United Nations Security Council Resolution 883
Encyclopedia
UN Security Council Resolution
883, adopted on 11 November 1993, after reaffirming resolutions 731
(1992) and 748
(1992), the Council noted that, twenty months later, Libya
had not complied with previous Security Council resolutions and as a consequence imposed further international sanctions
on the country.
The Council expressed its determination to eliminate international terrorism and that those responsible for acts of terrorism would be brought to justice
. In the context that the suppression of these acts is essential for international peace and security, it was noted that Libya had refused to comply with previous Security Council resolutions and its renunciation of terrorism, which the Council determined to be a threat to international peace and security. At the same time, letters from representatives of Libya in which it stated its intention to encourage those accused of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103
over Lockerbie
, Scotland and the bombing of UTA Flight 772
over Chad
and Niger
to co-operate with the concerned authorities was noted.
Acting under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter
, the Council demanded that Libya comply with resolutions 731 and 748. To ensure the Libyan government's compliance with the aforementioned resolutions, the following measures would take effect as of 00:01 EST
on 1 December 1993. Firstly, all countries were required to freeze Libyan funds or other financial resources in their territory, though this would not apply to funds or other financial resources derived from the sale or supply of petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas and gas products and agricultural products. Furthermore sales, marketing or licensing of the following were prohibited:
large pumps and motors used for transporting oil and gas; equipment for oil terminal
s; large pumps that could be used for oil transport; refining
equipment; spare parts for any of the above.
The Council also decided that, to make the provisions of Resolution 748 effective, all countries should:
close offices of Libyan Arab Airlines; prohibit commercial transactions, including tickets, with Libyan Arab Airlines; prohibit aircraft or accessories available for service, and maintenance or servicing of aircraft in Libya; prohibit the supply of construction materials, improvement or maintenance of Libyan airports; prohibit advice, assistance or training to Libyan pilot
s, flight engineers or maintenance personnel; prohibit any renewal of insurance for Libyan aircraft continue to significantly reduce staff at Libyan diplomatic mission
s and consular posts.
The Committee established by the Security Council in Resolution 748 was instructed to draw up guidelines for the implementation of the above measures and to deal with requests for assistance under Article 50 of the United Nations Charter
for countries that suffered indirectly as a result of the sanctions. All states and international organisations were urged to co-operate with the provisions of the current resolution and to report to the Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali
on measures they had taken to implement the resolution. At the same time, Libya was urged to co-operate, while the Council affirmed that the present resolution did not affect its Libya's duty to adhere to all of its obligations concerning servicing and repayment of foreign debt. Measures taken by the Council would be reviewed after noting co-operation by Libya with regard to the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 and UTA Flight 772.
Resolution 883 was adopted by 11 votes to none, with four abstention
s from China
, Djibouti, Morocco
and Pakistan
. Russia
had previously threatened to veto
the resolution, but after negotiations supported the provisions after stating its intention to recover the debt owed to it by Libya over purchases of weapon
s.
Libya responded by closing its borders with Tunisia
and Egypt
for three days, denouncing the resolution as a product of hostile policy from the United Nations and affirming the need to seek a resolution to the crisis as soon as possible.
United Nations Security Council Resolution
A United Nations Security Council resolution is a UN resolution adopted by the fifteen members of the Security Council; the UN body charged with "primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security"....
883, adopted on 11 November 1993, after reaffirming resolutions 731
United Nations Security Council Resolution 731
UN Security Council Resolution 731, adopted unanimously on 21 January 1992, after recalling resolutions 286 and 635 which condemned acts of terrorism, the Council expressed its concern over the results of invesigations into the destruction of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, and UTA...
(1992) and 748
United Nations Security Council Resolution 748
UN Security Council Resolution 748, adopted unanimously on 31 March 1992, after reaffirming Resolution 731 , the Council decided, under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, that the Government of Libya must now comply with requests from investigations relating to the destruction of Pan Am...
(1992), the Council noted that, twenty months later, Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
had not complied with previous Security Council resolutions and as a consequence imposed further international sanctions
International sanctions
International sanctions are actions taken by countries against others for political reasons, either unilaterally or multilaterally.There are several types of sanctions....
on the country.
The Council expressed its determination to eliminate international terrorism and that those responsible for acts of terrorism would be brought to justice
Justice
Justice is a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, or equity, along with the punishment of the breach of said ethics; justice is the act of being just and/or fair.-Concept of justice:...
. In the context that the suppression of these acts is essential for international peace and security, it was noted that Libya had refused to comply with previous Security Council resolutions and its renunciation of terrorism, which the Council determined to be a threat to international peace and security. At the same time, letters from representatives of Libya in which it stated its intention to encourage those accused of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103
Pan Am Flight 103
Pan Am Flight 103 was Pan American World Airways' third daily scheduled transatlantic flight from London Heathrow Airport to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport...
over Lockerbie
Lockerbie
Lockerbie is a town in the Dumfries and Galloway region of south-western Scotland. It lies approximately from Glasgow, and from the English border. It had a population of 4,009 at the 2001 census...
