Kuwait urges for transparent and calm elections in war-torn Libya
Al-Otaibi hopes int’l confab will come up with consensus
NEW YORK, Nov 10, (KUNA): Kuwait called on all Libyan parties to work earnestly to create congenial technical, legislative, political and security conditions for transparent, inclusive and peaceful elections in their wartorn country.
Addressing a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) session on Libya, Kuwait’s Permanent Representative at the United Nations Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaibi said 80 percent of the Libyan people want elections to be held in their country.
He reiterated support for Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) Ghassan Salame’s call fir facilitating a comprehensive political process in Libya as per a relevant UN plan, as well as his efforts to open a mission office in Benghazi.
He said that the security situation in Tripoli has remarkably improved thanks to the UN mission’s efforts aiming at reducing tensions and security alert there.
He added that the UN mission’s efforts were mainly meant to reach a ceasefire and revive security agencies, primarily the security arrangement committee.
Al-Otaibi welcomed the national unity government’s Decree 1437/2018 regarding a joint security plan to secure Tripoli, aiming at setting out security arrangements for protecting citizens, and public and private facilities.
The Kuwaiti diplomat spoke highly of the plan for including mechanisms of coordination with the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), hoping that all rivals in Tripoli would positively respond to this blueprint.
However, he called on the international community, chiefly the UN Security Council (UNSC), to exert more efforts to find a permanent solution to fight growing armed groups in the war-torn country.
He believed that this could be attained by means of establishing united legitimate security agencies with a view to ensuring a political transition enshrined in the UN working plan.
Al-Otaibi hoped that an international conference on Libya due in Italy would come up with consensus for pushing forward the political process in Libya, thus ending divisions and splits, and eradicating militias there.
He also voiced Kuwait’s satisfaction with Libya restoring its previous oil production rate of around 1.3 million barrels per day, thus defeating the aftershocks of recent armed clashes in the oil crescent region.
He also commended the Libyan government’s long-awaited program of economic reforms, expecting it to enable the country’s economic institutions to provide public services to people properly.