UN to debate Libya sanctions

South News, 8 March 1998

United Nations: The Security Council decided on Thursday to hold a full-fledged debate on March 20 on sanctions imposed on Libya since 1992 in light of a recent world court ruling.

But Britain and the United States rejected combining the public meeting, requested by Arab and African states, with the council’s periodic review of sanctions against Libya.

The closed Security Council review went as scheduled on Friday retainingwithout change the sanctions imposed on Libya since 1992. Friday’s closed-door review of the sanctions, which include an arms and air embargo and the downgrading of diplomatic relations, was the 18th in a series conducted every 120 days.

Libyan ambassador Abuzed Dorda spoke of the strong support for my country from all of the international community except the United States and Britain. Libya has no problem with the Security Council and the Security Council has no problem with Libya at all, he said. The only problem was between his country and the United States and Britain, he told reporters.

China’s deputy U.N. representative Sheng Guofang expressed regret that the various sides have still yet to reach consensus and hoped the council would be able to take a step forward on this issue.

China does not favor any kind of sanction against any country, including sanctions on Libya, he said, expressing support for options put forward by the Arab League and the Organization of African Unity for a trial at a neutral venue

Last Friday the Hague-based International Court of Justice ruled it had jurisdiction to hear Libyan arguments that the 1971 Montreal civil aviation convention allows the suspects to be put on trial in Libya and that Britain and the United States are acting unlawfully in insisting on their extradition.

London and Washington have played down the ruling as a technicality but Libya, backed by Arab, African and other nonaligned countries urged the Security Council to suspend the sanctions.