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 The United States also believes "a political solution, one that is
non-intervention, is the right path forward," said State Department
spokeswoman Jen Psaki, adding that Washington supports the current
arms embargo.
Council member Jordan had circulated a draft resolution to the
15-member body on Wednesday, obtained by Reuters, that would remove
conditions on the import of weapons by Libya's government and push
for it to be supplied "necessary security assistance."
"The problem is that there isn't a government in Libya that is
effective and in control of its territory. There isn't a Libyan
military which the international community can effectively support,"
British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said during a visit to
Madrid.
Britain and the United States have veto power on the Security
Council.
"The first condition has to be the creation of a government of
national unity ... then the international community needs to rally
very quickly around that government of national unity and ensure
that it has the means to deal with the Islamist terrorism," Hammond
said.
The Libyan government is allowed to import weapons only with
approval of a Security Council committee overseeing the embargo
imposed in 2011 when forces of former leader Muammar Gaddafi cracked
down on pro-democracy protesters.
"We have supported, continued to support the U.N. approval process
currently in place for Libya ... That continues to be our position,"
Psaki said, but added that the United States would discuss the draft
resolution with council members.
Libya has since descended into factional fighting. Two competing
governments backed by militia brigades are scrambling for control of
the oil-producing country. The chaos has created havens for Islamist
militants.
"Simply pouring weapons into one faction or the other, which is
essentially what has been proposed, is not going to bring us to a
resolution to the crisis in Libya," Hammond said.
[to top of second column] |
The UN is mediating, hoping to get the rival factions to create a
unity government.
The draft resolution asks a Security Council committee to come up
with recommendations for an "enforcement mechanism" to stop the
supply of arms to non-state actors in Libya. Egypt has called for a
naval blockade to stop weapons reaching militants.
The draft resolution "calls on Member States to combat by all means
... threats to international peace and security in Libya caused by
terrorist acts and in coordination with the legitimate government in
Libya."
The draft text is under Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, which would
make it legally binding.
On Monday, Egypt carried out air strikes in Libya targeting militant
camps, training sites and arms storage areas after Islamic State
released a video showing the beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians.
(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by David Gregorio and Lisa
Shumaker)
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