EU ban on arms sales to Libya due next week - source

BRUSSELS, February 26 (Itar-Tass) -- EU sanctions against Libya may come into force as early as next week, a senior European source told Itar-Tass on Friday evening.
The first block of the EU sanctions will include an embargo on selling to Libya arms and police equipment and a ban on travels to Europe for Muammar Gaddafi and his relatives and entourage, as well as a freeze on their bank accounts.
The decision on sanctions has been taken and they may come into force in early March. Now a list is to be finalized (of persons to whom the sanctions will apply), the source said.
According to Itar-Tass, a number of European countries have already started consultations on launching an international investigation into the bloody events in Libya with the aim to put Gaddafi on trial as a war criminal.
The resolution in favor of sanctions towards Libya may be approved by the UN Security Council members as early as next Saturday, the permanent representative of Brazil at the United Nations Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, told reporters after a meeting of the UN Security Council. It is possible that a decision can be reached on Saturday, said Viotti.
As it became known to journalists from reliable sources on Friday, the draft resolution contained a proposal for an arms embargo against Libya, as well as a freeze on the assets of senior representatives of that country and bans on their trips abroad.
In addition, the draft document states that attacks against innocent Libyans can be regarded as "crimes against humanity." In this case, they may be considered by the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
The theme of Libya was discussed in Hungary on Friday at the informal meeting of the EU defense ministers, which was attended by NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. The same problem was on the agenda of an emergency meeting of the North Atlantic Council at the ambassadorial level in Brussels. The main outcome of these meetings was the achievement of mutual understanding on concerted action to evacuate the 3,500 Europeans still remaining in Libya. According to sources, both meetings considered the key issue of blockading part of Libyan air space by the air forces of the EU and NATO and closing it to flights by Libyan military aircraft in order to "ensure safe evacuation."
So far there have been no official comments on the outcome of this
debate. European diplomats have been saying that such a measure may be
taken "only when there is a relevant UN Security Council mandate."
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that talking about this was premature, but he declared that the alliance would be very closely monitoring the situation in Libya and remain ready for any eventuality.