Hassan Al-Warfalli (Benghazi)
The Acting Head of the UN Mission to Libya, Stephanie Khoury, confirmed that she held several meetings with various parties in eastern and western Libya, noting that the Libyans she met expressed the need to reach a political agreement and restore the legitimacy of institutions to hold elections.
Khoury said, in her first briefing before the UN Security Council yesterday, that these meetings included political and military officials and representatives of women, civil society and cultural components, noting that she would continue these consultations and would visit other regions in Libya.
She added that she “discussed the proposals that were presented to her, namely the shape of the future political process, the role of the five bodies, and the importance of having an agreement to ensure that the parties respect the election results.”
She explained that during the consultations, she presented ideas regarding the political road map and the file for forming the government to push towards elections, and address the drivers of conflict such as security, economy, governance system, and centralization.
The UN envoy continued by saying that she “listened to the concerns of the Libyan people, including their political opinions under Libyan leadership and ownership,” stressing that the Libyans want to stop the causes of the conflict and focus on economic growth.
Khoury said that the Election Commission’s announcement of the start of voter registration in 60 municipalities is an important step despite the decline in women’s participation.
In this context, the British delegate to the Security Council called on the leaders of Libya to provide the required support to hold the municipal council elections, which the High National Elections Commission has begun preparing for.
She said: “Libya’s prosperity depends on political stability in a unified country with transparent institutions.”
She continued that the continued closure of civil space threatens Libya’s stability and future, calling on the Libyan authorities to maintain the rule of law and prevent violations.
The British representative confirmed that “the expert group of the International Sanctions Committee continues to describe the arms embargo on Libya as completely ineffective in light of the countries in the Security Council ignoring it.”
In this context, France’s representative to the Security Council, Broad Hurst, considered holding presidential and parliamentary elections and forming a unified government in Libya essential for getting out of the current impasse.
In her speech before the UN Security Council, she called for allocating the necessary resources to the Electoral Commission to conduct and secure municipal elections.
The French delegate stressed the need for all foreign forces to leave Libya to restore its sovereignty, and to encourage all efforts to unify the armed forces under the leadership of the “5+5” committee.
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