UNSMIL hits back at criticism of its facilitation of LPDF meetings

By Sami Zaptia.

London, 16 August 2021:

UNSMIL hit back on Saturday at criticism of its facilitation of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF). Several members have taken to the airwaves and social media to accuse it of not being firm enough with disrupters by allowing them to introduce proposals that veer away from the LPDF Roadmap.

They accuse it of not being stringent enough in practice of insisting on the sanctity of the date of the 24 December elections and on proposals for the constitutional basis.

Defending its facilitation of the LPDF meetings UNSMIL said ‘‘With regards to statements circulated by social media accounts accusing UNSMIL of allowing the discussion of proposals that fall outside of the LPDF Roadmap or aim at changing the Roadmap, the Mission reiterates that its role is to bring Libyans together and facilitate their discussions or to mediate, provided parties are ready for mediation and for working for a compromise.

It is the LPDF members- authors of the Roadmap – that often propose ideas and solutions that deviate from the Roadmap and some of which put to question some of its basic premises with the argument that they don’t correspond to the current realities and that it was over-ambitious.

The mission continuously reminds the LPDF and its members as well as other relevant institutions to honour in their proposals and action their ambition expressed in their Roadmap to work for the holding of elections on 24 December.

However, they often follow their partisan and particular interest, and their actions represent the divides that characterize the broader Libyan society, instead of working for compromises in line with the Roadmap.

UNSMIL has continuously called on LPDF members as well as other relevant institutions to honour their pledges and live up to the overwhelming demand of the Libyan people to hold the elections on 24 December as stipulated in the Roadmap.

Furthermore, UNSMIL had publicly reiterated, on a number of occasions, that proposals that do not lead to the holding of elections on 24 December should not be entertained.

The mission will continue working for the holding of election and with this intention plans to convene and manage the next LPDF meeting. The final results will still remain in the hands of the LPDF and its members.

It is the LPDF and its members that need to act in line with the objectives of their Roadmap and work together for its objectives, for a compromise, if it wants to remain relevant.’’

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