By Libya Herald staff.
1 November 2014:
In a joint statement, the Special Envoys for Libya from the African Union, the Arab League, . . .[restrict]the European Union and eight governments have reiterated their full support for the mediation in Libya by United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Bernardino Leon.
The envoys met with him on Thursday in Paris to coordinate their activities.
The national Special Envoys are from France, Germany, Italy, Malta, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States.
In their statement, in which they said the UN’s objective was to ensure “the normal functioning of the legitimate House of Representatives with the full participation of its members, the formation of a fully representative and inclusive government and the withdrawal of militias from cities and airports throughout Libya,” the envoys also expressed “deep concern” about the terrorist threat which they said was “proliferating in the current political situation” and which could only be defeated “by a strong and united Libyan state”.
They furthermore declared that all international partners had to support the UN-led mediation and agreed to “a mechanism” being put in place to ensure that they did so.
This is seen as a move to rein Turkey into line.
All the Special Envoys, following the lead of Leon, have stuck rigidly to the line that the HoR is the only legitimate legislature in the country, the Thinni administration which it appointed the only government, and that there can be no negotiations with the rump General National Congress, which refuses to accept that it has passed into history, or the administration under Omar Al-Hassi which it appointed.
Ten days ago, Turkey’s Special Envoy shocked the others by breaking the agreement and meeting with Hassi in Tripoli.
In their statement yesterday, the envoys also rejected outside interference in Libya, agreed that there was no military solution to the current situation in Libya and condemned the violence that has occurred since the call for a ceasefire by participating and boycotting members of the HoR at their UN-sponsored meeting in Ghadames at the end of September.
Supporting Leon’s plans to convene a new round of discussions, they urged the parties “to remove all obstacles to such discussions”. They hoped, they said, to see “full and constructive participation” again from both sides. They also called “for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in all parts of the country” to permit the immediate resumption of humanitarian assistance to those in need.
And in a move that indicates that the UN was preparing to get tough, they warned that anyone who undermined the process “will be sanctioned within the framework of UNSC resolution 2174”. [/restrict]
