On Wednesday, the UN Envoy, and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Abdoulaye Bathily visited the University of Benghazi.
In a tweet, Bathily said that he “toured the renovation works at the university on Wednesday morning. Improving buildings damaged by war and investing in education are crucial for the young people of Libya. The doors to the conflict should now be closed, and those to education be wide opened.”
During the tour, Bathily was briefed by the Head of the Reconstruction and Stability Committee and the President of the University of Benghazi on the ongoing projects. “I also had interesting interactions with professors, both men and women, and representatives of student unions,” he said.
On Tuesday, the General Commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA), Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar met with Bathily and Speaker of the Libyan Parliament, Ageela Saleh.
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.
