Five Western countries welcome formation of Executive Authority in Libya
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) -The governments of France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States of America welcomed the agreement reached by the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) on the formation of a unified Interim Libyan Executive Authority to lead the country to national elections on 24 December 2021.
In a statement issued on Friday evening, the governments said that "this crucial step towards a negotiated and inclusive political solution is the result of a truly Libyan-led and Libyan-owned process, with the mediation of the United Nations and the support of the Libyan people".
In this regard, the five governments welcomed "the extraordinary commitment of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and of the Acting Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Stephanie Williams", adding that they "look forward to fully supporting the work of Special Envoy Ján Kubiš".
They called on all current Libyan authorities and actors to ensure a smooth and constructive transfer of all processes leading to the new Unified Executive Authority.
Since the Berlin conference, Libya has made significant progress in ensuring lasting peace and stability, notably through the reopening of the energy sector, the national ceasefire agreement of 23 October 2020, the roadmap for the holding of national elections in December 2021, and now the selection of a Unified Interim Executive Authority, they noted in their joint statement.
They stressed, however, that there is still a long way to go, as the Unified Executive Authority will have to implement the ceasefire agreement, provide essential public services to the Libyan people, launch a meaningful reconciliation programme, address critical needs in the national budget and hold national elections.
In their statement, the five governments stressed that the new caretaker government, to be proposed by the Prime Minister-designate, should be truly inclusive, allowing all Libyans to be represented, including on the basis of gender, ethnicity and regional origin.
"We call on the delegates of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum to maintain their important function, ensuring that the new unified executive branch focuses on the preparation and holding of elections, as decided by the Forum," the document stressed.
They recalled that at last year's Berlin Conference on Libya, the international community pledged its support for a resolution of the Libyan conflict, adding that in the spirit of that commitment, all participants in the Conference must now assist 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.
They expressed their readiness to hold accountable those who threaten stability or undermine the political process in Libya.
The members of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum on Friday evening in Geneva, Switzerland, elected a new Presidential Council, headed by Mohamed al-Manfi with Abdullah al-Lafi and Musa al-Kouni as members, while the Government of National Unity will be led by Abdelhamid Dbeibah, who were on the third list to win the majority of votes in the second round.
-0- PANA BY/JSG/BBA/VAO 6Feb2021
