[ad_1]
The Acting Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General in Libya, Stephanie Williams, expressed during a Security Council session on Wednesday her regret for the continuous violations of the prohibition imposed since 2011 on the shipment of arms to this country, while a recent UN report condemned the private Russian military company “Wagner”. Speaking to council members, Williams said that since the council’s last briefing on July 8: “Approximately seventy aircraft have landed at eastern airports in support of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar’s forces, while thirty planes were sent to airports in western Libya “in support of the Government of National Accord. . She added, during a session dedicated by the Security Council to discussing the situation in Libya, that “nine freighters docked in western ports in support of the Government of National Accord, while three freighters arrived in support of the forces” led by Haftar, without. give details of the content of these shipments.
He said that “external support parties are strengthening their capabilities in the main Libyan air bases in the east and west,” and expressed regret that all these activities “constitute a serious violation of Libya’s sovereignty and a flagrant violation of the embargo. of arms imposed by the United Nations “on this country in 2011. He explained that the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, whose mandate is supposed to be renewed in mid-September,” continues to receive reports of the presence of mercenaries and large-scale foreign agents , which complicates … the chances of reaching an agreement in the future. ” Turkey supports the Government of National Accord, recognized by the United Nations, while the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Russia support the Haftar camp. A recent progress report issued by the United Nations experts responsible for monitoring the embargo again condemned the Russian group “Wagner”, saying it violated the arms embargo.
A diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the document indicates that “mercenary activities continue and, in the case of the Wagner Group, are increasing.” The introduction to the report confirms that Haftar’s forces and forces loyal to the Government of National Accord “are receiving increasing support from state and non-state actors, increasing the risk of a transition to international armed conflict.”
“The arms embargo remains totally ineffective. In the case of member states that directly support the parties to the conflict, the violations are extensive, flagrant and indifferent to possible sanctions.”
The diplomatic source added that the report confirms the various violations of the arms embargo committed by “UAE, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, Syria and Russia.”
During the session, the Russian representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Vasily Nebenzia, rejected his country’s repeated accusations of military interference in Libya. He said: “There is not a single Russian soldier in Libya.”
On the other hand, the US delegate, Ambassador Kelly Craft, criticized the presence of Russian mercenaries in Libya, linked to the Russian government. She said: “There is no place in Libya for foreign mercenaries, including the Wagner Group of the Russian Defense Ministry, which is fighting alongside and in support of forces loyal to Haftar.”
As for the French delegate, Ambassador Nicolas de Riviere, for his part, he called for the strengthening of the United Nations mission in Libya so that he can supervise a possible ceasefire and better respect the arms embargo.
[ad_2]
