On Thursday, the Spokesman for the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, Ahmed Abu Zeid expressed Cairo’s regret over the “UN Security Council’s support of initiatives aiming at undermining the role of legitimate Libyan institutions.”
The initiative was launched by the UN Special Envoy for Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily in his brief before the Security Council last month. The initiative aims at forming a High-level Steering Panel to follow up and prepare for the electoral process in Libya.
In press statements to the Middle East News Agency (MENA), Abu Zeid described the Security Council’s move as “a clear violation of the role of the legitimate and elected Libyan institutions.”
The Egyptian diplomat expressed his “deep astonishment at the Security Council’s support for vague and unspecified initiatives and objectives, in an attempt to legitimize their work.”
He also denounced the use of “loose formulations such as ‘security actors’, which opens room for interpretation and contradiction with the relevant Security Council resolutions,” according to MENA.
“All this would increase the division and rivalry in Libya, and undermine the chances of holding Presidential and Parliamentary elections as soon as possible, within the framework of a Libyan national consensus,” he explained.
Earlier, the Libyan Parliament and its designated government denounced the new political initiative.
The House affirmed Libyan ownership of the political process, explaining that it is “the only guarantor for the success of any initiatives in this regard.” It stated that the Libyan Political Agreement limited the invitation to the Dialogue Committee in Parliament, and the Supreme Council.
For its part, the Foreign Ministry of the Fathi Bashagha government said the initiative “doesn’t help in reaching successful and satisfactory solutions.” It added that the UN mission will put itself in “a contradictory and non-neutral position.”
Before his briefing to the Security Council, Bathily stated: “I have decided to launch an initiative aimed at enabling the organization and holding of Presidential and legislative elections in 2023. In this regard, I plan to establish a High-level Steering Panel for Libya.”
Bathily noted that the initiative “will facilitate the adoption of the legal framework and time-bound roadmap to the holding of elections in 2023. The proposed Panel will also provide a platform to advance consensus around related matters, such as election security and the adoption of a Code of Conduct for all candidates.”
