Mr. Kobler informed the Council that he has written to the Speaker of the House of Representatives to register the will of the democratic majority, and formalize its endorsement of the unity government. “Failing such recognition and a positive endorsement by the House of Representatives by early next week, Libyans have to go on. I intend to reconvene the Libyan Political Dialogue to explore the way forward in line with the Libyan Political Agreement,” he noted, highlighting how he intends to proceed.
Terrorist groups taking advantage of vacuum
On the security front, Mr. Kobler said that Da'esh, or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), is taking advantage of the political and security vacuum and is expanding to the West, East and to the South. “While Libya's financial resources are dwindling, the criminal networks, including human smuggling, are booming,” he warned.
During an assault last week, Da'esh reportedly killed 17 people, beheading several of them. The terrorist group has also continued to carry out multiple beheadings and atrocities in their stronghold, Sirte.
“Da'esh in Libya constitutes an urgent and growing threat to Libya, the region and beyond. However, the fight against violent extremism can only be sustainable if it is led by a national unity government that puts in place and prioritises a national agenda to address the country's most immediate challenges and works to meet the aspirations and expectations of the Libyan people,” stressed the UN envoy.
On the issue of gender equality, Mr Kobler told the Council he has continued to strongly advocate increased women participation in Libyan political life, in particular by calling for a 30 per cent share of ministerial posts in the Government of National Accord. “Sadly, my calls have not been heeded,” he said.
Finally, he underlined that Libya's neighbours, are suffering direct consequences of the country's instability and that he is committed to fully engage with them in reaching a political solution to the crisis.
The full text of Kobler's speech to the Security Council can be read here.
(Source: United Nations News Centre)