Author: Libyan Gazette Editorial Staff
UN Envoy Kobler Condemns East Libya’s Sales of Illegal Oil
UN Envoy, Martin Kobler, said he condemned the House of Representative’s attempts to “illicitly” export crude oil from its breakaway NOC, accusing the eastern government of not acting under the authority of the legitimate governing body of Libya, the Government of National Accord.
Kobler, who is the UN Special Representative to Libya, tweeted today “UNSCR 2278:Condemns attempts to illicitly export crude oil frm #Libya, including by parallel institutions which r not acting under #GNA auth” after news broke that authorities in eastern Libya vowed to export more oil in defiance of the GNA based in Tripoli.
It was reported on Tuesday that the eastern government’s unrecognized oil company found a buyer for its illegal shipment of 650,000 barrels of crude oil in UAE trading company DSA Consultancy FZC and expected to be paid within a month, in an act that threatens to undermine the unification of Libya under the internationally and UN-backed GNA.
The Distya Ameya, the Indian-flagged tanker, which left the port of Marsa El-Hariga late Monday was not allowed to dock in Malta and is currently south-east of Malta in the Mediterranean Sea. On Wednesday the United Nations Security Council Libya Sanctions Committee blacklisted the Distya Ameya in a move that would prevent the ship from entering any ports.
Representatives from the NOC based in Tripoli said they are hoping international forces seize the illegal shipment of oil, with NOC spokesman, Mohamed Elharari, saying that they were“waiting for the coalition forces to return the cargo to Libya,” reported Bloomberg. The NOC in Tripoli is the country’s only legitimate seller of oil in Libya and is under the leadership of the GNA.
The GNA is working alongside international support in order to represent both factions in Libya and any independent sales of crude oil by the HOR would undermine the Libyan Political Agreement.
