The UN
Security Council has passed a resolution allowing EU naval forces to intercept
and seize vessels smuggling refugees on high seas. The migrants should be
treated with "humanity and dignity," the document says.
Deutsche Welle, 9 Oct 2015
The
resolution, which the council approved on Friday, can be militarily enforced
under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter.
By
approving the British-drafted document, Security Council provided international
backing for the EU initiative to stem the flow of refugees from Libya to the
European coast.
Earlier
this week, EU-members sent several warships to international waters off the
coast of Libya with orders to board and search smuggler's boats, arrest human
trafficking suspects and transport any migrants to Europe.
The
resolution provides UN authorization for one year and asks for the refugees
found on the ships to be "treated with humanity and dignity."
Hope for
Libya
British UN
Ambassador Matthew Rycroft welcomed Friday's decision, saying that smugglers
must not be allowed to "profit from others' despair."
"Action
against smugglers on the high sea won't solve this crisis alone," he said.
"But it will send a message that people cannot profit from this evil trade
with impunity. It will save lives."
The
original draft of the resolution would also allow the EU forces to sink
smugglers vessels after seizing them. The final document, however, says that
action on disposal must be taken "with due consideration of the interests
of any third parties who have acted in good faith."
The EU also
initially wanted a naval operation in Libyan territorial waters and along its
coast, but Libya objected.
The north
African country is only beginning to overcome a power struggle between two
governments, making political action difficult and leaving a power vacuum used
by the smugglers.
Venezuela
express doubts
Despite
initial doubts from Russia and several African countries on the Security
Council, the resolution passed with 14 votes in favor.
Venezuela
abstaining from the vote, with its UN ambassador, Rafael Dario Ramirez Carreno,
stating that the humanitarian crisis should not be solved by military action.
"The
resolution that has been adopted authorizing use of force in our opinion is a
disproportionate action, which sets a dangerous precedent for the treatment of
this topic in the future," he said.
While the
EU naval mission aims to curbing the influx of migrants coming across Libya, it
does not apply to the so-called Balkan route, where refugees sail from Turkey
to Greece.
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