On Thursday, the US Ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield stated that the current situation in Libya cannot be described as a “failure.”
“We are continuing our work, and the UN Advisor, Stephanie Williams, is making great efforts to get us to the place and the situation we are in right now,” Greenfield said.
She also stressed the need to appoint a new UN Special Envoy to Libya as soon as possible, and to be ready to work from inside Libya.
The Ambassador described the appointment of Williams as a Special Advisor as an “important step” that has contributed to the political process in the country.
The Security Council is scheduled to hold a session on 30 April. This coincides with the expiration of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya’s (UNSMIL) mandate. The session will be devoted to extending a new term for UNSMIL.
In March, the UN Security Council extended the UNSMIL mandate until the end of April. This came after days of contention on a range of issues — from the language about future elections, to the length of the extension.
The renewal, which should have been a formality, followed a deadlock between Russia and the US. Moscow has demanded that a Special Envoy to Libya be appointed by the Secretary-General, to replace current Special Adviser, Stephanie Williams.
Notably, Libya is currently facing a political crisis after the Libyan Parliament swore in Bashagha to lead a new interim government in February. MP’s argued that the Dbaiba’s mandate expired when elections failed to take place.
Dbaiba has since refused to cede power, and warned that the appointment of a new interim government could lead to war and chaos in the country. He renewed his pledge to only hand power over to an elected government.