WASHINGTON – The draft sanctions resolution on Libya presented by the United Nations includes an arms embargo, as well as travel bans and asset freezes for the country's top 23 leaders.
Diplomats in New York stated that the Security Council has already discussed the proposal, which was drafted by France and Britain, and is similar in content to the proposal approved by the European Union on Friday.
It is still unclear when the Security Council is scheduled to vote on the draft resolution, but diplomats estimate it may happen in the next 24 hours.
In addition to Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi, the list includes his eight children, Khamis, Hannibal, Muhammad, Saif al-Islam, Saif al- Arab, Mutassim, Saadi and Ayesha.
The document also names Libyan army Commander Massoud Abdelhafid, Defense Minister Abu Bakr Yunis Jaber, Intelligence Commander Abdallah al-Sanusi, senior officials in the Libyan secret service and Gaddafi's cousins – Sayyed and Ahmed Gadhaf al-Dam – who are suspected of involvement in arms sale and terror activity aimed against Libyan citizens living abroad.
Grafitti slogan in Misurata, Libya (Photo: AFP)
On Thursday, Ahmed Gadhaf al-Dam announced that he is defecting to Egypt in protest of "the serious violations of international law and human rights by Libyan authorities."
Security Council members were also considering imposing a "no-fly" zone over Libya, as was enacted in Iraq between the years 1991-2003.
The proposal came on the backdrop of reports that Gaddafi is using the Air Force to bomb protesters in cities and towns around the country.
Following United States President Barack Obama's public statement against the violence in the North African country, Washington has been applying pressure on Security Council members in order to quickly approve the sanctions.
The Obama administration on Friday said it is freezing all assets in the United States held by the Libyan government, Gaddafi and four of his children, and abandoning the US Embassy in Tripoli.
On Friday night, Obama accused Gaddafi of violating "human rights, brutalization of its people and outrageous threats."
In a statement issued by the White House, the president said "Gaddafi, his government and close associates have taken extreme measures against the people of Libya, including by using weapons of war, mercenaries and wanton violence against unarmed civilians."