By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 15
-- As the
United States
took over
presidency of
the UN
Security
Council, on
September 3
Inner City
Press asked
Ambassador
Samantha Power
about the scheduled
September 15
meeting about
Libya, from
which the US
and others
have pulled
their
diplomats
given fighting
between armed
groups near
their
embassies.
Inner
City Press
asked
Ambassador
Power
what the
Security
Council's role
should be in
Libya,
particularly
after
airstrikes by
regional
countries
supporting
militias in
the country. Video here and embedded below,
with US
Mission
transcript.
Samantha
Power
replied that
“it's no
secret that
with so many
arms in the
country and so
many non-state
actors” the
situation has
“escalated
rather than
diminished in
recent weeks.”
She said the
US is
supportive of
new Special
Representative
Bernardino
Leon's efforts
and is
“hopeful he
can be a point
person.”
On September
15 Inner City
Press asked Leon
about the
airstrikes; he
said he has
read the same
reports but
has no
information.
When
Ambassador
Power came
to the
Security
Council
stakeout
later on
September 15,
she read out
"press
elements" on
Libya. But
time only
allowed, as
organized, for
questions on
ebola, the
Golan Heights
and a legal basis
for bombing
Syria.
(Power said
she would not
speculate on a
possible legal
basis. Then
she cited
Iraq's
al-Abadi,
leading one to
wonder: could
Iraq's self-defense
be cited as a
legal basis?)
But what about
the airstrikes
in Libya,
attributed by
US sources to
Egypt and the
UAE? Has the
need for these
countries'
support against
Islamic State
or ISIL
impacted the
US' view of
their
unilateral
actions on
Libya? We will
don't know, but
will continue
to seek to ask
and otherwise
dig.
After
welcoming for
the US the
UN's takeover
of
peacekeeping
in the Central
African
Republic (as
Inner City
Press noted
yesterday, the
US is
re-opening its
embassy, with
20 troops),
Power
described a
September 18
UN Security
Council
session on
ebola, with
one or more
voices from
the field and
a desire for
"concrete
commitments."
This being the
UN, let's see.
Inner
City Press
covered in
some detail,
here and elsewhere,
the switch to
Leon from
previous envoy
Tarek Mitri.
Samantha Power
on September 3
said Leon's
predecessor
made efforts
to use the
UN's good
offices to
facilitate
dialogue but
“it's fair to
say not enough
came of those
efforts.”
She
said perhaps
now the
situation in
Tripoli and
Benghazi will
“add urgency
to efforts to
forge a
consensus...
It has
happened in
more difficult
circumstances
than this one”
but “no one
can overstate
the challenges
facing the
Libya people.”
Going
bigger
picture,
Ambassador
Power said
that
“notwithstanding
a history of
some division
on aspects
relating to
Libya, you saw
the speed”
with which
Security
Council's
members
“changed the
presumption”
so that arms
flows into
Libya have to
be
pre-approved.
Still, she
said, that
Security
Council
resolution is
not a panacea.
Inner
City Press
will cover the
Libya session
on September
15, and asked
on behalf of
the new Free
UN Coalition
for Access
that the
closed door
Council
consultations
on Libya (and
other topics
this month) be
followed by a
question and
answer
session. Watch
this site.
Updated
with US
Mission
transcript:
MODERATOR:
Last question
is Matthew.
QUESTION:
Matthew Lee,
Inner City
Press. Thanks
for the
briefing and,
on behalf of
the Free UN
Coalition for
Access, hoping
for a
(inaudible)
stakeouts
after
consultations
to hear what
happened and
ask you about
it.. On Libya,
I know that
the U.S., UK,
and France,
with Germany
and Italy,
have been
issuing a lot
of joint
statements,
but what’s the
role of the
Security
Council,
especially now
that there
have been
airstrikes
reportedly by
regional
countries
supporting
militias
there?
Thanks.
AMBASSADOR
POWER: On
Libya, as you
know, the
security
environment
deteriorated
to such an
extent that
U.S. personnel
had to depart
the country
because of the
fighting that
was going on
near our
embassy, but I
want to
underscore
that that has
in no way
diminished our
role or that
of our
partners
whether inside
the Council or
internationally,
regionally,
and in terms
of other
stakeholders
at trying to
support the
efforts of the
Libyan people
above all and
the Libyan
Government,
the elected
government to
bring this
crisis to an
end. It’s no
secret that
with so many
arms in the
country, so
many non-state
actors, this
has proven
more than
challenging,
and the crisis
has escalated
over recent
weeks rather
that
diminished.
I think we are
very
supportive of
the new –
Special
Representative
Leon’s
efforts, and
we are hopeful
that he can be
point person.
As you know,
his
predecessor
really made an
effort to use
the UN good
offices to try
to facilitate
national
dialogue among
the parties,
but it’s safe
to say that
not enough
came of those
efforts. And
now perhaps in
light of the
human toll
that this
crisis is
taking, the
massive
displacement,
the fear that
people in
Tripoli,
Benghazi, and
elsewhere are
experiencing
in light of
these – this
fighting,
maybe that
will add
urgency to the
sort of
efforts behind
the scenes for
people to
forge some
kind of
national
consensus.
It has
happened in
more difficult
circumstances
even than this
one, but no
one can
overstate the
challenge that
the Libyan
people face,
again, above
all given how
militarized
the situation
has become.
When it comes
to the
Council,
that’s exactly
what we will
discuss,
again, when we
have our
consultations.
And we’ve just
passed a
resolution, as
you know,
aimed at
halting the
flow of arms
into Libya,
sanctioning
those who are
illegally
bringing in
arms, and we
don’t pretend
that that
resolution is
a panacea,
again, given
the amount of
arms on the
ground and
given the
networks that
exist on the
black market
and elsewhere
to bring in
arms, but we
think this
could make a
difference,
and we’re very
eager to hear
from Mr. Leon
and, again,
from the
Libyan
leadership
about the
kinds of other
steps the
Council can
take.
Again, this is
an issue on
which
notwithstanding
a history of
some division
on aspects
related to
Libya,
everyone in
the Council,
as you saw,
again, with
the speed with
which we were
able to
suspend or to
sort of change
the
presumption on
arms flows
into the
country where
any arms flow
has to be
approved by
the Council,
this is
something I
think, again,
if there are
proposals on
the table, I
think the
Council can
come to
agreement.
, 
