The U.N. Security Council unanimously voted Thursday to end the mandate for international military action in Libya.

The 15-member council ordered an end to authorization for a no-fly zone and action to protect civilians from 11:59 pm Libyan time on October 31.

The mandate was approved in March after Qaddafi launched an assault on opposition protests.

NATO, which carried out the airstrikes that played a key role in the downfall of Qaddafi, says it is studying new ways to help the National Transitional Council (NTC), which had asked for an extension to the mandate.

Security Council Resolution 2016 also eased an international arms embargo so that the NTC can acquire weapons and equipment for its national security.

It ended an assets freeze on the Libyan National Oil Corporation and virtually all restrictions on the central bank and other key institutions. It completely ended the ban on international flights by registered Libyan planes.

The 15-nation council met to vote on a Russian-drafted resolution.

The plan to cancel the mandate comes despite a request from Libya’s interim government for the Security Council to wait until the NTC makes a decision on whether it wants NATO to help it secure its borders.

 

Source: Al Arabiya; Agencies