File photo. [AP]
UN Security Council members decided not to renew the legal mandate underpinning the European Union naval mission Irini off Libya, allowing the operation to continue after May 25 without UN authorization for inspections enforcing the arms embargo. Greece and France, which drafted Resolution 2292 in 2016 authorizing inspections off Libya, did not seek renewal of the measure before its annual expiration.
The move followed extensive internal European Union discussions over separating the mission from the Security Council framework in the name of greater European autonomy. Libya also sought to expand the mission’s mandate to include an embargo on oil and petroleum products, but the proposal met resistance from council members who considered such restrictions contrary to their interests. Officials also feared that a veto by a permanent Security Council member could damage the credibility of Operation Irini and worsen tensions between rival camps in Tripoli and Benghazi.
The Rome-based mission, supported primarily by Italy, France and Greece, will now focus more directly on European security interests in the Mediterranean.
Since launching in 2020, the operation has involved contributions from 24 European Union member-states, although it ultimately depends on Italy, France and Greece militarily.
