UN extends searches on high seas off Libya for illegal arms

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council has approved a resolution extending the authorization for countries and regional organizations to inspect vessels on the high seas off the coast of Libya suspected of violating the U.N. arms embargo on the troubled north African nation. Friday’s vote on the French-sponsored resolution was 14-0, with Russia abstaining. The brief resolution extends the authorization for inspections for a year. The monitoring effort has been carried out since March 2020 by a European Union mission called Operation Irini. Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said Friday that Operation Irini has not had any successful interceptions of smuggled goods.