General Assembly Security Council

UNSC Briefing on UNSMIL/Libya

(30.08.2022; 1500 hours EDT)

 

Statement by Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj

Permanent Representative of India to the UN

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Mr. President, 

 

I thank USG Rosemary DiCarlo for her briefing today. 

 

2.    The political stalemate in Libya and the subsequent mobilization of armed groups are a matter of concern. As we keep repeating, there is no military or armed solution to the issues facing the country.  It is imperative therefore that all outstanding political issues are resolved peacefully by the parties concerned, keeping in mind the larger interests of the Libyan people. We hope that all parties will work together to maintain peace and stability in Libya.   

 

3.    The immediate priority for Libya is to hold Presidential and Parliamentary elections at the earliest in a free, fair, inclusive, and credible manner. In this regard, it is disappointing that consensus still eludes the parties on transitional measures governing the period leading to national elections. We hope that all outstanding issues will be resolved, and that an early consensus will be achieved on a constitutional basis for holding the elections.

 

4.    We remain concerned at the resurgence of terrorist activity in Libya, and we reiterate that terrorist groups and affiliated entities must not be allowed to operate unchallenged in Libya. Terrorism emanating from Libya is bound to have cascading effects on the Sahel region and it is therefore important for the international community to focus on it now and nip it in at this stage itself, so as to avoid its collateral consequences on the wider African continent.

 

Mr. President, 

 

5.    The situation in Libya and the armed mobilizations once again call into attention the critical necessity of the full and complete withdrawal of foreign forces and mercenaries. We are yet to see signs of tangible progress on this front. Continued presence of foreign forces and mercenaries is detrimental to the peace and stability of the country and the region. There have been blatant violations of the arms embargo in Libya. In this regard, the UN Panel of Experts of the Libya Sanctions Committee in their recent report have categorically pointed out, and I quote “the remainder of the training provided by Turkey to the Government of National Unity Affiliated Forces is military or naval in nature and thus a violation of Paragraph 9 of UN Security Council Resolution 1970 (2011)” Unquote. Moreover, in the same report the UN Panel of Experts have also “noted the continuous presence of Turkish backed Syrian fighters in the Government of National Unity Affiliated Forces military camps in Tripoli.”

 

6.    Such blatant disregard for Security Council resolutions on Libya is a cause for serious concern. Such activities are also in violation of the Ceasefire Agreement agreed by the Libyan parties themselves in 2020 and we believe that we are seeing the adverse effects of such actions in the enduring political stalemate. 

 

7.    We reiterate that the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of Libya must be safeguarded. The political process needs to be fully Libyan-led and Libyan-owned with no imposition or external interference.


8.    India has traditionally enjoyed close and mutually beneficial bilateral ties with the Libyan people, and we remain committed to supporting Libya and the Libyan people in their endeavour to seek lasting peace and stability. 


I thank you, Mr. President.

 

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