LIBYA COMMITTEE APPROVES PILGRIMAGE FLIGHTS
Press Release
SC/6343
LIBYA COMMITTEE APPROVES PILGRIMAGE FLIGHTS
19970319 Following is the text of the statement issued today by the Chairman of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 748 (1992) concerning Libya, on behalf of the members of the Committee:The Committee today approved a request dated 5 March 1997 from Egypt for 45 flights on Egypt Air from Cairo, Egypt, to Tripoli and Benghazi, Libya, and on to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and an equal number of return flights, for the purpose of transporting Libyan pilgrims to perform Haj.
Similar to the previous year, the Committee approved the Egyptian request with the following conditions: (i) the Government of Egypt will communicate to the Committee, in advance, the exact schedule, routing and aircraft registration number for each flight; (ii) all flights shall be direct, non-stop between the authorized destinations; (iii) none of the aircraft shall be owned by, leased from or controlled by Libya or any Libyan entity; (iv) neither the Government or public authorities of Libya nor any Libyan undertaking shall, directly or indirectly, benefit financially from such flights, pursuant to paragraphs 3 (a) and (b) of Security Council resolution 883 (1993); and (v) pursuant to the Guidelines approved by the Committee, the aircraft must be inspected to ensure that they are operating exclusively for the declared humanitarian purposes and in accordance with the relevant provisions of Security Council resolution 748 (1992). Accordingly, these inspections will be effected at Cairo, Tripoli, Benghazi and Jeddah on both the inbound and outbound flights with the participation of United Nations officials.
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