United Nations: Libya’s UN ambassador said Wednesday his country will hold off asking nations like the United States and Britain to intervene with air strikes against the growing presence of Daesh in the oil-rich north African nation as a new national unity government tries to establish itself.
Ambassador Ebrahim Dabbashi said he would rather see a UN arms embargo loosened so Libya can defend itself against Daesh instead. He spoke shortly before the Security Council unanimously endorsed a UN-brokered deal to form a unity government that Libya’s rival factions signed last week.
The council’s resolution also asks countries to help Libya defeat Daesh.
UN envoy Martin Kobler told reporters that the one thing Libya’s various parties, and its neighbours, have been able to agree on is the need to counter Daesh. He said the national unity government will have to organise that fight, and “later on, the question arises of whether they’re going to do it alone”.
Kobler said Libya’s future army will need weapons, but the new government must be in place to ask the Security Council for exemptions to the arms embargo.
Some countries appear eager to help tackle Daesh. Italy has offered to lead an international peacekeeping mission in Libya, if the new national unity government requests it. Dabbashi also mentioned interest in having France, Britain and the United States intervene against Daesh but said any such request will be left to the new government.
“No one can predict that we will ask for that at any time,” the ambassador said. “This is kind of a transitional period.”
