UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council on Tuesday was set to authorize an EU naval force to intercept ships suspected of carrying weapons to Libya, in a measure aimed at weakening the Islamic State group and militias fighting the unity government.
The council was to vote on a resolution drafted by Britain and France that would expand the mission of Operation Sophia, which has been combating migrant-smuggling in the Mediterranean.
Operation Sophia's enforcement of an arms embargo would help shore up the UN-backed unity government as it struggles to establish its authority over the entire north African country.
Militias loyal to the new government of Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj are battling to retake from IS jihadists the key city of Sirte.
Libya descended into chaos during the 2011 uprising against Moamer Kadhafi and the new UN-brokered government set up office in Tripoli only two months ago.
The arms embargo was imposed on Libya in 2011, but UN sanctions monitors have reported shipments from Egypt, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Sudan to various factions.
The draft resolution invokes Chapter 7 of the UN charter, which allows for the use of military force.
It would grant a 12-month mandate to EU vessels to "inspect, without undue delay, on the high seas off the coast of Libya, vessels bound to, or from Libya which they have reasonable grounds to believe are carrying arms or related material to or from Libya."
Diplomats said they expected broad support for the measure although it remained unclear whether Russia, Egypt and Venezuela would abstain during the vote, scheduled at 3:00 pm (1900 GMT).
Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin last week expressed concerns that the measure could create "suspicion" among Libya's many factions and negotiations on the text have focused on Moscow's proposed changes.
These include a mention that the EU naval force must "make good-faith efforts" to first seek consent from the ship' flag state before carrying out any inspection.
- Seize and dispose -
EU vessels would be authorized to "use all measures commensurate to the specific circumstances to carry out such inspections" of suspected arms-smuggling ships on the high seas, off Libya's coast.
The EU force would be authorized to "seize and dispose" of the weapons and divert vessels and their crew to a nearby port.
Libya is awash with weapons, with some 20 million pieces of armaments of all types in a country of six million people, according to the United Nations.
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini asked the council last week to endorse the naval mission's expanded mandate, saying it would "make the Mediterranean a safer place."
Once the council has given its backing, EU foreign ministers are expected to formally task Operation Sophia with combating arms-smuggling when they meet in Luxembourg on Monday.
The move to combat weapons-smuggling coincides with a push to grant the Sarraj government an exemption to the arms embargo for purchases of military equipment needed to confront IS and rival militias.
That request for an exemption, however, is conditional on receiving assurances from the unity government that it will properly store and keep track of the new weapons to prevent them from falling in the wrong hands.
Council members also want Tripoli to provide a clear command structure of the various militias that are now claiming to be fighting on the unity government's behalf.
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