Brussels, 15/06/2016 (Agence Europe) - During the evening of Tuesday 14 June, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini hailed the adoption by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) of a resolution enabling the naval operation in the Mediterranean, EUNAVFOR Med Sophia, to have the arms embargo in Libya upheld.
“The unanimous adoption by the UNSC of Resolution 2292 will now enable Operation Sophia also to play an important role in implementing the UN arms embargo on Libya”, Mogerhini stated in a press release. She had called on the UNSC to adopt such a resolution when she was in New York on 6 June (see EUROPE 11566). In Mogherini's view, this resolution “reflects the international community's unanimous support to EU work to make the Mediterranean a safer place for everyone, principally for Libyans”.
Although Mogherini did not state when the EU would take the official decision to extend the operation's mandate to cover the fight against arms trafficking to Libya, the French representative at the UNSC, François Delattre, said the decision would come at the Foreign Affairs Council on Monday 20 June. On 23 May, the ministers had approved extending the naval operation's mission to monitoring respect for the arms embargo (see EUROPE 11556).
Under the UNSC resolution, updated by the British and French, vessels taking part in the Sophia Operation have, since 14 June, been able to intercept and inspect boats coming from Libya or travelling there directly or indirectly, which are suspected of transporting weapons and military equipment. This authorisation to intercept such vessels will last for 12 months. The resolution is based on Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which permits the use of force. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)