Explanation of vote by Deputy Permanent Representative Anna Evstigneeva after the UNSC vote on a draft resolution on renewal of the special inspection regime off the coast of Libya
Mme.President,
At the outset, let me congratulate the delegation of UAE on assuming Presidency of the Security Council and thank the Swiss delegation for able stewardship of the Council in May.
Russia abstained (exactly as we did last year) during the vote on France-proposed draft UNSC resolution renewing the special inspection regime on the high seas off the coast of Libya with a view to upholding the arms embargo.
May I remind again that Russia was among UNSC members who stood at the origins of the inspection regime. We were convinced that it was important for Libya to have these inspections and we hoped it would help reduce the illegal arms trafficking in this country in Northern Africa.
However, all opportunities unlocked by the special regime of vessel inspections in fact appeared to be in the hands of one regional organization – the European Union. We must state that activities of the operation IRINI did not yield any practical results as far as stabilizing the situation on the ground. Throughout IRINI’s existence, we can hardly recall a single successful interception of smuggled arms. The few incidents that management of the operation victoriously reported raise a multitude of questions, first of all as regards the hastily-made conclusions about the military nature of inspected cargos. This year the situation has not turned any better – the former Jamahiriya is still packed with weapons.
We cannot fail to mention the selectivity of IRINI’s inspections, which is why potential violators of the arms embargo do not seem too wary of this naval operation. Despite the statistics provided, the activity of the EU Naval Force lack transparency. It might seem that our EU colleagues are guided by the desire to secure their presence on the region and “privatize” publicly all efforts promoting the observance of Libyan arms embargo.
Mme.President,
In the year ahead, we will keep monitoring the activities of IRINI, especially in terms of its compliance with the law of the sea and provisions of specialized UNSC resolutions.
Besides, a logical conclusion begs itself that it may not be advisable to transfer all practical aspects of maintaining regional security to only one stakeholder. The case of IRINI, which has not been quite a success, only confirms the fundamental importance of establishing effective and truly multilateral formats in order to develop sustainable solutions to the pressing issues in Libya and the Mediterranean.
Thank you.
