Inner City Press -- Investigative Reporting From the Inner City to Wall Street to the United Nations

At UN on Libya, Clash on Arming Rebels, Dutch In, Malta Stopped Greek Ship

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive

UNITED NATIONS, March 29 -- Libya sanctions and arms embargo were the topics on Tuesday morning outside the Security Council, even as the meeting inside concerned Lebanon. The Netherlands has formally written in under Resolution 1973 to join the coalition, a well placed Council source exclusively told Inner City Press.

  An explanation of Malta's query to the Libya Sanctions Committee was finally gleaned, as another Inner City Press exclusive: Malta stopped a Greek ship from delivering petroleum products to a subsidiary of the Libyan national oil company.

  The subsidiary is not on the UN sanctions list. But it is on the European Union list. Malta 1, Greek ship 0.

Other battles are not so clear. Inner City Press asked India's Permanent Representative Hardeep Singh Puri for India's position on if arming the Libyan rebels is permitted. No, he said, adding, and you can quote me. 

  Inner City Press asked Russian Permanent Representitive Vitaly Churkin, is arming the rebels permissible under Resolution 1973? No, he said, shaking his head. He noted that it had been the Americans themselves who asked for the arms embargo.

  While no answer was gleaned from US Permanent Representative Susan Rice despite a question proffered at 10:16 am as she entered the Council and 11:10 am when she left, it is understood that the US dispute an account of the negotiation of Paragraph 4 of Resolution 1973 in which Ambassador Rice said that the “notwithstanding” phrase was needed in case the US had to go in with weapons to save a downed pilot.

Susan Rice, Obama and Clinton, negotiation of Paragraph 4 and new position not shown

  The US, it is understood, says that referred to only precluding an occupation and not an intervention. But with Libyan Sanctions Committee chair Cabral now twice issuing an interpretation that arming the rebels is not permissible, Russia and India on the record and others with the same view, including China Inner City Press can report, could the US “just do it,” in the Nike phrase?

  Another member of the “Coalition” tells Inner City Press that while the “notwithstanding” phrase is somehow clear, his country believes that enforcing the no fly zone is the way to go.

  If somehow the no fly zone weren't being enforced, perhaps giving air defense equipment to the rebels could construed as protecting civilians. But to give offensive weapons? Even the non-US coalition member said no.

  But again: might the US “just do it,” in the Nike phrase?

Footnote: for President Obama's visit today to the UN, or the US Mission across First Avenue from the UN, press access has been limited to a “pool” from the White House press corps, as well as Mission selected journalists from the UN press corps.

  There's some grumbling, the substance of which is that a White House based reporter might miss some UN relevant details, including regarding which diplomats are invited. We'll have more on this.