The substantial damage caused in the humanitarian, economic and

social spheres by the coercive and unjust measures taken against the

Libyan Arab people under Security Council resolutions 748 (1992) and 883

(1993) continues to worsen day by day. In addition, all infrastructure

development programmes and plans have been adversely affected, thereby

dashing the hopes and aspirations of the Libyan Arab people to achieve

progress, well-being, development, stability, security and peace. Some

particulars of the enormous physical, material and financial damage

sustained by the Libyan people during the period indicated above are

given hereunder.

 

 

                         HUMANITARIAN CONSEQUENCES

 

                         HEALTH AND SOCIAL WELFARE

 

     The sector aims to provide for the health care and social well-being

for all members of society and to achieve the noble goals established by

the international community through its international and regional organi-

zations and agencies. The goal of "Health for All" must be pursued so that

all social groups and segments of society can make solid progress and

objectives in the areas of health and social welfare can be achieved.

 

     In this connection, it should be pointed out that the sector has

sustained enormous material and humanitarian damage, affecting the Libyan

population as a whole and most of the expatriates from Arab and other

friendly countries living in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, as can be seen

from the following examples.

 

1. Some 15,750 persons living in the Jamahiriya are suffering from serious

medical conditions (cardiovascular disease; fractures of the spinal column

and thorax; fractured skulls; chronic eye diseases; detached retinas:

serious burns; cancer and malignant tumours) which require emergency

treatment (neurosurgery; spinal marrow transplants; kidney transplants;

corneal transplants; fitting of prostheses). Owing to the continuation of

the aerial embargo, these individuals, who could not be treated in local

hospitals and health-care facilities, could not be evacuated by air for

treatment in other countries or for necessary medical examinations and

surgery in hospitals and specialized health-care facilities with modern

equipment. Because they could not obtain treatment, most of these patients

died in tragic circumstances.

 

2. More than 780 seriously injured patients (most of whom were the victims

of road accidents) died in ambulances en route to airports in neighbouring

countries so that they could be transported by air for treatment abroad in

spite of the difficulties of the overland journey.

 

 

3. There have been 1,135 stillbirths and 514 women have died in childbirth

in the various hospitals owing to the shortage of medicines, serums and

vaccines. Prior to the aerial embargo, such supplies had been imported

regularly by air, with the usual precautions being taken to preserve their

efficacy and usability. The Libyan Arab Jamahiriya was able in that way to

meet its needs in this area, particularly in emergency situations.

 

4. Owing to the aerial embargo and the consequent increase in overland

traffic, there has been a rise in the number of road accidents. As Libyans

have had to take to the roads linking the major cities in the country,

hundreds have been involved in accidents in which they have been killed or

suffered permanent disability. There have been some 15,260 victims of road

accidents, including 2,560 fatalities. The remaining 12,700 victims are

suffering from serious injuries or permanent disabilities.

 

More than 18,200 public and privately owned vehicles have been damaged,

for an estimated cost of $1,450,000.

 

5. The number of diabetics who have died has increased, owing to the

unavailability of serums and medicines.

 

6. The shortage of poliomyelitis vaccine, which continues to worsen, has

impeded the implementation of periodic or annual therapeutic, preventive

and awareness-raising programmes connected with national and international

immunization campaigns with specific timetables. Many Libyan and other

children have thus been prevented from receiving doses at the prescribed

times in accordance with the guidelines of the World Health Organization

(WHO) and national public health laws and regulations.

 

7. Therapeutic and preventive services for school health programmes have

been suspended, as have the programmes and activities of mother-and-child

health-care centres and centres for the mentally retarded and physically

handicapped.

 

8. International pharmaceutical companies have been slow in supplying the

health and social welfare sector and hospital establishments with essen-

tial pharmaceuticals and equipment needed to treat and prevent diseases.

 

9. Companies specializing in the maintenance of air ambulances have

refused to supply the spare parts needed to maintain the country's fleet

and other on-board equipment. These aircraft, which service Libyan citi-

zens and expatriates alike, are no longer able to perform fully their

humanitarian mission, whether in Libya or abroad, given the country's

extensive land area.

 

10. Delays have consistently occurred in the delivery of some medical

supplies (serums, vaccines, blood products, hormones, reagents used in

AIDS testing, radioactive iodine, etc.) because they are now shipped

overland or by sea. Such supplies are usually shipped by air (so that the

normal measures can be taken to preserve their efficacy); special permis-

sion must now be sought for the purchase of such items. When they arrive

in Libya, most of these supplies (in particular, poliomyelitis vaccine)

have lost their efficacy (having been stored under improper conditions)

which has resulted in an increase in the number of deaths among infants

and women, particularly in childbirth, and disarray in the provision of

health services generally.

 

11. Losses estimated at around $180,800,000 have been experienced in the

health and social welfare sector owing to the maintenance of the aerial

embargo against the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, which has caused delays in the

shipment of medical supplies. The Libyan Arab Jamahiriya obtains supplies

from specialized international companies to meet the needs of a variety of

institutions (medical schools, technical institutes, rehabilitation

centres and homes for the elderly).

