The UN Security Council voted unanimously to extend the mandate of the UN mission in Libya for a period of three months, starting Monday, January 31 until by April’s end.
The Norwegian mission to the Security Council, which is presiding the Council in its current session, expressed on Twitter its regret “for not being able to agree on a fundamental update, noting that it is looking forward to negotiations in April.”
Libya’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Taher El-Sonni, said that there is division in the Security Council regarding the decision to extend the mandate of the mission and the appointment of the UN envoy, and for this reason the vote was taken on the extension in its current form, adding that the discussion will be later on the structure and mandate of the mission.
The voting session on the decision to extend the mandate of the UN mission in Libya was previously postponed because of Russia’s submission of a counter-draft resolution, after Britain put to a vote a draft resolution extending the mission’s mandate to the 15th of next September, Moscow resolved to veto it, before presenting its counter-resolution, which was likely to be met with an American veto as well.
As reported by Agence France-Presse earlier, Moscow demanded the appointment of a new UN envoy to Libya, at a time when Washington wants Adviser Stephanie Williams to remain at the head of the mission.
