The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, announced the appointment of Senegalese diplomat, Abdoulaye Bathiliy, as new UN envoy to Libya and Head of UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on Saturday to succeed Slovakian diplomat Jan Kubis who resigned nearly nine months ago.
Bathiliy worked as UN representative in Central Africa, a special advisor to the UN Secretary General on Madagascar and a deputy special representative of the Secretary General in Mali.
Official Welcome in Libya
The Libyan Presidential Council and Government of National Unity (GNU) have welcomed the appointment of Senegalese diplomat Abdoulaye Bathiliy as new UN envoy to Libya and Head of UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).
The Presidential Council applauded in a statement on Saturday the appointment and experience of Bathiliy, hailing his efforts in assessing the structure of UNSMIL, and reiterating that the role of the Secretary General is very significant in supporting Libyan efforts to reach peaceful solutions via the UN mission and to reach elections as soon as possible.
The GNU Prime Minister, Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, said in a statement that his government would support the new UN envoy’s efforts and push for a comprehensive political solution that speeds up the agreement on a constitutional basis for elections.
Among the Libyan welcome statements was that of the PM designated by the House of Representatives, Fathi Bashagha, who issued a statement welcoming the appointment of the Senegalese diplomat, saying he looks forward to working with him to establish the peaceful circulation of power and holding elections as per a transparent and fair roadmap.