Portugal to head UN Libya sanctions committee

The UN Security Council will on Tuesday name Portugal to head its Libya sanctions committee and the first meeting will be held within days, diplomats said Sunday.

Portugal’s ambassador Jose Moraes Cabral will be named to head the committee on Tuesday and he will start talks on Wednesday on the makeup of the committee, UN envoys told AFP.

“His name was agreed by consensus. But there is some urgency now because of events so the first meeting will have to be speeded up. It will be within days,” one diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The UN Security Council passed a resolution on February 26 ordering a travel ban and assets freeze against Moamer Kadhafi and 16 members of his regime, an arms embargo against Libya and a crimes against humanity investigation into Kadhafi’s crackdown against opponents.