Media Home
UN Web TV
UN Audiovisual Library
UN PhotoUnifeed
UN / LIBYA
STORY: UN / LIBYA
TRT: 02:06
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / ARABIC / NATS
DATELINE: 17 JANUARY 2018, NEW YORK CITY
RECENT - NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, UNHQ exterior
18 JANUARY 2018, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Ghassan Salamé, Special Representative and Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL):
“This fragile and shaky status quo is not sustainable. Libya needs a competent and efficient government. One which can deliver the public services the people desperately need. One that is able to unify the institutions of the country. One which can provide order and justice. One that will preside over the elections that will end the transition. Amending the Libyan Political Agreement is in our view the most appropriate means to achieve this endeavour and we have not spared a day without urging it.”
4. Wide shot, Security Council
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Ghassan Salamé, Special Representative and Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL):
“Conflict over resources is indeed at the heart of the Libyan crisis. The Mission will not spare any effort to advocate that national wealth be directed toward the provision of public services rather than to special interests. This is all the more necessary as fuel shortages, electricity shortages, water shortages are common across the country. It is a painful irony that a country of such plenty is consistently so short.”
6. Wide shot, Security Council
7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Elmahdi S. Elmajerbi, Deputy Permanent Representative of Libya to the United Nations:
“We see that all positive indicators are rekindling hopes that this process will be successful. We call on the Libyan Parliament to expedite the adopting of an electoral law. We also point to the fact that there are numerous challenges which must be considered, namely encouraging the Libyan people to participate in the elections, guaranteeing that all parties commit to accepting the results, providing a suitable security environment, and conducting the elections under robust oversight by the United Nations and regional organizations to ensure their integrity and avoid any shortcomings which could lead to disputes in the future.”
8. Wide shot, Security Council
The head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) today (16 Nov) told the Security Council that the “fragile and shaky status quo” in the country is “not sustainable.”
Speaking via teleconference from Tunisia, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya Ghassan Salamé said military forces are showing their might in many parts of Libya. He said civilians continue to be killed or injured in crossfire and indiscriminate attacks adding that the arms embargo in Libya has never been so important. Salamé noted the international community’s support for the Libyan Political Agreement two years after it was signed and stressed that Libya “needs a competent and efficient government; one which can deliver the public services the people desperately need; one that is able to unify the institutions of the country; one which can provide order and justice; one that will preside over the elections that will end the transition.” He said amending the Agreement is in the most appropriate means to achieve this endeavour adding that UNSMIL has “not spared a day without urging it.”
Salamé said he was pleased with the eagerness of Libyans to register for the upcoming elections in the country adding that the number of people registered has now exceeded two million. He noted that the security conditions must be conducive for a free and fair process and there must be confidence that the results will be accepted by all.
The UNSMIL chief said political solutions to the crisis in Libya would not be durable unless an end is put to predatory economics which have dominated the Libyan scene in the past few years.
SOUNDBITE (English) Ghassan Salamé, Special Representative and Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL):
“Conflict over resources is indeed at the heart of the Libyan crisis. The Mission will not spare any effort to advocate that national wealth be directed toward the provision of public services rather than to special interests. This is all the more necessary as fuel shortages, electricity shortages, water shortages are common across the country. It is a painful irony that a country of such plenty is consistently so short.”
Salamé emphasized that the political crisis in Libya has been accompanied by an equal humanitarian crisis. He said United Nations the UN would launch a humanitarian response plan next week targeting the most vulnerable people in the country and focusing on life-saving interventions such as basic services, shelter, food and demining.
Libyan ambassador Elmahdi Elmajerbi said the national unity government was working to resolve all the issues faced by Libyans in their daily lives adding that there have been many positive developments, especially regarding the security situation and combating terrorism. He called on all sides in Libya to put national interests above personal ones and join their efforts to build a strong democratic state.
Elmajerbi said “all positive indicators are rekindling hopes” that the elections process will be successful. He called on the Libyan Parliament to expedite the adopting of an electoral law and stressed that there were numerous challenges which must be considered, “namely encouraging the Libyan people to participate in the elections, guaranteeing that all parties commit to accepting the results, providing a suitable security environment, and conducting the elections under robust oversight by the United Nations and regional organizations to ensure their integrity and avoid any shortcomings which could lead to disputes in the future.”
Download
There is no media available to download.
