Explanation of Vote by Ambassador Susan E. Rice, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, at a Security Council Meeting on the Situation in Libya

Susan E. Rice
U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations 
U.S. Mission to the United Nations 

New York, NY

September 16, 2011

AS DELIVERED

Through Resolution 2009, the Council has unanimously affirmed its willingness to support the Libyan people in their efforts to restore order and bring about democracy. In this resolution, as well as the General Assembly's approval earlier today of the Transitional National Council’s credentials to represent Libya, we all stand witness to the birth of a new Libya.

This resolution responds directly to the requests from the Transitional National Council for international assistance during this period of change. We encourage the United Nations, including through its newly-established UN Support Mission in Libya, to develop a close and collaborative relationship with Libya’s new leaders. We look forward to the naming of a Special Representative of the Secretary General to lead the new mission, and we are encouraged by the Secretary-General’s determination to get UN personnel on the ground as soon as possible.

We wish to express our profound appreciation for the service of Special Envoy Abdul Ilah al-Khatib, and we look forward to continued close cooperation with post-conflict coordinator Ian Martin as he works with the TNC on transition issues in the days ahead.

The United States particularly welcomes the Council's decision to scale back and modify the sanctions the Council imposed on Libya seven months ago in response to Qadhafi's violence against his people.

As a result, the Libyan authorities will be able to reenergize the Libyan economy while some measures are kept in place to ensure that previously-frozen funds are released in a transparent and responsible way—as the situation normalizes and the transition proceeds—and are released in the interest of the people of Libya.

In the weeks and months and ahead, we hope that the Council, in close consultation with the new Libyan government, will respond to the situation on the ground by adopting further resolutions to provide support for the Libyan people.

As Libya begins this new era, the United States offers our very best wishes to the Libyan people, who suffered for many years under one of the world's most brutal dictatorships. We stand fully ready to assist Libya's citizens in building a new society based on democracy, pluralism and the rule of law.

Thank you, Mr. President.

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