Libya: UN Security Council Passes Sanctions Vote

The UN Security Council has voted unanimously to impose sanctions on Muammar Gaddafi's Libyan regime for its attempts to put down an uprising. The vote was passed  by all 15 Security Council members.

They backed an arms embargo and asset freeze while referring Col Gaddafi to the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity. US President Barack Obama has said the Libyan leader should step down and leave the country immediately. Discussions on forming a transitional government are reportedly underway.  The US has already imposed sanctions against Libya, and closed its embassy in Tripoli. Australia says it will place sanctions on 22 individuals in Col Gaddafi's inner circle. barring financial transactions and their entry to Australia


Mustafa Abdel-Jalil - who resigned as justice minister in protest against the excessive use of force against demonstrators - said a body comprising military and civilian figures would prepare for elections within three months. Libya's ambassadors to the United States and UN have both reportedly voiced their support for the plan, which was being discussed in the rebel-controlled eastern town of Benghazi.

The UN estimates more than 1,000 people have died as Col Gadddafi's regime attempted to quell the 10-day-old revolt. The most controversial debate over the Libya resolution was whether to refer the government crackdown to the International Criminal Court for an investigation. This is a very sensitive issue: some Council members view the ICC as a threat to national sovereignty, and worry that referrals may set a precedent which could be used against them. 
A day of intense negotiations saw three positions emerge: Strong opponents (China), strong advocates (UK, France and Germany) and those in between (almost everyone else).  The middle ground eventually swung behind the proposal, leaving China the only holdout. In the end Beijing joined the consensus.

The Council has only referred one other country to the ICC (Sudan in 2005) and that vote was not unanimous. Analysts said the speed and strength of Saturday's decision was due to reports of excessive regime brutality in Libya.  Strong condemnations by the Arab League and African Union also had influence, as did clear support for the ICC referral from Libya's UN Mission. Afterwards, Libya's deputy UN envoy said the sanctions would give "moral support" to the anti-Gaddafi protesters. The Libyan delegation at the UN had sent a letter to the Council backing measures to hold to account those responsible for armed attacks on Libyan civilians, including action through the International Criminal Court .

 On Saturday, one of Col Gaddafi's sons, Saif al-Islam, insisted that normal life was continuing in three-quarters of Libya. By contrast, anti-Gaddafi forces say they control 80% of the country. Each side's claims are difficult to confirm but it is known that the opposition controls Benghazi, Libya's second city, while Col Gaddafi still controls the capital Tripoli, home to two million of the country's 6.5 million population.

Thousands of foreign nationals - many of them employed in the oil industry - continue to be evacuated from the country by air, sea and land. Some 10,000 people remain outside Tripoli airport's terminal building and several thousand more are inside, says BBC Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen, who saw piles of discarded luggage abandoned by people desperate to flee the country.  Most of those trying to leave were Egyptians, many of whom had been waiting at the airport for several days.

Friday saw Col Gaddafi make a defiant address to supporters in Tripoli and reports of anti-government demonstrators in several areas of the city coming under fire from government troops and pro-Gaddafi militiamen. On Saturday the capital city was calm, with shops open, people on the streets, and supporters of Col Gaddafi reportedly occupying central Green Square in a public show of support for the beleaguered leader.

Outside the capital, anti-Gaddafi protesters were consolidating their power in Benghazi, with leaders of the uprising establishing committees to run the city and deliver basic services.

Rebirth of a nation in progress.