UN voices hope that a consensual head of Libya mission is appointed 

The spokesman for the UN Secretary General, Stephane Dujarric, said in a press conference on Monday that the UN hoped that it would find a candidate to be named as new envoy to Libya that is acceptable to all Libyan parties.

Dujarric added that there hadn’t been any announcement of a specific envoy yet.

“We are proceeding as fast as the elements allow us to proceed. The procedure is the same, as with any other heads of missions that are mandated by the Security Council. As soon as we have someone to announce — and we want to do it as quickly as possible — we will do so.” Dujarric said. 

He explained that there’s a process for announcing the new envoy, adding that it’s an open secret that it’s been somewhat of a challenging search, not for lack of trying on the UN part, but because of the divisions that exist within and without the Security Council, which makes naming a Libya envoy more challenging.

“But the Secretary-General is trying the best as he possibly can to get a head of mission, and I know that the Secretariat has been in close contact with the Libyan Permanent Representative at the UN on this issue.” Dujarric explained. 

Dujarric added that the appointment of an envoy is not a Libya-specific issue, saying that  there’s a process through which people are appointed as heads of peacekeeping missions or political missions that are mandated by the Security Council, and that involves an exchange of letters between the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council.

“The Security Council itself has its own procedures to clear the President for sending a letter back to the Secretary-General, saying they’ve taken note, which basically means they have no objection.So, the process is the process.” Dujarric reiterated. 

Diplomatic sources expect UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to announce Senegalese diplomat Abdoulaye Bathily as the new UN envoy and Head f UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).

Anadolu News Agency reported sources that asked to remain anonymous as saying that Guterres had already recommended the Senegalese diplomat to be the new head of UNSMIL in an official letter to the members of the UN Security Council, and he is awaiting their approval because the appointment of the heads of UN missions requires that none of the 15 member states of the Security Council voices objection. 

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