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STORY: UN / LIBYA
TRT: 02:53
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / ARABIC / NATS
DATELINE: 16 DECEMBER 2022, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
RECENT – NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior, United Nations Headquarters
16 DECEMBER 2022, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Abdoulaye Bathily, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya and head of the United National Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL):
“The first important step on the path to legitimacy, security, and sustained stability is to afford the 2.8 million Libyans registered to vote the opportunity to cast their ballot and to freely select their country’s future leaders to open a new era for Libya, its neighbours, and the region.”
4. Wide shot, Security Council
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Abdoulaye Bathily, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya and head of the United National Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL):
“We can already witness the signs of the partition with two parallel governments, separate security apparatuses, a divided central bank, the decision by the House of Representatives to establish a constitutional court in Benghazi in the East of the country in the absence of an agreed Constitution, and the growing discontent in all the regions over the unequal allocation of the huge revenues of oil and gas of the country.”
6. Wide shot, Security Council
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Abdoulaye Bathily, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya and head of the United National Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL):
“Political leaders of all sides are to be held responsible for these disturbing developments for the future of the country.”
8. Med shot, Elsonni
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Abdoulaye Bathily, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya and head of the United National Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL):
“The continued disagreement between two individual men, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the High Council of State, on a very limited number of provisions of the constitutional basis can no longer serve as a justification to hold an entire country hostage. The patience of the people of Libya is not limitless.”
10. Med shot, Security Council
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Abdoulaye Bathily, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya and head of the United National Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL):
“If the two institutions cannot reach an agreement swiftly, alternative mechanisms can, and should be used to alleviate the sufferings caused by outdated and open-ended interim political arrangements.”
12. Wide shot, Security Council
13. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Taher M. T. Elsonni, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Libya:
“We stand optimistic; we continue to be optimistic as we do trust our people, men and women, especially our youth, our youth, who will be capable of leading the country, and who will contribute to a breakthrough and a way out of this crisis, to retain the strength of Libya and to cooperate in rebuilding modern Libya.”
14. Zoom out, end of meeting
The UN Special Representative for Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily, said, “The patience of the people of Libya is not limitless.”
Briefing the Security Council today (16 Dec), the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) Bathily, reiterated that the first important step on the path to legitimacy, security, and sustained stability is “to afford the 2.8 million Libyans registered to vote the opportunity to cast their ballot and to freely select their country’s future leaders to open a new era for Libya, its neighbours, and the region.”
According to the UNSMIL’s chief, the protracted crisis in Libya significantly impacts people’s well-being, compromises their security, and threatens their very existence.
It also carries a serious risk of further dividing the country and its institutions.
He said, “We can already witness the signs of the partition with two parallel governments, separate security apparatuses, a divided central bank, the decision by the House of Representatives to establish a constitutional court in Benghazi in the East of the country in the absence of an agreed Constitution, and the growing discontent in all the regions over the unequal allocation of the huge revenues of oil and gas of the country.”
“Political leaders of all sides are to be held responsible for these disturbing developments for the future of the country,” Bathily added.
He noted that in contrast to their political counterparts under the leadership of the 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC), the security and military track had demonstrated a stronger will to make progress toward implementing the ceasefire agreement and unifying the country’s security institutions.
The ceasefire continues to hold, and no violations have been recorded since his last briefing (15 Nov), despite the reported build-up of forces on both sides.
The situation, however, remains tense and unpredictable throughout the country.
The Special Representative for Libya reported that the proliferation of weapons under the control of various states and non-state actors and the presence of foreign fighters, foreign forces, and mercenaries continue to pose a serious challenge to the safety and
security of Libyans and undermines efforts to unify the country’s security institutions.
This year alone, 39 people have been killed and maimed in Explosive Remnants of War incidents, including 11 children. About 76 percent of those affected were civilians.
UNSMIL continues to observe a systematic campaign by Libyan security actors attempting to undermine and silence civil society, humanitarian actors, human rights defenders, and political activists, including women and youth.
Bathily expressed concern about new bureaucratic obstacles and movement restrictions faced by humanitarian organizations, which are impeding humanitarian access and delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance to internally displaced persons as well as thousands of detainees without judgment throughout the numerous detention camps across the country.
He then called on Libyan authorities to facilitate the renewal of the registration of international non-governmental humanitarian organizations and expedite visa approvals for their staff operating in Libya.
Bathily stressed, “The continued disagreement between two individual men, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the High Council of State, on a very limited number of provisions of the constitutional basis can no longer serve as a justification to hold an entire country hostage.”
He concluded, “If the two institutions cannot reach an agreement swiftly, alternative mechanisms can, and should be used to alleviate the sufferings caused by outdated and open-ended interim political arrangements.”
The Permanent Representative of Libya to the United Nations, Taher M. T. Elsonni, also briefed the Council today.
He said, “We stand optimistic, we continue to be optimistic as we do trust our people, men and women, especially our youth, our youth, who will be capable of leading the country, and who will contribute to a breakthrough and a way out of this crisis, to retain the strength of Libya and to cooperate in rebuilding modern Libya.”
