Libyan Foreign Minister reaches out to UN as airspace closed

Libya on Thursday asked the United Nations for help to build up its security forces, with the foreign minister warning that his country could turn into a "failed state".

Libyan Foreign Minister Mohamed Abdelaziz asked the UN Security Council to dispatch experts to train the country's defence and police forces to ensure they can protect oil fields, airports and other vital sites.

"We are not asking for military intervention," said Abdelaziz. "We are asking for a team from the UN specialised in the field of security."

Libya has seen a surge of violence, with Islamist and other militias locked in fighting around Tripoli airport on Sunday. The airport has since been shut amid growing fears of all-out civil war, with the country announcing on Thursday that it would shut much of its airspace for security and technical reasons. 

"Should Libya become a failed state, kidnapped by radical groups and warlords, the consequences would be far-reaching and perhaps beyond control," warned Abdelaziz, while adding that Libya could become a "hub for attracting extremists", feeding radicalism and the arms flow in the region and further afield in Syria. 

"Don't you think that such patterns that are indicative of heading towards a failed state would justify a stronger, more strategic engagement from the Security Council?" he asked.

The 15-member Security Council was expected to issue a statement later on the Libya crisis. The United Nations last week evacuated its staff from Libya after the latest upsurge in fighting.

Abdelaziz said a new UN mission to help train the security forces would ensure Tripoli keeps control of vital oil revenue after militant groups seized oil terminals last year.

The blockades of the oil facilities that finally came to an end earlier this month deprived Libya of more than $30 bn in revenue over 11 months, according to government estimates. 

Airspace closed

Libyan authorities have ordered the closure of the country's airspace - except for its eastern region during the daytime - citing technical problems and a lack of security.

Libyan Civil Aviation Authority head Nasr al-Din Shayeb al-Ain told Turkish Anadolu Agency that aviation authorities had been unable to operate properly after failing to relocate a ground-control room from Tripoli airport to the al-Dhahra area.

At least nine people were killed, and more than 30 injured, in Sunday's violence, which prompted the airport closure. 

Eyewitnesses said three Grad rockets had fallen inside the airport, adding that two planes had been damaged when a fourth rocket struck a runway, they added.

On Thursday, air-traffic controllers went on strike to protest the "bombing" of the airport amid the clashes.

Libyan authorities have struggled to restore law and order since the 2011 ouster and death of long time strongman Muammar Gaddafi, with various militias refusing to lay down their arms.