Surprisingly, the United Nations Secretary-General’s envoy to Libya, Ghassan Salame, announced Monday that he had asked the Secretary-General to relieve him from his mission in Libya, citing health issues.
Salame wrote on Twitter: “I sought for more than two years to reunite the Libyans, curb external interference, and preserve the unity of the country. Berlin Summit was held, and Resolution 2510 was issued, while the three tracks were launched, despite the hesitation of some parties. Now it’s time to acknowledge that my health no longer allows this much of stress, so I asked the Secretary-General to relieve me of my mission, hoping for peace and stability in Libya.”
Salame is the sixth UN envoy to Libya since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime, as he was preceded by former Jordanian Foreign Minister AbduIlah Al-Khatib and British Ian Martin, followed by Lebanese Minister Tariq Mitri, then Spanish Bernardino Leon, and then German Martin Martin Kobler.
Observers believe that the resignation of Salame raises many questions, especially that it came at this sensitive time, where the United Nations is going on three tracks (political, economic and military), aiming to reach a peaceful solution to the Libyan crisis, which has perplexed all previous international attempts.
Salame, the 69-year-old, reveals in his tweet that his health condition can no longer tolerate the stress he is exposed to during his work as a mediator between the Libyan parties, despite the great determination he shows every time he appears to the media, that he will not give in to the difficult conditions that Libya is going through. Also, he will stick to the ray of hope to get Libya out of the mess.
Libyans will have two international options. Either Secretary General António Guterres tends to Salama’s wish and agrees to request to be excused from his mission – which is more likely – then the Libyans will have to keep an eye on a new person holding the United Nations flag in Libya, or that Salama’s request will be rejected and therefore he must continue his career as a UN envoy in Libya.
