By Sami Zaptia.
London, 6 February 2021:
The Governments of France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America welcomed yesterday the agreement reached by the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) in Geneva yesterday on a unified interim Libyan executive authority (Government of National Unity – GNU) charged with leading the country to national elections on December 24, 2021.
In their joint statement, they stated that ‘‘this critical step towards reaching a negotiated, inclusive political solution is the result of a genuinely Libyan-led and Libyan-owned process, the mediation of the United Nations, and the support of the Libyan people.
In this respect, we commend the extraordinary commitment of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya and of Acting Special Representative of the Secretary-General Stephanie Williams. We look forward to fully supporting the work of Special Envoy Ján Kubiš.
We call on all current Libyan authorities and actors to ensure a smooth and constructive handover of all competences and duties to the new unified executive authority.
Since the Berlin Conference, Libya has made significant progress toward securing lasting peace and stability, including through the reopening of the energy sector, the nationwide ceasefire agreement of 23 October 2020, the roadmap for holding national elections in December 2021, and now the selection of a unified, interim executive authority.
A long road still lies ahead. The unified executive authority will have to implement the ceasefire agreement, provide essential public services to the Libyan people, initiate a program for meaningful reconciliation, address critical national budget needs, and organize national elections. The new interim government, to be proposed by the designated Prime Minister, should be truly inclusive, allowing all Libyans to be represented, including with regard to gender, ethnicity and regional origin.
We call on the delegates of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum to maintain their important function, guaranteeing the focus of the new unified executive authority on preparing and holding elections as decided by the Forum.
At the Berlin Conference on Libya last year, the international community committed to supporting a resolution to Libya’s conflict. In the spirit of that commitment, all participants of the Conference should now support the new executive authority in fulfilling its duties to the Libyan people, fully implement the arms embargo, and support the immediate withdrawal of all foreign fighters and mercenaries.
We stand ready to hold to account those who threaten stability or undermine the political process in Libya.’’
