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UN Security Council Moves Closer to Vote on Libya No-Fly Zone

   Margaret Besheer | United Nations  March 17, 2011
   The   United   Nations   Security  Council  during  a  meeting  at  UN
   headquarters in New York, March 17, 2011

Photo: AFP

   The   United   Nations   Security  Council  during  a  meeting  at  UN
   headquarters in New York, March 17, 2011

   The  U.N.  Security Council moved closer to adopting a resolution that
   could  authorize  a  no-fly  zone  over  Libya,  as  concern grows for
   civilians  caught  in  fighting between forces loyal to leader Moammar
   Gadhafi and rebel fighters. Ā
   Ambassadors  and  political  experts have begun meeting to incorporate
   amendments  and  revisions  to  a draft resolution written by Lebanon,
   France  and  Britain that aims to establish a no-fly Zone requested by
   the Arab League.
   Franceās  U.N.  ambassador  Gerard Araud told reporters he hopes for a
   vote  by  2200 UTC (6 p.m. ET). His foreign minister, Alain JuppƩ, is
   due  at  the  United  Nations  to  press  for  swift  adoption  of the
   resolution.
   "It  [Juppeās participation] is to show the importance that my country
   is  attaching to this resolution, which means a strong reaction of the
   Security  Council  to  the tragedy in Libya," said Araud. "So it means
   very clearly that we do want a vote this afternoon."
   Diplomats  have  said in the past two days the resolution likely would
   include  measures  that  "go  beyond  a  no-fly  Zone,"  but they have
   declined  to  elaborate  on  whether that meant targeted airstrikes or
   some other option.
   As  ambassadors  continued  to  negotiate the text, pro-Gadhafi forces
   moved closer to the rebelās eastern stronghold of Benghazi.

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