Russia insists that UN Secretary-General António Guterres nominate his special representative for Libya and head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) as soon as possible. This was announced Thursday by First Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN Dmitry Polyanskiy, speaking at a meeting of the Security Council. The meeting extended the mission's mandate by three months.
"The Russian Federation supported the draft resolution prepared by Britain to extend the mandate of the UN Support Mission in Libya. It was the only possible compromise for all of us at this stage," Polyanskiy said. - "We all understand that the current configuration of the UN efforts to mediate in that country, unfortunately, does not meet the urgent problems of the Libyan settlement, and we are all unhappy with this situation. It is not normal that UNSMIL has been 'decapitated' for a long time, which limits the tools at its disposal to accompany the Libyan dialogue."
According to him, the tenure of non-Council-mandated Special Adviser to the Secretary-General Stephanie Williams has been unjustifiably prolonged, despite assurances that her appointment was a temporary measure. "We insist on the early nomination of a worthy and authoritative candidate for the post of his special envoy to Libya and head of UNSMIL by António Guterres, which would suit the main Libyan players as well as regional ones, for subsequent approval by the Security Council members," the diplomat stressed.
The first deputy representative of the Russian Federation noted that the current document reiterates a clear message about the necessity of taking urgent decisions in this regard. We hope that we will not have to witness a conscious dragging out of this issue for the sake of short-term interests," he said. - "The mission needs a leader who has credibility of the Libyans."
Polyanskiy stressed that Russia cannot accept that a Libyan settlement be built outside the framework set by the UN Security Council. "This is unacceptable, especially when another round of dual power is observed in Libya, and the country has come to the brink of resuming an armed conflict. The fate of Libya and its people is now at stake," the diplomat pointed out.
Prospects for extension
According to the first deputy representative, Russia will be ready for prolongation of the mission's mandate for a standard term and for "a more substantial content of the future resolution after UNSMIL finally gets its head."
"We count on the leadership of the UN Secretariat to take seriously the message coming from the Security Council," Polyanskiy said.
GSV "Russia - Islamic world"
Photo: Zuma\TASS
Based on materials from TASS