World powers up for arming Libyan govt to counter ISIS

This decision is stated in an official communique of talks in Vienna, signed by all five permanent UN Security Council members (the US, Russia, France, UK and China), as well as representatives of over 15 other countries participating in the talks. It comes after Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj called for lifting arms embargo to support the national army earlier on Monday.

The Government of National Accord has voiced its intention to submit appropriate arms embargo exemption requests to the UN Libya Sanctions Committee to procure necessary lethal arms and materiel to counter UN-designated terrorist groups and to combat [Islamic State or IS, formerly ISIS] throughout the country,” the communique states.

We will fully support these efforts while continuing to reinforce the UN arms embargo.

The war-torn North African nation is currently under a UN embargo imposed to keep lethal weapons away from the hands of terrorists, as well as alternate forces that seek to overthrow the UN-backed government.

The signatories, however, noted that Libya will get the weaponry and training it requested only if the government fulfills its obligations stated in resolution 2259. Among other things, it stresses the need to build a national democratic government in Libya, which is to promote and protect human rights, protect integrity and unity of national institutions, respond to threats to Libyan security and undertake actions to defeat IS.

Once again, it was also made clear that the council members consider the Libyan Government of National Accord the only legitimate power in the country and call on all economic institutions to coordinate their work with this government. The participants in the conference also state they are ready to resume the work of their diplomatic missions in Tripoli as soon as the Libyan government ensures their security.

Meanwhile, comments have started to come from participants of the council.

[An] arms embargo allows GNA [Government of National Accord] to request weapons when they need it, specifically to counter [IS]. If these are legitimate arms requests,” US Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters after the ministerial conference, adding that while Libya’s legitimate government should not be victimized by UN decisions, the lifting of arms embargo should be “carefully sculpted.

Paolo Gentiloni, Italian Foreign Minister co-chairing Monday’s talks, also said that assistance requests from the Libyan government will be considered.

Source Article from https://www.rt.com/news/343215-unsc-arming-libya-isis/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

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