UN Security Council acts to stem arms proliferation from Libya

Calling for action to stem the proliferation of portable surface-to-air missiles and other arms from Libya by the country’s interim authorities, regional States and other relevant Member States, the UN Security Council has authorised the Libya Sanctions Committee to propose a strategy to keep such material out of the hands of terrorists and others.

Through the unanimous adoption of Resolution 2017 (2011), the council called upon Libyan authorities to take all necessary steps to ensure the proper custody of portable surface-to-air missiles, known as MANPADS (man-portable air defence systems), and all other arms and related material. The council also urged Libyan authorities to meet Libya’s arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation obligations under international law, as well as to continue close coordination on the destruction of all stockpiles of chemical weapons with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

States in the region were called upon to take appropriate measures to prevent proliferation of those weapons as well. Other Member States and international and regional organisations were called upon to take appropriate action to assist the Libyan authorities and States in the region towards that goal.

The Committee established pursuant to resolution 1970 (2011) on Libya sanctions, with assistance from its Panel of Experts and in cooperation with other relevant bodies, was requested to assess threats and challenges, in particular those related to terrorism, posed by the proliferation of weapons. The Committee was asked to submit a report to the Council on proposals to counter those threats, including stockpile management, border control and transport security.

Following the adoption of the resolution, the representatives of Germany and the Russian Federation welcomed the action. Germany’s representative noted that, since control of any nuclear materials was implied by the resolution, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) should have a role in the anti-proliferation efforts, as should the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.  His country would support the sending of a team to Libya to assess the situation of weapons of mass destruction.

In regard to the report requested, Germany’s representative also voiced his country’s position that the Panel of Experts should report directly to the Security Council panels and not, as provided in the resolution, through the sanctions committee. Direct reporting was the usual practice and was meant to preserve the independence of such panels. Stressing the danger that MANPADS posed to aviation, the representative of the Russian Federation proposed that civil aviation organisations be engaged in the counter-proliferation effort.

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