The Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, stressed that the path towards a unified and stable Libya is through the ballot boxes, stressing the international community’s support for the efforts to hold elections.
Meanwhile, the representative of the United Kingdom in the Security Council, said during an open session of the Security Council on Monday, to discuss the latest developments in Libya, that the postponement of elections was disappointing, calling for the restoration of momentum, and the withdrawal of foreign forces and mercenaries from the country without delay through the plan prepared by the 5+5 Joint Military Commission.
The representative of Ireland in the Security Council expressed her aspiration to renew the mandate of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya at the end of this month, and to support the efforts of the Electoral Commission, which prepared the country for general elections, referring to the humanitarian situation in Libya, in addition to monitoring the need of more than a quarter of a million children for humanitarian assistance.
The concerns of the security situation in Libya were the focus of the speech of the representative of Kenya in the Security Council. He indicated that the deterioration of the security situation in Libya had a negative impact on the African continent and West African countries in particular, calling for a greater African role in resolving the Libyan conflict, which he stressed would not be resolved without the support of national dialogue and reconciliation away from military solutions, and by holding free elections that lead to legitimate results.
The Kenyan representative expressed his fear that peace in Libya would be undermined by the presence of foreign forces and mercenaries, condemning at the same time what he described as the horrific treatment of illegal immigrants in Libya, and rejecting the maritime objection to them and their return to Libya.
In their words, the members of the Security Council agreed to support the political track and hold elections, as the representative of Brazil and Albania called for elections to be held in Libya in conjunction with a constitutional basis that achieves stability, considering it the only way to address the current challenges, and stressed that obstructionists must be held accountable.
The representative of India expressed concern about the violation of the arms embargo in Libya, stressing the need to prevent terrorists from operating in Libya, as they had had negatively affected the African Sahel region. The representative expressed hope that the Libyan House of Representatives would reach an agreement that would end internal disputes.
The representative of Mexico praised the efforts to unify the Central Bank of Libya, supporting the renewal of the mandate of the UN mission, which should work in line with the Libyans to set a new date for elections within 18 months, according to the timetable specified in the road map. The representative stressed the need to respect the arms embargo on Libya, and seek to expel foreign forces and mercenaries in coordination with neighboring countries.
The representative of France reiterated his country’s calls to organize the elections without delay, and the need for Libyans to set a timetable for the elections, stressing the need for the candidates to step down from their jobs and for the international community to maintain the electoral momentum, in accordance with the road map prepared by the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum.
The French representative added that the Libyan elections are an opportunity to turn the page of the conflict, as it will lead to a legitimate government that fights corruption and protects human rights, reminding obstructionists that they can be subject to sanctions, and calling for the mercenaries to be expelled in a Libyan-owned operation in coordination with neighboring countries.
The Russian representative criticized the stalemate and the lack of progress in the military track led by the Joint Military Commission, calling for additional measures to be taken to prevent a renewal of violence, and expressing concern about the vacuum in the leadership of the UN mission in Libya, saying that the Security Council should be flexible in determining the duration of the mission’s mandate, stressing the need for the Secretary-General to nominate an envoy to lead the mission that leads the political process in Libya, and calling for the participation of all political parties in Libyan elections to ensure acceptance of their results.
The US representative said that the time has come for some parties to stop the deals behind the scenes, and respect the desire of 2.8 million Libyan voters, stressing that Libyans will not accept any leadership that does not come through elections, and the Electoral Commission represents an authority capable of holding elections because of its brilliant performance.
The US representative warned those obstructing the elections and the political process in Libya of sanctions, whether they are internal or external parties, welcoming the start of work by the UN observers and their tasks in maintaining the ceasefire in Libya.
The representative of Libya Taher El Sonni attributed the failure of the elections to the lack of confidence among the Libyan parties, the conflict of interests and the multiplicity of external intervention, stressing that the handover of power must be to an elected government, where the solution lies in restoring legitimacy to the people through a clear constitutional framework.
