By Libya Herald reporters.
Tripoli, 17 November 2015:
The new UNSMIL chief, Martin Kobler has said that Libyans cannot afford to waste the . . .[restrict]hard work already done on the Peace Accord.
Speaking on his first day in charge, Kobler suggested that he was eager to press ahead with resolving “ the remaining small number of outstanding issues”.
He said that in the coming days he would be listening to, among others, members of the political dialogue and the proposed presidency council. The Libya Herald has been told that one of the early meetings will be with Libyan mayors, a number of whom is currently in Tunis to where UNSMIL relocated after the collapse of security in Tripoli last year.
Kobler said that he was determined to build on the momentum of the dialogue to being about an endorsement of the political agreement in the near future.
He added that as a matter of priority, he intended to focus on security-related issues. It would seem highly likely that his new security adviser, Italian Lieutenant-General Paolo Serra will be closely involved in these talks.
In what will be seen as a reference to the revelations about his predecessor, Bernardino Leon’s new job with in the UAE, Kobler said that the UN would “always be guided by the relevant Security Council resolutions and by the long-standing principles of impartiality”.
Kobler averred that stability and state authority could only by achieved through dialogue.
He said that he admired the resilience of Libyans. “ They have endured much as a result of the ongoing conflict, the humanitarian crisis and the growing threat of terrorism. We owe it to them to move with urgency and determination”.
He insisted that the UN and the international community stood ready to support the new national accord government.
He added that “the tireless efforts exerted by the Libyan parties over the past year have come a long way in bridging differences. Continuity of the dialogue process and building on what has been achieved to date is the way forward”. [/restrict]
