UN head says Libya is ready for mediation to end chaos

Libya is “ripe” for mediation and an end to chaos, UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres told the Security Council before its unanimous vote to renew UNSMIL’s mandate for another year.

At a press conference after the meeting Guterres said that he believed that in the short term, progress could be made. He said that all Libyans and every country with influence in Libya should “to seize this opportunity to be able to overcome the divisions and move in the direction of a solution”.

Libya’s acting UN ambassador, chargé d’affaires Elmahdi Saleh Elmajerbi welcomed the vote saying that the political crisis had to be resolved. “This is the key which will allow us to overcome all of the other challenges facing my country”.

There needed to be a clear separation of legislative, executive and judicial powers, he said, adding “and we need a single united army which will work under the authority of a civilian power”.

The Security Council today extended for one year the mandate of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), focused on supporting the North African country's political process and key national institutions, as well as coordination of international assistance.

Unanimously adopting a new resolution, the Council extended UNSMIL's mandate through 15 September 2018, during which time it would exercise mediation and 'good offices' to support an inclusive political process within the framework of the Libyan Political Agreement; continued implementation of the Agreement; and consolidation of the governance, security and economic arrangements of the Government of National Accord (GNA), among others.

The Council further decided that UNSMIL, within operational and security constraints, should undertake, among others, support to key Libyan institutions; human rights monitoring and reporting; support for securing uncontrolled arms and related materiel and countering their spread; and coordination of international assistance, and provision of advice and assistance to GNA-led efforts to stabilize post-conflict zones, including those liberated from Da'esh (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL).

Emphasizing the importance of continued inclusiveness, the Council also strongly encouraged the GNA to engage with all parties in support of reconciliation and to enhance political outreach throughout Libya, and urged all parties and institutions in Libya to engage constructively with the Libyan Political Agreement in good faith and with sustained political will.

On the other hand, UN special envoy Ghassan Salamé is to travel to Moscow tomorrow for to brief Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov on his amendments to the Libyan Political Agreement (LPA) and his plan to end the Libyan crisis, according to reports in the Russian capital.

Salamé is in London today, doing the same thing – presenting his proposals to a foreign ministerial level meeting of the American, British, Egyptian, French, Italian and UAE governments.

Russia, which backs the LPA but which was not invited to the London meeting, is pursuing an active diplomacy on Libya, talking to all sides and urging them to take part in dialogue. Last week saw the Beida government’s foreign minister Mohamed Dayri in Moscow. This week, Khalifa Hafter’s spokesman, Ahmed Mismari, was there, and Lavrov is due to have talks with Presidency Council deputy head Ahmed Maetig before the end of the week.

Lining up all permanent members of the UN Security Council behind Salamé’s plans is necessary because it will have to vote on them and extend the period of the LPA before 17 December – the date, in most Libyan eyes, when the tenure of the Presidency Council and the House of Representatives expires.