Egypt welcomes Benghazi statement urging UN to avoid unilateral steps on Libya

Amr Kandil , Sunday 20 Aug 2023

Egypt has welcomed a joint statement signed by Libyan leaders, reaffirming control of the country’s political future and urging the United Nations Support Mission in Libya to refrain from acting unilaterally.

From left, House of Representatives (HoR) Speaker Aguila Saleh, General Commander of the Libyan National Army commander Khalifa Haftar and Libyan Presidential Council Head Mohamed Al-Menfi meet in Benghazi, 19 August 2023. HoR

In a statement on Sunday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Egypt welcomes the joint statement, which reaffirms Libyan control of the country’s political future and urges the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), headed by Abdoulaye Bathily, to refrain from acting unilaterally.

The joint statement was signed by Libyan Presidential Council Head Mohamed El-Menfi, House of Representatives (HoR) Speaker Aguila Saleh and General Commander of the Libyan National Army commander Khalifa Haftar in a Saturday meeting in Benghazi.

Egypt also welcomed El-Menfi’s call for a consultative meeting with the chiefs of the HoR and High State Council (HSC) to advance the national political track and reach a consensus on electoral laws.

In its statement, the ministry reiterated Egypt’s full support to Libyan state institutions working to finalize the frameworks required to hold parallel presidential and parliamentary elections as soon as possible.

Egypt also calls for all international parties to support Libyan efforts to resolve the crisis domestically in pursuit of national stability, sovereignty and the aspirations of its people, the ministry added.

‘Unilateral initiatives’

Late in July, UNSMIL itself warned against “unilateral initiatives” in reference to the political stalemate in Libya after the HoR and HSC proposed the formation of a new interim government to hold the long-awaited elections.

Bathily warned that such actions could have serious negative consequences and trigger further instability and violence in Libya.

Following this statement, Egypt’s foreign ministry issued a statement calling for international bodies to respect the will of the Libyan people and the authority of the country’s institutions.

The foreign affairs committee of the Libyan HoR also rebuked Bathily’s remarks as “bypassing the Libyan consensus to unify executive authority and pave the way to elections in this critical period.”

Libya elections have been postponed several times due to disagreements among rival factions.

On 8 August, the Libyan parliament referred the draft laws on electing the head of state and members of the House of Representatives to the 6+6 Committee for partial revision.