S/PV.6768 Security Council

I thank Mr. Martin for his briefing. I now give the floor to Mr. Moraes Cabral in his capacity as Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1970 (2011), concerning Libya.

I have the honour to report to the Security Council on the work of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1970 (2011). The report covers the period from 1 March to 10 May 2012. For the sake of brevity, I will focus my remarks on the most relevant aspects and read out an abridged version of my statement, as a hard copy of the entire report will be distributed and posted on the Committee’s website. As the Council knows, two important documents were before the Committee. The first was a working document (S/2012/178, annex) put together by the Panel of Experts — reflecting the contributions of the Panel, the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate, the International Civil Aviation Organization, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the International Atomic Energy Agency — on the threats and challenges of arms proliferation from Libya to the region. The second was a final report (S/2012/163, annex) by the Panel on its monitoring of the implementation of the relevant measures, including the arms embargo, the travel ban and the asset freeze. Both documents are now publicly available on the Committee’s website. Allow me to refer to the document on arms proliferation, which I believe should constitute a main area of concern. Key findings included the following. First, at the time of the writing of the report, no man-portable air defence systems (MANPADs) originating from Libya had been seized outside the country. Nevertheless, significant threat variables existed, justifying further measures to mitigate the risk that MANPADs might pose. Secondly, there was clear evidence that significant quantities of weapons other than MANPADs had left Libya during the conflict, in particular small arms and light weapons and associated ammunition, as well as explosives, and that certain existing factors could encourage further proliferation. Thirdly, the increased supply of weapons and related materiel in the Sahel region was likely to have fuelled pre-existing insecurity, particularly in northern Mali. Fourthly, all levels of authorities in Libya needed to be engaged in the overall efforts to control weapons and combat illicit trafficking. Finally, at the regional level, attention had to be given to strengthening border control, enhancing regional cooperation and coordination efforts, increasing the exchange of information and curbing the specific threat related to MANPADs. The document concluded with specific recommendations to counter the threat of illicit arms proliferation in the subregion and the Sahel region. Let me now turn to the final report of the Panel of Experts in accordance with resolution 1973 (2011). Among other things, it covers cases of transfers of military materiel to and from Libya since the imposition of the arms embargo, cases of non-compliance with the travel ban and cases of non-compliance with the asset freeze. In its report, the Panel of Experts made a total of 21 recommendations, addressed either to the Security Council, the Committee or Member States, including Libya. Both the Council and the Committee have already taken follow-up action on several of the recommendations. On 9 April, the members of the Committee agreed to invite the Special Representative of the Secretary- General for Libya and Head of UNSMIL, Mr. Ian Martin, to a meeting of the Committee, in order to hold an exchange of views on five of the Panel’s recommendations, as well as to discuss the working relationship between UNSMIL and the Panel. Yesterday, the members of the Committee held a fruitful exchange of views with Mr. Martin. I look forward to further exchanges of that nature with him. I believe that close interaction among the Committee, the Panel of Experts and UNSMIL is of particular importance to ensuring efficient coordination and avoiding overlaps. We have also scheduled a meeting of the Permanent Representative of Libya with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. As of 9 May, the Committee had processed a total of 38 notifications or exemption requests concerning the arms embargo, a total of 154 notifications or exemption requests concerning the asset freeze and a total of 25 requests for guidance. I would like to conclude by noting that, to date, the Committee has received reports from 57 Member States on their implementation of the relevant measures. On 2 April, I dispatched a note verbale to all Member States that contained a reminder for those that had not yet submitted their implementation reports to the Committee to do so without delay. On the same day, the Committee updated its list of individuals and entities subject to the travel ban and asset freeze, incorporating the new information provided by the Panel.

I thank Ambassador Moraes Cabral for his briefing. There are no more names inscribed on the list of speakers. I now invite Council members to informal consultations to continue our discussion of the subject.