Statement by Mr.Vladimir Safronkov, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations, at the Security Council on the sitiation in Libya
We thank Special Representative Ghassan Salamé for his objective briefing. We also thank Mr. Olof Skoog, Permanent Representative of Sweden, for his report on the work of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1970 (2011) concerning Libya and, more generally, for his responsible leadership of the Committee.
Russia supports the steps undertaken under the auspices of the United Nations to assist in stabilizing Libya. We note Mr. Salamé’s courage and personal efforts and appreciate his commitment to getting results in the work of unifying Libya and stabilizing the internal situation, which is crucial to improving the situation in the region as a whole.
We do have to conclude, however, that in spite of all the efforts to establish an intra-Libyan dialogue, the prospects for settling the crisis any time soon are bleak. This is no accident. The situation is very complex, and one of the reasons for that is the continuing distrust among the key players in the Libyan political landscape. They continue to be suspicious of one another, which presents an obstacle to reaching compromise solutions to their disagreements.
The meeting on 23 April between Mr. Khalid Al-Mishri, the newly chosen leader of the High Council of State, and Mr. Aqilah Saleh, Speaker of the House of Representatives, gives us a certain degree of optimism. It is very important that the parties agreed to continue their consultations. We hope that the negotiation process will overcome the current impasse, for which Mr. Salamé will personally deserve credit.
The forthcoming elections clearly represent an important step in resolving the crisis. However, there are still many issues related to holding them. For example, there is so far no understanding on the electoral law. In other words, we urge continued vigilance and holding to the principle of “first do no harm”. Any decisions and steps taken should be subordinated to the task of uniting the country, its State institutions, political forces and security structures. We want to emphasize Mr. Salamé’s view that the right conditions must be established for the elections.
In that regard, one of the main challenges continues to be the establishment of the legal basis for the work of the national authorities’ institutions following the elections. If the parties cannot agree on their modalities in advance, the newly established Government system in Libya may not be viable. The situation is complicated not only by a lack of compromise among the parties but also by security problems. The terrorist attack of 2 May on the High Commission for National Elections in Tripoli was a sad affirmation of that fact. We also have to understand that a great deal will depend on resolving the issue of the forces that ended up being sidelined in the country’s post-revolutionary transformation.
There can be no alternative to a negotiated solution to the crisis. The Libyans themselves must decide their country’s future, through a dialogue and in a spirit of openness and compromise, based on the Skhirat agreement reached in Morocco as the only viable foundation for achieving a long-term settlement.
The future development of the situation will depend on the success of efforts to restore security, without which it will continue to be a fertile breeding ground for terrorists and armed groups using the institutional vacuum for their criminal activity. The issue of unity on many levels is also crucially important to the joint efforts to combat terrorism.
The situation of migrants and refugees in detention centres remains difficult, and they continue to encounter various forms of ill-treatment. There has to be full commitment to tackling that issue. The problem cannot be solved with half measures. Above all, the root causes that resulted in people’s migration have to be dealt with, at which point they will voluntarily return to their homes. We note that the crisis is a long way from being settled, and significant efforts will be needed to reach a durable agreement on the parameters for national reconciliation.
We support the initiatives undertaken by the international and regional sponsors of the settlement in Libya, particularly its neighbours Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria. We note the work being done by the African Union in the context of its Ad Hoc HighLevel Committee on Libya and by the League of Arab States. The efforts of foreign mediators and external actors should be consolidated and as coordinated as possible, but it is Libyans themselves who must decide their future.
The United Nations should continue to play a leading role in the political process. For our part, we will continue to support the Special Representative’s efforts to reach out to all Libyans and to cooperate with all involved partners. In working to resolve the situation in Libya, we must remember that the current problems are the result of the violent overthrow of the Libyan regime, which destroyed its sovereignty and ignored the African Union’s vital initiatives. Those mistakes should teach some serious political lessons about the stability of Libya, its neighbours and other countries that have been subjected to foreign intervention.
With regard to the work of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1970 (2011) concerning Libya, while we greatly value the efforts of the Ambassador of Sweden and his team, we would like to point out that on 3 April, at our initiative, the Committee held a meeting specifically to discuss a leak to the press of the interim report of the Panel of Experts. In general, the issue of leaks about the work of the Council and its subsidiary bodies is extremely relevant and can hardly be explained only by computer network glitches.
We were also extremely disappointed that the Committee could not agree on the Chair’s proposed compromise variations of a decision on investigating what occurred. The demands for greater transparency in the work of the Council’s Sanctions Committees should be accompanied by a high degree of responsibility.
Russia and Libya are linked by a historically rich and friendly relationship. We will do everything we can, in our national capacity and in cooperation with Libya’s political forces and regional and international partners, to restore Libya and its unity and return it to a future of steady development.