, Scotland and the bombing of UTA Flight 772
UTA Flight 772
UTA Flight 772 of the French airline Union des Transports Aériens was a scheduled flight operating from Brazzaville in the Republic of Congo, via N'Djamena in Chad, to Paris CDG airport in France....
over Chad
Chad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
and Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
to co-operate with the concerned authorities was noted.
Acting under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter
Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter
Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter sets out the UN Security Council's powers to maintain peace. It allows the Council to "determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression" and to take military and nonmilitary action to "restore international peace...
, the Council demanded that Libya comply with resolutions 731 and 748. To ensure the Libyan government's compliance with the aforementioned resolutions, the following measures would take effect as of 00:01 EST
Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
on 1 December 1993. Firstly, all countries were required to freeze Libyan funds or other financial resources in their territory, though this would not apply to funds or other financial resources derived from the sale or supply of petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas and gas products and agricultural products. Furthermore sales, marketing or licensing of the following were prohibited:
large pumps and motors used for transporting oil and gas; equipment for oil terminal
Oil depot
An oil depot is an industrial facility for the storage of oil and/or petrochemical products and from which these products are usually transported to end users or further storage facilities...
s; large pumps that could be used for oil transport; refining
Refining
Refining is the process of purification of a substance or a form. The term is usually used of a natural resource that is almost in a usable form, but which is more useful in its pure form. For instance, most types of natural petroleum will burn straight from the ground, but it will burn poorly...
equipment; spare parts for any of the above.
The Council also decided that, to make the provisions of Resolution 748 effective, all countries should:
close offices of Libyan Arab Airlines; prohibit commercial transactions, including tickets, with Libyan Arab Airlines; prohibit aircraft or accessories available for service, and maintenance or servicing of aircraft in Libya; prohibit the supply of construction materials, improvement or maintenance of Libyan airports; prohibit advice, assistance or training to Libyan pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
s, flight engineers or maintenance personnel; prohibit any renewal of insurance for Libyan aircraft continue to significantly reduce staff at Libyan diplomatic mission
Diplomatic mission
A diplomatic mission is a group of people from one state or an international inter-governmental organisation present in another state to represent the sending state/organisation in the receiving state...
s and consular posts.
The Committee established by the Security Council in Resolution 748 was instructed to draw up guidelines for the implementation of the above measures and to deal with requests for assistance under Article 50 of the United Nations Charter
United Nations Charter
The Charter of the United Nations is the foundational treaty of the international organization called the United Nations. It was signed at the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center in San Francisco, United States, on 26 June 1945, by 50 of the 51 original member countries...
for countries that suffered indirectly as a result of the sanctions. All states and international organisations were urged to co-operate with the provisions of the current resolution and to report to the Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali
Boutros Boutros-Ghali
Boutros Boutros-Ghali is an Egyptian politician and diplomat who was the sixth Secretary-General of the United Nations from January 1992 to December 1996...
on measures they had taken to implement the resolution. At the same time, Libya was urged to co-operate, while the Council affirmed that the present resolution did not affect its Libya's duty to adhere to all of its obligations concerning servicing and repayment of foreign debt. Measures taken by the Council would be reviewed after noting co-operation by Libya with regard to the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 and UTA Flight 772.
Resolution 883 was adopted by 11 votes to none, with four abstention
Abstention
Abstention is a term in election procedure for when a participant in a vote either does not go to vote or, in parliamentary procedure, is present during the vote, but does not cast a ballot. Abstention must be contrasted with "blank vote", in which a voter casts a ballot willfully made invalid by...
s from China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, Djibouti, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
had previously threatened to veto
Veto
A veto, Latin for "I forbid", is the power of an officer of the state to unilaterally stop an official action, especially enactment of a piece of legislation...
the resolution, but after negotiations supported the provisions after stating its intention to recover the debt owed to it by Libya over purchases of weapon
Weapon
A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...
s.
Libya responded by closing its borders with Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
for three days, denouncing the resolution as a product of hostile policy from the United Nations and affirming the need to seek a resolution to the crisis as soon as possible.
See also
- Chadian–Libyan conflict
- Foreign relations of LibyaForeign relations of LibyaThe foreign relations of Libya under Gaddafi underwent much fluctuation and change. They were marked by severe tension with the West and by Gaddafi's activist policies in the Middle East and Africa, including his financial and military support for...
- Investigation into the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103Investigation into the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103The investigation into the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 began at 19:03 on December 21, 1988 when Pan Am Flight 103 was blown up over Lockerbie in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The perpetrators had intended the plane to crash into the sea, destroying any traceable evidence, but the late departure...
- List of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 801 to 900 (1993–1994)