Mohammed Takala said the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) was working on deepening the domestic crises in Libya in order to justify its role in finding political solutions to such crises.
“This is an exact violation of the UN mission’s announced goals for Libya.” Takala said in a statement on Saturday; just a day after the Acting Head of UNSMIL, Stephanie Koury, made a statement about the disputed presidency elections of the High Council of State (HCS).
Takala said UNSMIL had ignored judicial verdicts on delicate matters and intentionally sided with certain parties to evade applying those verdicts.
He denied that his phone call with Koury on Friday contained all what the UNSMIL’s statement announced, adding that there had been communications between UNSMIL and HCS members that included “direct incitement” against the attendance of HCS sessions with the excuse of “non-recognition”.
“This incitement is a violation of the neutral role of UNSMIL.” Takala said, adding that the HCS is a sovereign state institution, thus UNSMIL has no right of interference, rather it should abide by its unbiased role.
Koury said on X that she had separate phone calls with Khalid Al-Mishri and Mohammed Takala – rivals for the presidency of the HCS. She explained that the calls discussed the ongoing crisis surrounding the presidency of the High Council of State.
She said she had expressed her regret that the divisions within the HCS became entrenched, creating a significant barrier to its ability to fulfill its duties.
“I urged both parties to pursue a consensual solution, without prejudice to the outcome of the ongoing judicial process.” Koury added.
She said: “UNSMIL remains committed to engaging all stakeholders with the aim of preserving the unity and integrity of the HCS.”
The HCS has been witnessing an unprecedented crisis since last August regarding the eligibility of its presidency between Al-Mishri and Takala due to a controversy over a ballot paper of disputed validity, which prevented a decision to be made on the election result.
Takala, along with a number of the HCS members, held a session to re-elect the presidency members. He said the session had reached the quorum and he won the presidency of the HCS, while Al-Mishri rejected its outcomes for several reasons, the most important of which was the failure to achieve the quorum, indicating his adherence to the judicial path to resolve the dispute.
