Statement by the Special Representative of the Secretary General in Libya, Ghassan Salamé, on the National Conference

The decision to hold the National Conference had been made on the basis that the situation had matured, and that the necessary conditions had been met to enable an effective solution to the crisis in Libya through a political settlement, the establishment of a national charter and commitments that could be given to place the country on the path of recovery, towards peace, restoration of unity and sovereignty and a decent life for the Libyan people.

This is what we had come to believe in recent weeks, after a year and a half of extensive consultations with constituencies and groups across Libya. We have noted the willingness of most actors to concede parochial interests and push for a political solution, around practical options to be discussed by participants based on the principles, demands and red lines clearly articulated to us by the Libyan people. We started to invite attendees to the Libyan National Conference, not to create a new structure from amongst a certain political elite, nor to “share any cake”, but to discuss options and ensure that the Conference’s outcomes are acceptable to all Libyans and true to what has been discussed during the Libyan consultative process.

It was therefore a painful disappointment to once again hear the drumbeats of war and to witness the launch of an offensive prompting the recurrence of fighting which overshadows the political process and the hope for the sought-after breakthrough and which undermines the trust required to launch a meaningful dialogue.

The serious developments on the ground must be treated with the responsibility and time they require. We must not waste the historic opportunity of the conference or the opportunity to move away from the past during which the Libyans have experienced tragedies and witnessed a deterioration of living conditions, depletion of their resources and exhaustion of their patience. Nevertheless, being cautious and careful in no way means that we will deviate, even in the slightest, from our long-expressed commitment to the tens of thousands who engaged in our national conference consultations, to do our utmost to achieve the earliest possible unification of political and economic institutions, to ensure the establishment of a sovereign, united civil and democratic state that respects the rights of all citizens, delivers justice to all of its regions and social groups and ensures a peaceful transition of power where only the ballot box is the adjudicator.

I therefore reiterate that I am more determined than ever to hold the National Conference at the earliest possible opportunity, as we cannot allow the historic opportunity it presents to be lost. We also cannot ask Libyans to attend a Conference to the backdrop of artillery shelling and air raids as we must ensure that all of those who expressed willingness to respond to this historic and national event from all over the country are able to attend and are able to voice their opinions freely.

I will work, to the fullest possible extent, to enable the Libyan National Conference to take place as soon as possible, once the conditions to enable it to be held are re-established. I will work day and night to put an end to the current military escalation, ensure that reason and national interest once again supersede force and mend the external differences to enable the resolution of the crisis in Libya.</s>Decision comes as a blow to those hoping it would smooth path to democratic elections

This article is more than 4 months old

This article is more than 4 months old

The United Nations has been forced to postpone a carefully planned and potentially watershed national conference on Libya’s political future after the assault on Tripoli by forces under the command of the eastern warlord Khalifa Haftar.

The two-day conference in the town of Ghadames was due to be attended by 120 delegates on 14-15 April. The decision to shelve the summit is a blow to Libya’s democratic forces, who had hoped it might open a path to presidential and parliamentary elections by the end of this year.

Ghassan Salamé, the UN special envoy for Libya, said the UN intended to convene the conference as soon as conditions permitted, but it would be impossible to hold the talks “to the backdrop of artillery shelling and air raids”.

He said: “The renewed violence undermined the minimum confidence to launch any fruitful dialogue.”

What does the battle for Tripoli mean for Libya and the region? Read more

The announcement came as Libyan health officials said the death toll in Tripoli had reached 49 since the battle for the capital started in earnest last Thursday.

Both sides claimed military advances: Haftar’s Libyan National Army asserted they were making progress across seven fronts mainly in the south of Tripoli, but the spokesman for the UN-recognised government of national accord (GNA) said Haftar’s forces were being pushed back.

Analysts said Haftar had been expecting that more forces in the west of the country, including some Tripoli militia, would desert the GNA’s prime minister, Fayez al-Sarraj. Haftar has billed his campaign as an effort to drive out Islamist militias that use corruption and violence to control the GNA.

However, Haftar’s critics claim he has no interest in democracy and say he launched his assault just as Salamé’s peace plan was reaching a critical stage.

The success of Haftar’s gamble may depend on the degree of private pressure exerted by his allies including Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and France.

Britain, the “penholder” on Libya at the UN, was on Tuesday testing the possibility of pushing for a fresh UN security council resolution calling for economic sanctions against Haftar, which could lead to a Russian veto.

The UK foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, had calls with his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, and with the UAE’s foreign ministry.

France, which is under pressure to join the UK, Germany and the US in condemning Haftar’s actions, issued a statement saying the French president had spoken with both Haftar and Sarraj.

The Élysée statement said Emmanuel Macron “recalled that there was no military solution to the Libyan conflict. It marked the imperative to act immediately to end the fighting and ease tensions. He gave his full support to the United Nations mediation efforts and called on all parties to return to dialogue.”

Le Drian said it was essential that talks were re-established on the basis of an agreement reached between Sarraj and Haftar in Abu Dhabi on 27 February, which reduced the size of the current nine-strong presidential council .

Salamé did little to hide his frustration at the fighting’s impact on his efforts to bring about political reconciliation. “We were surprised to hear the drums of war again with an unexpected attack,” he said.

In a Facebook message he continued: “We began to invite the Libyan personalities to attend the Libyan national forum, not to install a political elite, as some imagined, nor to share any cake, but to resolve the options among the Libyans and to ensure that the emerging formulas are fair to all Libyans and loyal to what came during the Libyan consultative process.”
The UN cancels a planned Libyan National Conference that was due to take place later in April for negotiations between different political factions to organise new elections due to the ongoing fighting in Tripoli.