 

12. Maintenance of the aerial embargo has dealt a serious blow to preven-

tive and curative health services provided under international technical

cooperation agreements. The country is endeavouring to develop, strengthen

and maintain such agreements with various countries in order to develop

the health and social welfare sector and modernize its hospitals with the

aim of providing improved medical, therapeutic and prophylactic services

for all its citizens.

 

13. The maintenance of the embargo has also impeded cooperation programmes

between the People's Committee for Health and Social Welfare and the

bodies under it, on the one hand, and WHO, on the other. Most of the

visits which international experts and WHO teams were to make to Libya

have been cancelled or postponed, which has adversely affected all the

major health care and preventive health programmes and hampered efforts to

promote and modernize the health and social welfare sector. The failure or

stagnation of international cooperation in this area would prevent Libya

from achieving the targets set by WHO and pursuing the WHO strategy of

"Health for All by the Year 2000".

 

14. More than 360 medical specialists and highly qualified instructors

from universities and medical centres from around the world have been

unable to come to the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya to treat patients with

serious conditions, perform delicate surgical procedures in public hospi-

tals, conduct examinations in the country's medical schools at different

times of the year, and participate in conferences, symposia and courses

organized in the country.

 

15. The growing shortage of spare parts has resulted in a deterioration in

the maintenance of modern medical equipment used in hospitals and medical

centres. In addition, there is the lack of technical skills in most

hospitals and health establishments in major cities and villages alike.

 

16. More than 8,500 medical doctors of various nationalities have been

unable to come to the country to work in the health and social welfare

sector because of the difficulties and hardships presented by the main-

tenance of the aerial embargo. Some 6,400 medical specialists in various

fields have not renewed their contracts, which has adversely affected the

quality of health care in the majority of hospitals and other health

facilities.

 

                                     

 

                           ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES

 

                    I. AGRICULTURE AND ANIMAL HUSBANDRY

 

     Since 15 April 1992, the implementation of the sanctions under

Security Council resolutions 748 (1992) and 883 (1993) has inflicted

serious damage and caused major financial losses in the agriculture and

animal husbandry sector. These have affected all companies and institu-

tions in the sector, as well as related development programmes. Agricul-

tural output and meat production have fallen off markedly, resulting in

financial losses estimated at $5,982,249,782.

 

 

                                  Table 1

 

              Output                                Shortfall

        --------------------                  ----------------------

 

        Target         Actual                 Amount          

      (Thousands     (Thousands             (Thousands         Value       

       of tons)       of tons)               of tons)        (dollars)

 

 

Wheat    455 502        153 760                301 742       53 922 984

 

Barley   942 294        369 448                472 846       64 555 289

 

Legumes   46 243         21 400                 24 843        6 039 750

 

Fodder   805 994        621 316                285 278       73 807 256

 

 

Total  2 250 033      1 165 924              1 084 709      198 325 279

 

 

 

 

                     II.  TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATIONS

 

     The transport and communications sector has suffered severely since

the coercive sanctions were first imposed on Libya on 15 April 1992.  Not

only has this sector sustained heavy material damage and financial losses,

but there have been moral and psychological aspects as well, which have

adversely affected the capabilities, aspirations and morale of all trans-

port and communication workers.  Financial losses are estimated at

$1,157,523,500.

 

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

                       Sector                          Financial losses

                                                           (dollars)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Libyan Arab Airlines                                     719 680 000

 

Socialist Airport Company                                 65 962 500

 

Light Air Transport Company                               22 337 000

 

Libyan Arab Air Freight Company                          179 300 000

 

General Board for Civil Aviation                          49 000 000

 

National General Maritime Transport Company               56 034 000

 

Socialist Ports Corporation                                4 000 000

 

General Postal and Telecommunications Corporation         49 210 000

 

Road network                                              12 000 000

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Total financial losses                                 1 157 523 500

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

 

                         III. INDUSTRY AND MINING

 

     Since the mandatory sanctions under Security Council resolutions 748

(1992) and 883 (1993) were first imposed, the industry and mining sector

has continued to suffer considerable losses and other material damages.

The total financial loss resulting from these increasingly adverse effects

on all aspects of industrial development amounts to approximately

$4,150,677,942, which can largely be ascribed to the following: (...)

 

 

 

                           IV. FINANCE AND TRADE

 

Like all the other vital sectors, the finance and trade sector has suf-

fered on account of the air embargo imposed on the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya

by Security Council resolutions 748 (1992) and 883 (1993). The total

financial losses in the sector are currently estimated at $4,257,000,000,

primarily owing to the following: (...)

 

 

 

                   V. ENERGY (PETROLEUM AND ELECTRICITY)

 

The energy sector (petroleum and electricity) has suffered considerable

material losses as a result of the mandatory sanctions applied pursuant to

Security Council resolutions 748 (1992) and 883 (1993), and negative

repercussions have been felt in most of the vital facilities and economic

entities of that sector. The financial losses suffered by the sector are

in the order of $3 billion.

 

                              [END OF EXCERPTS]

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                   Edited by Ingrid Solem  isolem@igc.apc.org