Mohamed Takala, Head of Libya’s High Council of State (HCS), met with Italian Ambassador Gianluca Alberini in Tripoli today to discuss the evolving political landscape in Libya.
The meeting, held at the Council’s headquarters, was primarily focused on reviewing the bilateral cooperation between the two countries and exploring ways to enhance and develop their relations to benefit both nations.
According to the Council’s media office, the discussions also centered around the Libyan political scenario and proposed solutions following the failure and subsequent resignation of the United Nations envoy. This dialogue underscores the continuing international engagement with Libya as it navigates through its complex political challenges.
Since he was appointed the UN envoy to Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily has failed to persuade Libyan parties to agree and gather around a single table, and to create the conditions for elections throughout his 17-month tenure.
Bathily proposed multiple initiatives to resolve the Libyan crisis and conduct elections, but none of these initiatives saw the light of day or were implemented on the ground.
Yesterday, Tuesday, Bathily announced his resignation from his position as the UN envoy to Libya following his briefing to the UN Security Council, pointing out that under the current circumstances in Libya, the United Nations has no means to act successfully.
In his last briefing to the Security Council, Bathily stated that Libyan officials dominating the political scene prioritize their personal interests over the country’s interests, urging the Security Council to pressure them and force them to dialogue to settle differences.
Bathily described the positions of the political parties in Libya as rigid, saying, “The selfishness of Libyan leaders comes at the expense of the Libyans and must stop immediately,” adding that all his attempts “met with stubborn resistance, unrealistic demands, disregard for the interest of the Libyan people, and a desire to delay the elections indefinitely.”
Bathily is the eighth diplomat to hold the position of the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy to Libya since 2011, officially appointed in September 2022.
Bathily’s appointment as the UN envoy to Libya came after numerous disputes among Security Council members and after the position had remained vacant for a long time, temporarily held by American diplomat Stephanie Williams.
Bathily did not offer any real initiatives to resolve differences between Libyans after the failure of the December 2020 elections. He settled for holding shuttle meetings with Libyan parties and influential international parties in the Libyan political process, encouraging solutions to disputes over election laws.
