Abdullah Bathily, the UN envoy to Libya, has been conducting a series of visits in an attempt to find a solution to the political crisis and bring the views of the Libyan parties closer together. These visits came after approximately two weeks of his briefing before the UN Security Council, which highlighted the necessity of completing the legal framework for elections.
During his last meeting, in Al-Azizia on Wednesday, with political and military leaders, and mayors of municipalities of the Wershfana area, the attendees called for an inclusive and genuine national reconciliation and requested involving them in the political process and decision-making. The UNSMIL chief renewed his confirmation of the United Nations’ readiness to support Libyan leaders and national institutions at all levels and added that the mission supports working towards an agreement on forming a unified government to supervise elections.
Prior to that, Bathily expressed optimism toward reaching a political solution regarding contentious issues. He also met recently with the President of the High Council of State (HCS), Mohamed Takala, in Tripoli, where they discussed the current political conditions and called for starting a constructive dialogue to address shortcomings in the draft election laws.
Moreover, Bathily discussed current security challenges with the 5+5 military committee during his visits, also touching on accountability issues and the urgent need for legitimate institutions through inclusive elections. The UN envoy also met with military general Khalifa Haftar in his stronghold in the Rejma area East of Benghazi. Attempts to gather parties on unified electoral laws and the formation of a government that supervises elections are two demands that the UN mission is attempting to manage.
