UN ignores its own resolution on Libya - political analyst

Russia insists the UN resolution is being violated by allied forces, but these are not purely Russian concerns. There is widening frustration over how the operation in Libya is being conducted, according to political analyst Sergey Strokan.

“Definitely they have gone far beyond the UN Resolution, which was initially installed just to introduce a no-fly zone,” says Sergey Strokan, a political analyst for Kommersant newspaper.“What’s going on now is a totally different story,” he added. “The coalition is definitely taking sides and now they are considering another step: to start a land operation, which could really bring unpredictable results for the country. That’s why this is not only Russia’s concern, this is the concern of quite a big part of international community.”Sergey Strokan agrees that UN is already ignoring its own resolution in the case of Libya.“We have to understand that this is a really complicated issue because initially by adopting this resolution, the UN was also trying to sort of reinvent itself, to show that it is important, it can play a decisive role,” he said. “And as you remember, the resolution came out as a result of carefully-worded compromises.” “All parts were discussed and every step when you go beyond the resolution,” he added. “It makes your credibility at stake, it can be jeopardized simply. And this is what’s happening in Libya.”Speaking about Dmitry Medvedev’s meeting with the UN chief, political analyst Sergey Strokan said Ban Ki-moon could hardly actually be seeking Russia's backing for the allied forces in Libya.“I think that Ban Ki-moon definitely is a practical man, a practical politician, and he can’t expect Russia to support that,” he said. “Russia is opposed to it. In practical terms, what Ban Ki-moon can expect from Russia is just may be to mute its criticism, to slow it down.”

Meanwhile, Jim Brann  from the Stop the War coalition says that NATO has to follow the course, initially set, right up to the beginning of ground intervention."And the logic has to be, I think, ground forces in one way or another," says Brann. "And even if they from time to time refer back to UN Security Council Resolution 1973,  it does not change the fact that they clearly are going for the overthrow of the Tripoli government," he added.