Libya's
Dabbashi Calls
Out UK for
Saying Only
Ansar al
Sharia's
Fighting ISIL
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, March
4 -- When
Libya's
long-time
representative
to the UN
Ibrahim
Dabbashi spoke
in the
Security
Council after
UN envoy
Bernardino
Leon, he made
a point of
criticizing
“one Permanent
member” of the
Council for
saying that
ISIL in Libya
is only being
fought by
Ansar al
Sharia, and by
implication
not by the
Tobruk-based
government
Dabbashi now
represents.
After this
open meeting
ended,
Dabbashi came
to the area
beside the
UNTV stakeout
and spoke to
the press,
specifying
that he had
been referring
to the United
Kingdom. (He
later added he
personally has
no problem
with UK
Permanent
Representative
Mark Lyall
Grant.) But he
said what he
said. Inner
City Press video here.
Inner City
Press has
asked the UK
Mission to the
UN for its
response and
has been
pointed to a
transcript
of
Deputy
Permanent
Representative
Peter Wilson
answering this
seemingly
mis-phrased
question:
"the
Libyan
Ambassador
criticized the
UK and said
that you
support
Islamic
militias and
Ansar al
sharia - do
you want to
split Libya?"
DPR
Peter Wilson:
"No. The clear
thing we
support the UN
lead process
to lead to a
government of
national unity
in Libya.
Bernadino Leon
was very
clear. We very
strongly
support this.
This is a
Libyan
process, for
Libyans to
come to an
agreement
themselves
about how they
wish to govern
their country
together, and
that will
enable them to
take the fight
to ISIL."
Meanwhile, not
all member or
even Permanent
members
believe things
must wait for
the formation
of a unity
government.
Russia's
Vitaly
Churkin, also
to the side of
the UNTV
stakeout, said
Russia
supports the
Egyptian and
now Jordanian
proposal with
regard to the
arms embargo
on the Tobruk
government -
but add that
due to
concerns about
where the
weapons might
go, some
system of
control would
be needed but
has yet to be
established.
One wanted to
ask March's
Security
Council
president
Francois
Delattre of
France about
this view and
mechanism when
he came to the
UNTV stakeout.
But he
took three
questions,
handpicked by
his Mission --
France 24,
Agence France
Presse and
Voice of
America --
declining to
answer the
Press'
question even
on Mali (on
which he
delivered
Elements to
the Press but
took no
questions,
spokesperson's
follow-up
added here.)
Watch this
site.
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