US, Russia Derail UN Call for Libya Ceasefire

Russia rejects blaming Hafter, US won't say why they oppose it

Britain’s push for a UN Security Council resolution demanding a ceasefire in Libya has been derailed, with both the United States and Russia declining to support the measure.

A closed door meeting on Thursday ended with no agreement on a draft resolution. Britain’s text heavily criticized Khalifa Hafter, and blamed him fully for the fighting. Russia objected to that portion of the text.

The US opposition is a lot less clear, as they gave no public reason for why they objected to the resolution. They also declined comment to the media after the closed-door meeting.

Though the US isn’t publicly backing Hafter, several key regional allies, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, are. Hafter also has a history of working for the CIA, and some reports have suggested the US was keen on enhancing his power as a way to resolve the current fighting.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.