File photo: Jan Kubis, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), speaks during a news conference in Kabul. Reuters
Members of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) started a week-long session at an undisclosed location in Switzerland on Monday aimed at clearing the way for national elections to be held in the North African country on Dec. 24, 2021, the United Nations (UN) Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said.
Jan Kubis, special envoy of the UN secretary-general for Libya, addressed the session via video conferencing. He said that steps needed to be taken to facilitate the holding of parliamentary and presidential elections as scheduled.
"I call on you to overcome your differences and any trust deficit, focus your deliberations in the following days on reaching the largest possible consensus, and work constructively to bridge the remaining gaps through compromise," Kubis said.
"There are less than six months left before the December elections. Your ability to reach a compromise in this meeting is critical to reaffirm and achieve the objectives you yourself agreed upon in the (LPDF) roadmap," he stressed.
Back in January, the LPDF delegates already met in Switzerland and agreed on a selection mechanism for a new temporary executive authority in Libya.
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