8/2/2019 90 Second Summaries - The Situation in Libya

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90 Second Summaries: Season 2, Episode 8

S. Res. 1973 (2011): The Situation in LibyaIntroduced by Alain Jupp, Foreign Minister of France

Status: Adopted by the United Nation Security Council on March, 17th

2011 by a vote of 10-0. Russia, China,

Germany, India, and Brazil abstained.

Purpose: By late February of 2011, what started as an uprising in Libya had erupted into armed conflict with

forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi pitted against rebels. With no end to the violence in the first weeks of March,

pressure grew on the international community to act, with Libyan rebels and the League of Arab States requesting

a no-fly zone on March 12th

.

Summary: This resolution imposes a no-fly zone and updates S. Res. 1970 (2011) which established an arms

embargo. Specifically, S. Res 1973 (2011): Authorizes Member States, working with and notifying the U.N. Secretary-General to protect civilians and civilian

populated areas in the Libya, excluding an occupation.

Establishes a ban on all flights over Libyan airspace, excluding humanitarian missions and actions authorized to protect

civilians or benefit the Libyan people. It also authorizes Member States to implement and enforce the ban on flights,coordinating with each other and the Secretary-General.

Strengthens enforcement of the arms embargo established by S. Res. 1970 (2011) and includes mercenaries in the

definition of arms.

Requires States to prohibit Libyan aircrafts from taking off, landing in, or flying over their territory without advance

permission from the Committee, unless in an emergency.

Strengthens the asset freeze imposed by S. Res. 1970 (2011) by removing some exemptions.

Imposes a travel ban on Quren Salih Quren Al Qadhafi, the Libyan Ambassador to Chad, and Colonel Amid Husain Al

Kuni, the Governor of Ghat, both involved directly in recruiting and coordinating mercenaries.

Requests that the Secretary-General establish a panel of up to eight experts for an initial period of one year, to assist,

gather information, make recommendations, and provide reports on progress.

The resolution includes provisions to ensure that the Secretary-General and the Council are immediately informed

of actions by Member States to implement and enforce the provisions described above. Though it is widely

reported that this resolution does not allow the implicit targeting of Muammar Gaddafi, it would seem that a

scenario could emerge where the Committee is convinced that such an action would be approved as necessary to

protect civilians.

Supporters: United Nations Security Council, League of Arab States, Libyan rebels, President Barack Obama,

Senators John Kerry and John McCain, etc. Though some would like to see yet more strict measures taken, much of the international community believes a no-fly

zone to be a necessary step to ensure that Gaddafis forces do not massacre the rebels.

Opposition: There is no formal opposition, though many analysts and U.S. military leaders have expressed

concerns Opponents worry about the amount of military force required to actually enforce a no-fly zone. Some Republicans and

Democrats have raised questions about the constitutionality of the manner in which the White House undertook U.S.involvement.

Further LinksFull text of S. Res. 1973 (2011):http://daccess-ods.un.org/TMP/1976309.html

Full text of S. Res. 1970 (2011):http://daccess-ods.un.org/TMP/4638633.html

United Nations Security Council Press Release:http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2011/sc10200.doc.htm

Washington Post on Arab Leagues Request for No-Fly Zone:http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/arab-league-asks-un-for-no-fly-

zone-over-libya/2011/03/12/ABoie0R_story.html

Al-Jazeera Report on No-Fly Zone:http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/03/201131720311168561.html

Washington Times Article on Support of and Opposition to No-Fly Zone: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/mar/6/daley-

no-fly-zone-not-video-game/?page=2