The Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations, Nicolas de Rivière said that the “stability of Libya and its neighbors is a priority for France.”
He pointed out that Paris “will continue to support the efforts of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the work of the 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC).”
This came in a speech during a hearing on the briefing of the UN Envoy to Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily on Tuesday.
De Rivière welcomed the progress made in implementing the 2020 ceasefire agreement. He also praised the meeting of the JMC and the visits made by the two Chiefs of Staff to Tripoli and Benghazi. He expressed his support for the initiative to form a Libyan joint military force, which “sends a strong message to a unified, sovereign, and stable Libya.”
The French diplomat called for the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of militias, and the withdrawal of foreign forces and mercenaries from Libya.
De Rivière also called on the Libyan political parties to hold “simultaneous, comprehensive, credible, and transparent Presidential and Parliamentary elections in 2023.” He also confirmed the need for “the electoral campaign to be free from corruption and intimidation, and to ensure equal opportunities for all candidates.”
Earlier this month, the French Embassy in Libya commented on the meeting of the JMC, and military and security leaders in Benghazi, in the presence of Bathily
The French Embassy tweeted its support for the efforts of Bathily to secure the holding of elections this year.
Libya has been in chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The county has for years been split between rival administrations, each backed by rogue militias and foreign governments.