The Libyan political dialogue facilitated by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) is proceeding in a positive atmosphere. UNSMIL and the participants agree that important progress has been made so far.
The parties are determined to bridge their differences and have been working on concrete proposals on the key elements regarding security arrangements and a government of national unity to bring peace to the country. These are only two important chapters dealing with concrete issues that will be part of a larger agreement that includes other important matters.
The United Nations and participants to the dialogue are conducting these talks in a spirit of transparency and openness with loyalty to the greater cause of ending the conflict and restoring stability to Libya.
As UNSMIL and the key Libyan stakeholders reiterated on a number of occasions, there is agreement that nothing is agreed on until everything is agreed on, and that no decision will be taken without the support of the Libyan people after wide consultations among the participants and the key stakeholders.
Reports circulating on some social media platforms reflecting some specific elements of the discussions regarding the government of national unity and the security arrangements are partial, preliminary drafts. Other elements, such as relations with the legislature and other State institutions are matters for discussion.
As in any other discussions, proposals are made and are amended and changed with the consensus of the participants. These drafts are the product of lengthy consultations with the parties conducted by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya, Bernardino Leon, in the past weeks during his frequent visits to Libya and meetings with the key stakeholders. They are first drafts. Already these drafts are being elaborated to reflect new discussions.
The participants noted that the discussions are constructive and are held in a spirit of full engagement, building on proposals, amending or improving language where necessary and proposing new elements.
The discussions are at a delicate phase and require certain conditions to be successful and to be understandable. In this regard, the Mission and the participants call on everyone to protect the process and prevent it from being undermined. All participants are grateful for the positive role the media is playing. UNSMIL reiterates that this dialogue is a Libyan-Libyan process and that its role is to facilitate reaching a peaceful solution to end the bloodshed.
(Source: UNSMIL)
