The UN Special Envoy to Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily, expressed on Friday displeasure at the intractable differences between the Libyan political leaders, accusing them of “holding an entire country hostage.”
The UN envoy also said the Security Council and its individual member states need to apply pressure on the country’s political leaders on the urgency of finalizing the constitutional basis to ensure that presidential and parliamentary elections are held soon.
On Friday, the Security Council heard Bathily’s briefing on his dialogue with Libyan stakeholders and international partners to advance the political process and revive the electoral track in accordance with Resolution 2656.
“I have urged the leaders of the House of Representatives and the High Council of State, to rise above personal and group interests and work constructively towards finalizing the constitutional basis for elections, within a well-defined timeframe,” the UN envoy stated.
Bathily also announced he was in touch with the Presidential Council to facilitate a meeting between the three institutions based on the recent proposal put forward by President of the Presidential Council Muhammad Al-Mnefi.
“It is evident that the meetings of national leaders inside the country will help set a positive example for the citizens towards healing the wounds of division in the society and signal the political will to mitigate the risks of partition of the country,” he stressed.
Bathily then asked the Council to support UNSMIL’s efforts to bring Libyan political leaders back to the negotiating table and to prevent a further deterioration of the situation on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the postponement of the 24 December elections.
The envoy warned that the protracted crisis in Libya significantly impacts people’s wellbeing, compromises their security, and threatens their very existence.
“It also carries a serious risk of further dividing the country and its institutions,” he stated.
Bathily said signs of partition can be witnessed in the country with two parallel governments, separate security apparatuses, a divided central bank, the decision by the House of Representatives to establish a constitutional court in Benghazi in the East of the country in the absence of an agreed Constitution, and the growing discontent in all the regions over the unequal allocation of the huge revenues of oil and gas.
He then affirmed that in contrast to their political counterparts, under the leadership of the 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC), the security and military track has demonstrated a stronger will to make progress towards the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and to unify the country’s security institutions.
The UN envoy said the Security Working Group discussed and agreed to the establishment of a Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration sub-committee of the JMC to provide technical support and to establish a mechanism for observing the ceasefire while international ceasefire monitors continue to operate from Tripoli.
Bathily then warned that the proliferation of weapons under the control of various state and non-state actors and the presence of foreign fighters, foreign forces and mercenaries continue to pose a serious challenge to the safety and security of Libyans and undermines efforts to unify the country’s security institutions.
Speaking about the Libyan elections, he said, “We need to apply pressure on the country’s political leaders on the urgency of finalizing the constitutional basis.”
The envoy added that the continued disagreement between two individual men, the Speaker of the HoR and the President of the HCS, on a very limited number of provisions of the constitutional basis can no longer serve as a justification to hold an entire country hostage.
