“If is there is a word that defines what I think and feel about Libya today that word is hope. This is a moment of hope for Libya,” said the UN Secretary-General in a press conference after the meeting. “I have hope because I believe that it is possible to have now a Libyan-led political process aiming at the solution of the Libyan problems.”
The meeting in Tunis included Federica Mogherini, European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Ahmad Abulgheit, Secretary-General of the Arab League, Moussa Faki, Chairperson of the African Union Commission; and Ghassan Salamé, UN Special Representative in Libya.
Announcing that the meeting had led to “intensified forms of cooperation among our four organizations to work more and more together in support of a Libyan-led political process,” the UN chief said he hoped “the Libyan leaders will understand the enormous responsibility that they have, that they will be able to come together in solutions for the future of Libya, to the benefit of the Libyan people and to the benefit of the whole region as we all know the impact of Libya in the Sahel and many other parts of Africa, even in Europe”.
He mentioned three key steps for a successful outcome: the Libyan National Conference to take place in two weeks; the upcoming conference of peace and reconciliation to take place in Addis Ababa, headquarters of the African Union; elections “at the right moment for the country to re-establish a normal political life.”
The UN Secretary-General acknowledged that there are difficulties, but stressed that a window of opportunity has been created by the recent historic meeting in Abu Dhabi between Libya’s Prime Minister, Faiez Al Sarraj, and a key rival military leader, the Commander of the Libyan National Army, Khalifa Haftar.
The Quartet meeting and press conference coincided with the kick-off in Libya of municipal elections in nine municipalities across the country, The Libyan Express reported.
At the Tunis Arab Summit, Guterres hoped to see Libya emerge from its crisis, mainly thanks to the inter-Libyan consensus.
He added that the only solution to the Syrian issue is to guarantee the unity of the Syrian people and its territory, including the Golan.
“Arab countries have made major sacrifices to fight terrorism,” he said, adding that the United Nations continues to support these efforts through the development of an Arab-UN strategy for the fight against terrorism.
Regarding Algeria, the UN official praised “the efforts made to achieve a peaceful and democratic transition that meets the demands of the Algerian people”.
TunisianMonitorOnline
