he United Nations Security Council voted Thursday to end the authority of NATO’s mission in Libya.
The council voted 15-0 to terminate the provisions of Resolution 1973, which allowed the use of force to protect civilians and ensure the no-fly zone.
The move effectively ends the council’s authorization for the NATO military operation in Libya just before midnight on Oct. 31. Libya will regain control of its airspace and all military operations on Nov. 1.
“This marks a really important milestone in the transition in Libya,” Mark Lyall Grant, Britain’s ambassador to the UN, said. “It marks the way from the military phase towards the formation of an inclusive government, the full participation of all sectors of society, and for the Libyan people to choose their own future.”
The council’s decision came despite a request from Libya’s deputy UN Ambassador Ibrahim Dabbashi to postpone any move until a formal request had been made by the country’s transitional government, which he hoped would be made by the end of the month.
The UN authorized the no-fly zone on March 17, at the request of the Arab League.
The governing body of NATO is due to meet Friday to discuss the mission in Libya.
Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/10/27/un-security-council-libya-natio-mission.html?cmp=rss
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This is very good news for the people living over there. Once the war ends and the troops pull out then Libyans can continue to experience a new way of life without military checkpoints or evil dictators…a way of life, we in the western world take for granted every day.