Acting under Chapter VII of the UN Charter which provides for the use of force if needed, the Council adopted a resolution. by 10 votes to zero, with five abstentions, authorizing Member States “to take all necessary measures… to protect civilians and civilian populated areas under threat of attack in the Libyan Arab Jamhariya, including Benghazi, while excluding an occupation force."
The abstentions included China and Russia, which have the power of veto, as well as Brazil, Germany and India.
- UN News Centre
