UN / LIBYA WRAP

Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya Ian Martin said that "the former regime may have been toppled, but the harsh reality is that the Libyan people continue to have to live with its deep rooted legacy." UNTV / UNSMIL

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:56
• Production Date: 25 January 2012
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS SUPPORT MISSION IN LIBYA - UNSMIL
• Subject Topical: POLITICAL AFFAIRS; LAW; INTERNATIONAL LAW; POLITICAL CONDITIONS; POLITICAL CONDITIONS; POLITICAL MOVEMENTS; INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS; PEACE AND SECURITY
• Geographic Subject: LIBYA
• MAMS Id: U120125c

Description

STORY: UN / LIBYA WRAP
TRT: 2.56
SOURCE: UNTV / UNSMIL
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / ARABIC / NATS

DATELINE: 25 JANUARY 2012, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

Shotlist

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations headquarters

25 JANUARY 2012, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. Med shot, delegates
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Ian Martin, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya:
“While full legitimacy can only be established by elections, some interim legitimacy must be accepted to determine the framework for the first elections, which is a key responsibility of the NTC. The interim government was established only in late November after months during which there was an almost complete vacuum of governance. Transparency, communication and consultation are indeed important elements of fostering confidence and trust in the interim authorities.”
5. Med shot, delegates
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Ian Martin, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya:
“The former regime may have been toppled, but the harsh reality is that the Libyan people continue to have to live with its deep rooted legacy; weak, at times absent, state institutions coupled with the long absence of political parties and civil society organisations, which render the country’s transition more difficult. This is further complicated by what was a systematic distortion of the country’s socio-political fabric.”
7. Med shot, delegates
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Navi Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights:
“Immense challenges lie ahead. The interim government sill does not exercise effective control over the revolutionary brigades and this has human rights repercussions in a number of areas. Light and heavy weaponry in the hands of these brigades pose a threat to public security and the protection of the human rights of the population. A related area that I am extremely concerned about is the conditions of detention and treatment of detainees held by various revolutionary brigades.”
9. Med shot, delegates
10. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ibrahim Dabbashi, Permanent Representative of Libya to the United Nations:
“Armed combatants must not be left out or forgotten. They undertook the revolution and they made the sacrifice. Either we need to establish a consultative council involving them or some of those individuals can become part of the National Transitional Council.”
11. Med shot, delegates
12. Wide shot, Security Council
13. Wide shot, Pillay walks up to the stakeout position

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

14. Close up, reporter’s notepad

25 JANUARY 2012, NEW YORK CITY

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Navi Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights: “NATO is now cooperating with the Commission of Inquiry investigating all human rights violations in Libya. So we will have to wait for the Commissions findings and recommendations. Here before the Security Council there is some interest that the NATO report directly to the Security Council, but this is the business of the Security Council.”

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

16. Close up, reporter’s laptop computer

25 JANUARY 2012, NEW YORK CITY

17. Zoom out, Pillay walks away from the stakeout position

RECENT - UNSMIL - 10 JANUARY 2012, TRIPOLI, LIBYA

18. Various shots, Martin signing Status of Forces Agreement

Storyline

Libya is going through a difficult transition, having inherited weak state institutions and an absence of political parties, the top United Nations envoy in the country told the Security Council today (25 January), adding that the interim Government is committed to addressing the challenges.

Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya Ian Martin said that the NTC is laying the foundation for the establishment of democratic governance, but a combination of a tight timeline, inexperience in drafting electoral legislation; shortcomings in communication and the lack of proper mechanisms for consultation have set limitations to the process of drafting the electoral law.

He said that “while full legitimacy can only be established by elections, some interim legitimacy must be accepted to determine the framework for the first elections” which is a key responsibility of the National Transitional Council (NTC).

Martin noted that the NTC’s interim government was established only in late November “after months during which there was an almost complete vacuum of governance” and stressed that “transparency, communication and consultation are indeed important elements of fostering confidence and trust” in these authorities.

The Special Representative said that “the former regime may have been toppled, but the harsh reality is that the Libyan people continue to have to live with its deep-rooted legacy.”

He added that “this is further complicated by what was a systematic distortion of the country’s socio-political fabric.”

Martin reiterated that security remains a major concern, noting that events over the past month highlight the risks associated with both the continued abundance of weapons on the streets, and the diverse armed brigades in the country with unclear lines of command and control.

In the capital, Tripoli, clashes earlier this month between rival brigades from Misrata and Tripoli resulted in several fatalities and injuries, as well as confrontation between such groups in Gheryan and al-Asab‘a, and fighting between the local population and the brigades in Bani Walid this week required high-level intervention to put an end to the violence.

On human rights, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, informed the Council of her extreme concern over the conditions of detention and treatment of detainees held by the various revolutionary brigades, noting that the International Committee of the Red Cross had visited over 8,500 detainees in approximately 60 places between March and December last year.

The majority of the detainees are accused of being loyalists of the deposed leader, the late Muammar al-Qadhafi, and include a large number of citizens of sub-Saharan Africa.

Pillay said that “immense challenges lie ahead” as the interim government “sill does not exercise effective control over the revolutionary brigades and this has human rights repercussions in a number of areas.”

She noted that “light and heavy weaponry in the hands of these brigades pose a threat to public security and the protection of the human rights of the population.”

Other areas of concern include conditions for people subjected to internal forced and involuntary displacement, the status of women and past abuses.

Libyan Ambassador Ibrahim Dabbashi told the Council that the armed combatants who fought against Qadhafi’s regime “must not be left out or forgotten”. He pointed out that they were the ones who “undertook the revolution” and “made the sacrifice”.

Dabbashi said that “a consultative council involving them” must be established or otherwise “some of those individuals” could become part of the NTC.

Outside the Council Pillay addressed the outstanding questions regarding possible civilian deaths resulting from NATO operations, and voiced hope that the ongoing probe by the organization’s commission of inquiry will shed light on the extent to which NATO forces took precautions to protect civilians.

She said that “NATO is now cooperating with the Commission of Inquiry” and “we will have to wait for the Commissions findings and recommendations.”

With regard to some Council Members’ request that NATO report directly to them, she said that “this is the business of the Security Council.”

The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the Libyan authorities recently signed an agreement establishing the legal framework under which the UN mission set up last year to support the country’s post-conflict reconstruction efforts will operate.

The status of mission agreement between UNSMIL and the Libya’s interim Government lays out the rights, responsibilities and procedures for both signatories, with respect to the deployment, presence and safety of UNSMIL operations and personnel in fulfilling the mission’s Security Council-authorized mandate.

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