Chinese UN envoy calls for proper handling of Libya sanctions

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UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese UN envoy on Monday called for handling the sanctions on Libya properly as they are "not an end in themselves" but means to "serve the political solution" to the Libyan issue.

At a Security Council meeting on Libya, Chinese Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Wu Haitao said given the current volatile circumstances, the UN-imposed arms embargo on Libya should be implemented strictly, but the negative impacts of sanctions in other areas on the civilians in Libya and other countries should be avoided.

"They should not harm the overall interest of the country or hamper the normal life of humanitarian needs of these people," Wu stressed.

He noted that Libya has expressed its concern over the continuous depreciation of its frozen assets and related losses, saying the council's committee monitoring the sanctions' implementation should accelerate its work on finding proper ways to respond to the legitimate concerns of Libya.

The committee, together with the UN Secretariat and council's panel of experts on the sanctions, should strictly abide by its mandate and carry out its work in an impartial and objective manner, he urged.

Libya has been struggling to make a democratic transition amid insecurity and chaos since the fall of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

The instability resulted in a divided country, with the internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) overseeing the west and a rival government in the east. Each is backed by an array of armed groups fighting over resources and territories.

In early April, the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army launched an operation in an attempt to take over Tripoli. The GNA has since been fighting the eastern-based fighters around the Libyan capital.

Before Wu spoke, Ghassan Salame, head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), said in Tripoli the effects of the renewed conflict continue to impact the civilian population.

Salame reported that more than 200 civilians have been killed and more than 128,000 people have fled their homes since the conflict began on April 4; more than 135,000 civilians remain in frontline areas, and an additional 270,000 people live in areas directly affected by conflict. Enditem

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