• Friday, August 26, 2011
• Inter Press Service

South Africa, the one member of the Security Council opposing the release of 1.5 billion dollars in frozen Libyan assets, lifted its objection this afternoon, allowing the United Nations Security Council sanctions committee to unfreeze the funds.

One third of the money would go to international humanitarian organisations to help with the humanitarian crisis, a second third would go to purchasing fuel for electricity, water plants and hospitals, and the last 500 million would be given to the National Transitional Council (NTC), which many countries have recognised as the legitimate governing authority of Libya, for essential services and other humanitarian needs.

Originally, in the Security Council sanctions committee, South Africa opposed unfreezing the full amount of 1.5 billion, although it supported releasing the 500 million dollars designated for humanitarian organisations. This refusal lead to the consideration to pass a resolution in the Security Council to unfreeze the assets. The sanctions committee requires full consensus by all fifteen members in order to act, whereas the Security Council requires nine out of the fifteen.

South Africa had opposed unfreezing the assets because the African Union, of which Libya is a part, had not yet come to a decision about whether the NTC served as Libya’s legitimate governing body, even though many countries that are members of the AU have recognised the NTC. South Africa has yet to recognise the NTC.

Immediate and pressing concerns for Libya include the humanitarian situation, surfeit of arms, and of course, the whereabouts of Colonel Gaddafi, the former dictator whose location is currently unknown. These matters are only a few of the many issues surrounding Libya at the moment.

The NTC has indicated that it expects the United Nations to play a strong role in post-conflict Libya, Lynn Pascoe, Undersecretary General for Political Affairs at the UN, told reporters Thursday. But he emphasized that the UN would not impose its own ideas or actions on the NTC or the Libyan people.

'Any process will be a Libyan led one,' he said. 'What we are doing is trying to help them.'

© Inter Press Service (2011) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service

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