The General Commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA), Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar met with UN Special Envoy to Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily and Speaker of the Libyan Parliament, Ageela Saleh on Tuesday.
The three men discussed the most recent political developments in Libya, according to a brief statement from the General Command of the LNA.
The statement added that the meeting was held at sunset, as Haftar hosted Saleh and Bathily for a Ramadan Iftar meal.
Notably, Bathily will present an open briefing to the UN Security Council on 18 April. It will be followed by a closed consultation session, on the work of the mission.
During the upcoming session, the Chairman of the Sanctions Committee on Libya, Japanese Ambassador Kimihiro Ishikane, will give a briefing on the Committee’s activities. The committee was established under Security Council Resolution 1970.
Russia assumed the Presidency of the UN Security Council, where each of the 15 members of the Council holds the position for one month, on a rotating basis.
On Thursday, the White House urged Russia to “be professional when it assumed the Presidency,” saying “there was no way to prevent Moscow from assuming the Presidency of the Security Council.”
During his last briefing before the UN Security Council in February, Bathily put forward an initiative focusing on the possibility of developing a clear roadmap to reach elections by mid-June, and to hold the polls at the end of 2023.
Last week, Russia’s permanent mission to the United Nations revealed that discussions on Libya will be present during Moscow’s Presidency of the Security Council in April.
Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov will chair an open discussion of the UN Security Council on the Middle East on 25 April.
The talks will include the situation in Libya, Yemen, and Syria, according to an interview with Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Vasily Alekseyevich Nebenzya, with the Russian news agency TASS on Friday.
The Security Council welcomed the “gradual progress of the new constitutional amendments in Libya.” It affirmed its support for holding elections in the country, according to a statement seen by Italy’s news agency, Nova.
The Security Council praised Egypt’s role in facilitating talks in Cairo between the Libyan Parliament, and the High Council of State (HCS).
“Individuals or entities that threaten the peace, stability or security of Libya, or hinder or undermine the successful completion of its political transition, can be designated under sanctions by the Security Council,” the UNSC warned.
