The United States (US) welcomed on Thursday the renewal of UNSMIL’s mandate, but it had expressed disappointment that negotiations did not result in the year-long mandate Washington called for in the October 15 briefing – and which the vast majority of Council members supported.
US representative at the Security Council meeting, Robert Wood, said Russia’s intransigence during negotiations was the sole reason the US didn’t have a straightforward, one-year mandate that would strengthen UNSMIL’s ability to move Libya toward stability and an inclusive peace.
“UNSMIL is an essential partner in Libya, having brokered the agreement that resolved the leadership crisis at the Central Bank of Libya. Restoring the political process requires similar types of compromises. As we saw during a period in 2022, revisiting the mandate every few months stalled progress on UNSMIL’s long-term plans to develop sustainable solutions to the challenges in Libya.” Wood said.
He added that this year, the UK once again had a challenging role as the penholder, and its engagements resulted in important additions. He indicated that this resolution included a new operative clause that would automatically extend UNSMIL’s mandate for nine months, if a new Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) was appointed on or before January 31, 2025.
Wood stressed that the US “has faith that the Secretary-General will appoint a qualified SRSG that works for the best interests of the Libyan people.
” Indeed, we understand there was a qualified candidate who could have been appointed earlier this year.” Wood unveiled.
“Until such a time as the position is filled on a permanent basis, the Council must continue to offer our full support for UNSMIL’s current leadership and its efforts to establish a Libyan-led path to free and fair elections as soon as possible.” He remarked, saying that “to do that, this Council must send a clear message that a short-term renewal does not allow spoilers to retrench to the status quo or worse. That’s why we strongly support language in the resolution, and the Council’s latest press statement, to that effect.”
Wood said that while Russia had “regrettably forced us to choose between an imperfect resolution or no resolution, the adoption of this resolution today ensures UNSMIL will continue working on behalf of the Libyan people for a better future that they deserve.”
