The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, Abdullah Patel, spoke about his vision for Algeria’s role in resolving the Libyan crisis. He emphasized the importance of benefiting from its experience in helping Libyans overcome the crisis they have been experiencing for several years.
During his meeting with the Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attar in Algeria on Monday, Patel said, “The experience of national reconciliation and Algeria’s position as a member of the high-level African committee charged with resolving the crisis in Libya can be greatly beneficial for solving the crisis in Libya.”
Patel reiterated the necessity of holding elections in Libya to enable the country to establish legitimate institutions. He warned that the political division currently experienced in Libya “has negative implications not only on peace in Libya but also on peace and stability in neighboring countries and the Sahel region.”
In the same context, Patel asserted that resolving the crisis in Libya “means striving to achieve peace and stability in the entire region.”
On his part, Attar highlighted “during the rich and in-depth consultations with Patel, the confirmation that the international and regional context, burdened with conflicts, crises, and disturbances, should not make us forget that the brotherly Libyan people still desperately need the support of the international community as they try to overcome the challenges of the current phase, heal their wounds, unite their ranks, and put an end to the crisis definitively.”
Attar added, “Algeria, which has always stood by Libya in word and deed, affirms today that it will remain faithful to its policy and position on the crisis that threatens the security, stability, and unity of this brotherly and neighboring country, and will continue its full support and engagement in the efforts made, both by the United Nations and the African Union.”
Attar praised the efforts made under the auspices of these two organizations, stating that the UN and African pathways “are interconnected in pursuit and complementary in purpose, supporting each other in achieving the ultimate goal of ending the crisis and turning the page on divisions and restoring unity among Libyans.”
In this regard, he considered that “the electoral process, which the United Nations is striving to provide the legal and political conditions for its success as a permanent and sustainable solution to the crisis in Libya, also needs the national reconciliation process promoted by the African Union as a consensus ground uniting Libyans within a comprehensive and inclusive national project far from the logic of pull and divide, and the logic of the winner and the loser.”
Patel called on the five main parties in Libya to a political dialogue, namely: the Presidents of the Parliament Aguila Saleh, the High Council of State Mohammed Takala, the “Temporary National Unity Government” Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, along with the President of the Presidential Council Mohammed Menfi, and the Army Commander Khalifa Haftar, in a new attempt to bring them together and prepare a consensual electoral roadmap.
However, the House of Representatives expressed its refusal to participate in this meeting, accusing the UN Mission in a statement of not respecting its outputs related to the constitutional amendment, criticizing the non-invitation of Osama Hammad’s government to this dialogue despite obtaining confidence, as opposed to inviting the “Temporary National Unity Government” despite the expiration of its legal term.
In turn, the government appointed by the House of Representatives, led by Osama Hammad, accused Patel of “lack of impartiality and bias towards certain parties, working to entrench division and fragmentation among Libyans,” considering him “incompetent to deal with the Libyan crisis,” and calling for the necessity of his replacement.
