On Thursday, the UN Special Envoy to Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily reaffirmed the United Nations’ support for the national reconciliation initiative in Libya.
In a speech during the closing session of the National Reconciliation Conference, Bathily said that “Libya is not the first country to suffer a crisis of this kind, as most countries in the world once experienced similar crises.”
“The time has come to find a solution to this crisis. All Libyans must participate in resolving the current crisis, and think about the legacy that they will leave to their children,” he added
“If a solution is not reached in the near future, unfortunately, Libya will be divided… It is not the work of the United Nations or the African Union to enforce a solution in Libya, but rather the Libyans must create the solution,” he warns.
Bathily stressed that “Libya will not be unified, and reconciliation will not be achieved, unless there is a unified government and a unified economic, social, and political system in the country.”
“Since I came, I have been touring various Libyan cities, and listening to all opinions from all sides. If the division continues, the country will continue to decline. Take advantage of the opportunity for Libya to become a great country again,” he added.
The UN Envoy praised the efforts of the 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC), confirming that he would participate in the two-day meeting in Sirte. This is part of efforts to unify the military institution, and expel mercenaries and foreign forces from Libya.
Notably, a member of the JMC, Major General Mukhtar Al-Naqsa, said that the Committee will hold meetings on 15-16 January in the city of Sirte, central Libya.
Major General Al-Naqsa added that the United Nations Special Envoy, Abdoulaye Bathily, will participate in the meetings.
Another member of the committee, Mustafa Yahya confirmed that the participants will “discuss completing an action plan for the withdrawal of mercenaries, foreign fighters, and foreign forces from Libya.”
The JMC held a meeting in Sirte in October 2021, after a 3-month halt. Bathily participated in the meeting.
On Sunday, the Chairman of the African Union (AU) Commission, Moussa Faki affirmed that the “national reconciliation file constitutes the main step toward elections in Libya.”
During the preparatory meeting for the National Reconciliation Conference in Libya, Faki said, “We will always be with Libya, which has a pioneering role in establishing the African Union. The AU will be grief-stricken if the presence of foreign forces continues on Libyan territory.”
He added that “the way to solve the crisis is through national reconciliation, not sharing positions and power.”
The Libyan Presidential Council’s (PC) Chairman, Mohamed Al-Mnifi called for pressure to be placed “on all political bodies in Libya in order to achieve comprehensive national reconciliation between all parties.” He also stressed the need to “approve the constitutional basis, in order to achieve the aspirations of the Libyan people in holding elections. Ignoring reconciliation and power-sharing has further complicated the Libyan scene. The solution to the Libyan crisis lies in restoring the spirit of the homeland, and the principle of reparation.”
Al-Mnifi also reaffirmed that the PC “is still equidistant from all parties, and was never a party to the struggle for power in Libya.”