Libya’s territorial integrity and sovereignty ‘are non-negotiable’

The North African country has been split between two competing administrations for more than a decade, following the overthrow of former leader Muammar Gaddaffi in 2011.

Last month, the UN proposed a roadmap that would last from 12-18 months leading to general elections and a new unified Government.

UN support critical

“I stand before you today representing the will of a people that is still holding on to hope, still believing in its ability to build a stable and prosperous future,” said Mohamed Younis Al-Menfi of the internationally recognized Government of National Unity (GNU).

“Libya is not a zone for fighting. It's not an arena to settle scores or a place to which crises can be exported. It is a nation rich in natural resources, a cohesive society, with young people that have tremendous potential” who “are the backbone to build a modern State.”

He stressed that “at this critical juncture, we look to the United Nations to play an effective and complementary role as it supports us to overcome this crisis towards stability and democracy.

Past failures, broken trust

Mr. Al-Menfi insisted that despite challenges and threats, the Libyan people firmly believe that they can overcome any obstacles.

“But let me be honest with you,” he continued. “In Libya, multiple models and traditional mechanisms have been exhausted. They have not matched the complexity of the social and political situation. They've adversely affected the trust of Libyans in the proposed solutions.”

He warned that “any solution that does not restore the national ownership of the political track, any solution that is not derived from the free will of the Libyan people, would be destined to fail, as we've seen in the past.”

A new approach

In this regard, Mr. Al-Menfi presented what he called “a clear political vision based on four pillars.”

The first calls for “fully restoring national sovereignty and rejecting all forms of foreign interference, no matter what form it might take and no matter the justifications.”

Libya’s sovereign institutions – particularly its security, defense and financial institutions – must be united “according to professional mechanisms, without polarization and without setting quotas.”

The final pillar concerns ending the current transitional period based on a new constitution, “through free and fair elections, allowing Libyans to freely choose who would rule them, without tutelage, without any position from external actors.”

Mr. Al-Menfi said that despite the challenges, the authorities were able to maintain the highest level of stability and prevent a relapse into violence.

“We stress that the blood of the Libyan people is a red line,” he said. “The territorial integrity, sovereignty and social cohesion of Libya are non-negotiable.”