Statement by Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia at a UNSC Briefing on Libya
Mr. President,
We are grateful to Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, for her briefing.
We welcome the appointment of Hanna Tetteh as Special Representative of the Secretary General for Libya and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). The lengthy operation of the Mission in the absence of a head mandated by the Security Council has already negatively affected the entire Libyan settlement process. The situation has unfortunately been exacerbated by the dubious working methods of the UNSMIL interim leadership (which we openly spoke of in this Chamber), as well as by the advancement of half-backed initiatives that have not been agreed upon with the Libyans themselves.
Such ambiguous proposals include what was recently established under the aegis of UNSMIL without any consultation with the members of the Security Council – I refer to the so-called UNSMIL Advisory Committee, designated to draft recommendations to revitalize the political process in Libya. As we all remember very well, the previous experience of establishing such formats can hardly be deemed successful due to insufficient inclusivity of such formats and the doubts of the Libyans themselves regarding their impartiality. We believe that this structure is purely technical in function, and solutions it proposes will be necessarily agreed upon with the key Libyan stakeholders prior to being brought before the Security Council. Otherwise, we will once again encounter an attempt to impose on the Libyans something that is unacceptable to them for historical, political and ethno-confessional reasons, which is something that should be given due regard.
The new Special Representative will have to confront a challenging task of redressing this imbalance and to revitalize UN mediation in Libya for the benefit of the Libyan people. We trust that in her work Ms. Tetteh will strictly abide by the mandate agreed upon by the Security Council. We expect the Special Representative to embrace an impartial approach and a sober assessment of the political climate in the country, and to be perceptive to the aspirations of the people.
What is unacceptable is the attempts to advance under the guise of a settlement the agendas of certain groups of States, nor to encourage any non-exclusive formats of external support for the Libyan political process. There is a need to value the unity of the United Nations Security Council on the Libyan file and do everything possible to preserve that unity.
The Secretary-General's Special Representative for Libya must conscientiously carry out the mediation functions in her work with the Libyan stakeholders. The Special Representative's proposals for a settlement need to be both realistic and based on broad intra-Libyan consensus. There is also a need not to overlook the engagement with influential individuals and institutions in the country that could play a role in rebuilding trust and addressing divisions. At the same time let us not forget that UNSMIL is first and foremost a facilitating body, not an “external governing body”. The central role in agreeing on the parameters for the political process should be played by the Libyans themselves, without imposing “cookie-cutter” solutions on them.
Amid current circumstances, the UN mediation efforts need to be focused on the main goal – namely, on relaunching the national dialogue and ensuring conditions for holding nation-wide elections that would be inclusive in nature and would involve all influential political forces in the country, including representatives of the former government. Unfortunately, these attempts have not borne fruit so far. To achieve that goal, it would be useful to harness the existing groundwork, including the outcomes of cooperation on the inter-parliamentary track. We should also not spurn the mediation initiatives by regional organizations and certain countries, who serve the same goals as the United Nations. We see tremendous potential in efforts to facilitate national reconciliation through the African Union.
We sincerely hope that Ms. Tetteh will take into account the points outlined above and thus will manage to break the deadlock in the Libyan political process. We wish her every success in her future work. Russia, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, stands ready to provide her with any necessary assistance to that end.
Mr. President,
We are closely monitoring the developments in Libya, which after the NATO aggression in 2011 has been unable to surmount the deep systemic crisis of statehood. This month marks 14 years since the egregious Western intervention virtually destroyed the Libyan statehood and de facto created a split in the country, which persists. The risks of the country's collapse unfortunately still loom large with many armed groups remaining in the country. The month of January witnessed hostilities and clashes among them, including with the use of heavy weapons, which took place in the immediate vicinity of the suburbs of the Libyan capital. In that regard, we cannot but welcome the efforts to facilitate the establishment of a unified Libyan armed force. However, all such projects need to enjoy concerted support of all the Libyan stakeholders, and be genuinely inclusive and transparent in nature. What we have in Libya now is unfortunately a far cry from that.
We are also seriously concerned about the deepening financial and economic crisis in Libya. Amid declining revenues from energy exports, the country is suffering from rising inflation, disrupted payments of salaries, declining living standards. Threats to food security persist. We note the efforts of Libyan stakeholders to redress the situation. At the same time, we consider counterproductive any efforts to impose ready-made solutions when it comes to fiscal and economic policy. Such mentorship is viewed by the Libyans as interference in the sovereign affairs of the country. Instead, external players would be well-advised to focus on maintaining the integrity of Libya's frozen assets and protecting them from external seizure. And here too, unfortunately, not everything is going smoothly, which the Libyans point out to us regularly.
Mr. President,
We are convinced that decisive progress towards normalization in Libya can only be achieved through the joint efforts of all Libyan stakeholders and influential global and regional players. We trust that UNSMIL, under its new leadership, will finally manage to fulfil its mandate and become an effective instrument for coordinating international mediation efforts in that country.
Thank you.
