February 22nd, 2011 by Naureen

On Tuesday, the UN Security Council held formal consultations on the Libya crisis with Western nations calling for a strong statement condemning the use of violence. Libya’s deputy ambassador Ibrahim Dabbashi, who requested the meeting, has called for Gadhafi to stand down and called on the Security Council to order a no-fly zone over Libya and for a humanitarian corridor to get supplies to civilians. Lybia’s UN Ambassador Mohamed Shalgham and UN undersecretary-general B. Lynn Pascoe spoke to the council about the protests. The council condemned the crackdown in a statement agreed to by all 15 council members, expressing “grave concern” and calling for “an immediate end to the violence” and steps to address the legitimate demands of the Libyan people.

Earlier, U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) released a statement condemning the violence and calling on the U.N. to protect Libyan citizens: “With the brutal violence against protesters in Libya, the United States cannot sit idly by. The reports of air assaults on civilians and arms being flown in from other countries require the establishment of a no-fly zone around Libya.  I urge Ambassador Rice to act immediately at the United Nations Security Council to pass a resolution that protects the rights of the Libyan people.”

Posted in Human Rights, Libya, Protests, United Nations |