STATEMENT BY AMB. MARTIN KIMANI, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE
ON BEHALF OF THE A-3 (GABON, GHANA, KENYA)
MONDAY, 25 JULY 2022 (3:00PM)
Thank you Mr. President,
1. I have the honour to make this statement on behalf of the A3 namely (Gabon, Ghana and Kenya).
2. We thank Assistant Secretary-General Martha Pobee for her briefing and welcome the participation of Ambassador Taher El Sonni, Permanent Representative of Libya.
3. We acknowledge the continued useful efforts by the Special Adviser to the Secretary General, Ms. Stephanie Williams, in furthering the dialogue between the Joint Committee of the House of Representatives and the High State Council.
4. We note the progress made during the consultations on Libya’s Constitutional track held from 28th to 29th June in Geneva under the auspices of the United Nations.
5. We reiterate that a Libyan led and owned dialogue is the only option for a sustainable solution to the crisis. To this end, the A3 commends the representatives of the two chambers for their efforts to reach consensus and urge them to build on what they have achieved.
6. We also welcome the meeting between General Mohamed Al-Haddad and General Abdel-Razek Al-Nadori. It builds upon the work of the Joint Military Commission (5+5) and the commitments by the parties to ensuring the ceasefire holds.
7. It is crucial that the representatives from both sides continue to work on the formation of a unified structure for the army, and agree on the appointment of a single Commander-in-Chief.
Mr. President,
8. We acknowledge the commitment by the Head of the High Council of State and the Deputy Head of the Presidential Council to review the roadmap initiative for parliamentary and presidential elections. This will help in identifying ways to resolve their differences and move forward with the constitutional track.
9. We are closely following the meetings by Libya’s High National Elections Commission (HNEC) to discuss the development of the voter registration system, and ways to improve it for the upcoming electoral period. It is important that an agreement is reached on election laws as soon as possible to enable the eagerly anticipated elections to take place.
10. These recent events have demonstrated that Libyans can work together across the political divide to achieve peace and security. We must strive to ensure that these processes are inclusive, nationally owned and free from any external interference.
11. However, we call upon the relevant Libyan institutions and authorities to implement confidence-building measures to create an environment conducive for successful national Presidential and Parliamentary elections, including by ensuring the full, equal, effective and meaningful participation of women, and inclusion of youth and civil society representatives, in all activities and decision-making relating to democracy.
12. It is for this reason that the African Union’s commitment to support an inclusive and comprehensive national reconciliation process is so important. We urge all Security Council members to embed this initiative in the mandate of UNSMIL, reflecting its anticipated operationalisation by resolution 2510.
Mr. President,
13. We note with concern the recent clashes between armed groups in Tripoli which resulted in civilian casualties. We urge the leadership and people of Libya to exercise restraint, shun violence and seek to resolve their differences by peaceful means.
14. Th