Berlin (UNA-OIC) – Participants in the high-level ministerial meeting on Libya, held virtually on Monday under the co-chairmanship of the UN Secretary General and the Foreign Minister of Germany, called for a start of a comprehensive political process and acceleration of establishing a demilitarized zone in and around Sirte.
In a virtual press encounter following the meeting, Acting UN Special Representative for Libya Stephanie Williams said the meeting was attended by ministers of foreign affairs and senior representatives from member states and regional organizations that are part of the Berlin process, as well as from Libya’s neighboring countries.
Ms. Williams, who also heads the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), said Monday’s “meeting sent a critical message that the Libyan people need to hear: it is time to reach a ceasefire and an inclusive political settlement of the crisis”.
She said UN Secretary General António Guterres updated participants on recent developments, and welcomed progress since the declarations by Chairman of the Presidential Council Fayez Serraj and Parliament Speaker Agila Saleh in August, as well the recommendations that emerged from the meetings in Montreux, the meeting in Bouznika and more recently the meeting in Hurghada.
The UN chief highlighted how recent developments represent a rare opportunity to restore peace in Libya, and stressed that the future of Libya and of the entire region is at stake, she noted.
Guterres also called on all Libyans to act constructively and responsibly to reach a political solution, as well as on the members of the international community to fully shoulder their responsibilities to promote an inclusive political solution, the special representative added.
Participants noted that Libya is an important, unsolved conflict of our times, with a devastating impact on the Libyan people but also on Libya’s neighbors. They reaffirmed their commitment to the conclusions of the conference on Libya held in Berlin in January 2020, as endorsed by the Security Council through its resolution 2510 (2020).
