leon and, again, from the Libyan leadership about the kinds of other steps the Council can take.
Again, this is an issue on which notwithstanding a history of some division on aspects related to Libya, everyone in the Council, as you saw, again, with the speed with which we were able to suspend or to sort of change the presumption on arms flows into the country where any arms flow has to be approved by the Council, this is something I think, again, if there are proposals on the table, I think the Council can come to agreement.
QUESTION: Matthew Lee, Inner City Press. Thanks for the briefing and, on behalf of the Free UN Coalition for Access, hoping for a (inaudible) stakeouts after consultations to hear what happened and ask you about it.. On Libya, I know that the U.S., UK, and France, with Germany and Italy, have been issuing a lot of joint statements, but what’s the role of the Security Council, especially now that there have been airstrikes reportedly by regional countries supporting militias there?
Thanks.
AMBASSADOR POWER: On Libya, as you know, the security environment deteriorated to such an extent that U.S. personnel had to depart the country because of the fighting that was going on near our embassy, but I want to underscore that that has in no way diminished our role or that of our partners whether inside the Council or internationally, regionally, and in terms of other stakeholders at trying to support the efforts of the Libyan people above all and the Libyan Government, the elected government to bring this crisis to an end. It’s no secret that with so many arms in the country, so many non-state actors, this has proven more than challenging, and the crisis has escalated over recent weeks rather that diminished.
I think we are very supportive of the new – Special Representative Leon’s efforts, and we are hopeful that he can be point person. As you know, his predecessor really made an effort to use the UN good offices to try to facilitate national dialogue among the parties, but it’s safe to say that not enough came of those efforts. And now perhaps in light of the human toll that this crisis is taking, the massive displacement, the fear that people in Tripoli, Benghazi, and elsewhere are experiencing in light of these – this fighting, maybe that will add urgency to the sort of efforts behind the scenes for people to forge some kind of national consensus.
It has happened in more difficult circumstances even than this one, but no one can overstate the challenge that the Libyan people face, again, above all given how militarized the situation has become. When it comes to the Council, that’s exactly what we will discuss, again, when we have our consultations. And we’ve just passed a resolution, as you know, aimed at halting the flow of arms into Libya, sanctioning those who are illegally bringing in arms, and we don’t pretend that that resolution is a panacea, again, given the amount of arms on the ground and given the networks that exist on the black market and elsewhere to bring in arms, but we think this could make a difference, and we’re very eager to hear from Mr. Leon and, again, from the Libyan leadership about the kinds of other steps the Council can take.
Again, this is an issue on which notwithstanding a history of some division on aspects related to Libya, everyone in the Council, as you saw, again, with the speed with which we were able to suspend or to sort of change the presumption on arms flows into the country where any arms flow has to be approved by the Council, this is something I think, again, if there are proposals on the table, I think the Council can come to agreement.
