S/PV.6639 Security Council

I thank Mr. Martin for his briefing. I now give the floor to the representative of Libya.

I am pleased to congratulate you, Madame President, on your leadership of the Council’s proceedings for this month. As a matter of fact, I am delighted to see a dear friend and representative of a sisterly African State presiding over the affairs of the Council. Allow me to extend our thanks to the Secretary- General, all members of the Security Council and all States that stood by the side of Libya and the Libyan people over the course of the past several months, during which we were experiencing a painful plight. On 20 October Libya declared its liberation from the dictatorial regime of Colonel Al-Qadhafi following his assassination, which was announced on 23 October. Here, I would like to convey the gratitude of the Libyan people to all those who contributed to their support, whether by supplying weaponry, food or medicine, or by caring for the injured, as well as to those who participated in imposing the no-fly zone and in protecting civilians. Had it not been for that solidarity with the Libyan people, and the assistance we received, we could not have done what we have done, and the number of victims would have been much higher than it is. If I may, I should say that despite the admirable action on the part of the international alliance in imposing the no-fly zone and protecting civilians — which the Libyan people strongly commend — we as a people abhor any interference in our sovereignty and consider that any foreign presence in our skies diminishes that sovereignty, while understanding that it was unavoidable and indispensable. The Libyan people feel that every day that passes with foreign control over our skies infringes on our sovereignty. This has been particularly true since 23 October, when we made our declaration of liberation. I would therefore like to inform everyone that the Libyan people are looking forward to terminating as soon as possible the no-fly zone over Libya and the mandate on the protection of civilians set out in resolution 1973 (2011). According to our original assessment, 31 October would be the logical date on which to terminate the mandate. However, there is no official resolution by the National Transitional Council (NTC), and some contradictory news militates against that. Also, some believe that we need further evaluation of the country’s security situation and the extent of Libya’s ability to monitor its borders. Therefore we would like to ask that the Security Council allow the NTC to take a resolution on this subject to be officially conveyed to the Council. That will take a few days. It may still take place before the 31st of this month. However, as the Council is aware, Libya is a huge country, and we have not yet activated our air capability. The people have been criticizing the NTC for the delay in re-establishing the national armed forces, since they are the only force that can maintain our security and monitor our borders, besides protecting our citizens. We therefore wish to request that the Council not adopt a resolution hastily. We will certainly inform the Council of the NTC’s official decision, which we hope we will have before the end of the month. With our declaration of liberation, we have launched a new phase in Libya’s history in which we look forward to a democratic Libya that respects human rights, preserves citizens’ fundamental freedoms, believes in pluralism, looks forward to the future and will not be held back by the past, and looks for equal and balanced relations with its neighbours and all States of the world. This will be a difficult stage, particularly in a State like ours, which has no institutions. Besides the support we had from the international community in our struggle to topple the dictatorship, we will also need its backing in the future in building a democratic State, development, reconstruction and achieving prosperity for our people. Much has been said about violations of human rights, particularly concerning the way in which Muammar Al-Qadhafi died or was killed. I would like to declare that we will not tolerate any violations of human rights. We all know the extent of the hatred that controlled the minds of Libyans under the Al-Qadhafi regime, the result of the horrific acts he perpetrated against our people. However, if we discover that there were any infringements of the rights of Al-Qadhafi or any others, their perpetrators must be punished. According to initial inquiries and information, Al-Qadhafi was injured during clashes between his loyalists and the rebels. When he was arrested, he was bleeding from his abdomen and head; he died on arrival at the hospital in Misrata. According to preliminary reports, none of the revolutionaries fired on him after arresting him. An independent commission of inquiry has been set up, and its findings will be made public after the investigation is completed. With regard to United Nations efforts, I would like to thank the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. Ian Martin, for his valuable and comprehensive briefing. He has outlined clearly what the Libyan people will need in the way of assistance from the United Nations in the future. Undoubtedly, it will be very difficult for the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) to begin its work at this time, as we are in the process of forming the transitional Government. However, the transitional Government will be set up soon — sometime in the next two weeks. That will make it possible and easier for the Mission to work in cooperation with all Libyan sectors and entities. In addition, there will be a specific department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs charged with facilitating the work of UNSMIL. Of course, we require the assistance of the United Nations and its experts at this critical stage. We will return to the Council shortly to inform it of the official decision of the NTC with regard to the mandate, in accordance with resolution 1973 (2011) on the protection of civilians and the no-fly zone.

There are no further speakers inscribed on my list. I now invite Council members to informal consultations to continue our discussion on the subject.