Thank you very much for being with us at this time on on a weekend to participate in this press conference of the.
We have here the great pleasure to host Mrs Stephanie Turko Williams, who was, as you know, acting special Representative of the Secretary General and head of the UN Support Mission in Libya.
Williams will deliver some initial remarks and then we'll take questions and answers.
Please let me remind you that on Channel 2 of the live web cast that you can watch on webtv.un.org, you can listen to the English version.
And on Channel 3, we have the Arabic interpretation.
So I will now give the floor immediately to Mrs.
Williams for initial remarks.
Good evening and thank you for being here on a Saturday.
Over the past months, under the umbrella or Libyans have come together to build bridges limited with and across the various in order genuinely tackled the issues that have driven the political crisis and the need for accountability, transitional justice.
The road map that was charted in November is the first critical step institution and to restore their sovereignty through the holding the national election on December 24th through the road map.
The Libyan Political Dialogue Forum also agreed clear steps leading to these elections that shall be held on an agreed upon constitutional basis and the road map set out a very reasonable time frame for the politicians and the relevant institutions to live up to their responsibility to complete these steps with built in contingencies in the event the institution fail or impede the process.
In Tunis, the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum also agreed on the need to restructure the executive authority to govern Libya in the run up to these elections.
This new unified government would be tasked with putting in place the necessary conditions for the elections to take place.
It would also launch national reconciliation, seek to combat corruption and restore the delivery of public service across the country.
As you know, we have convened the Advisory Committee of the Libyan Political Dialogue form here in Geneva.
Since when the with us here is a group of 18 members selected and denominated from within the broader group of the 75 composing the Libyan Political Dialogue form.
This is an advisory committee formed to overcome the deadlock on the mechanism for the selection mechanism for this temporary executive authority in line with the Tunis road map agreed upon in mid 11.
I'm very pleased to report that the Advisory Committee members truly rose to the occasion and they've met their responsibility with a constructive spirit, cooperative efforts and a great deal of patriotism.
During these deliberations witnessed a spirit of fraternity, solidarity and a commitment to put the interests of the country and the Libyan people first and foremost.
I wish to extend my heartfelt thanks to the Advisory Committee members for their efforts and to the rest of the Dialogue members for their continued support during these consultations.
I'm happy to announce and I congratulate on reaching an agreement on a recommended selection mechanism that has now been shared with the remaining members of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum early this earlier this afternoon.
The plenary will vote on this mechanism on Monday.
They have taken a decisive step towards meeting the goals that were set in Tunis.
On the basis of the proposal devised by the Advisory Committee, each Electoral College shall separately nominate their respective representative to the Presidency Council based on the principle of agreement and selection.
70% If this is not possible, list shall be formed from all regions.
Each shall consist of four persons who will specify the position for which they are running by the President of the Presidency Council, Member of the Presidency Council or Prime Minister.
In order for the list to be presented for voting by the Plenary, it must receive 17 endorses, 8 from the West, 6 from the east, and three from the South.
The winning list shall be the one that receives 60% of the votes of the plenary in the first round.
If none of the lists receive this percentage, the two lists that receive the highest percentage shall compete in the second field.
The winning list in that round shall be the one that receives 50% + 1 in the plenary.
I believe this decision reached today is the best possible compromise, as this proposal respects the regional dimension and it indeed encourages people to work across the divide and across regions in order to strengthen understanding and to build unity in the country.
And it embodies the principles of full inclusivity, transparency and fair representation across regions and within different population groups.
I want to emphasise that the United Nations will not in any way be involved in composing the list.
As I have repeatedly stated, this is a Libyan, Libyan solution.
Our role is to support and facilitate.
On Monday, January 18th, UNSNO will call upon the Political Dialogue members to vote on the proposed mechanism.
The vote on the mechanism will be conducted over a 24 hour period.
We will announce the results on January 19th after voting has been completed.
The threshold for agreement that was agreed by the Advisory committee on the selection mechanism is 63% of those who participate in the vote.
If this percentage, if the percentage of 63% is not attained, we will conduct a second round of voting that will be held two days later.
The required threshold for agreement, but the second round is 50% plus one of those who participate in the middle.
I think it's important to reflect and to remind everyone that what we were are talking about here is a temporary unified executive authority that will be replaced by a permanently democratically elected government chosen by the Libyan people on December 24th of this year.
Our principles are unambiguous, a temporary unified executive staffed by Libyan patriots who want to share responsibility rather than to divide the case.
This temporary executive has a clear and limited mandate and as I said, that expires on the date of the elections are held on the 21st December, December.
We have set the table to decide a selection mechanism that does embody these principles.
And my message to the Libyan people today is with this breakthrough that we've seen your patriotic and committed representatives here in the Advisory Committee have fulfilled, you know, their commitment and have done so in a very admirable manner.
Thank you very much, Stephanie and for this introductory remarks.
And now I would like to ask the journalists who are connected if they would like to ask some questions or here in the room.
And I recognise first the the hand up of Catherine Fiancon.
Catherine, you have the floor.
Just let me remind you that as we have interpretation for those journalists who would like to ask their questions in Arabic.
Thank you so much, Alessandra, and thank you to Mrs.
Williams to have taken the time to come and brief us.
And as she read her notes, would it be possible to send them as soon as possible to the press because there are very technical elements and in order to, to, to have a perfect coverage, if we could have it as soon as possible, it would be much appreciated.
My question is regarding that temporary government, when is it going to start?
Is it just after the election on the 19th of January?
Could you please clarify the process?
The notes, the introductory remarks on Mrs.
We have checked them against delivery and we will send them as soon as possible.
So the vote on Monday is on the selection mechanism for the temporary executives.
So if that vote passes, then there would be a nomination period that will run several weeks, it would be my estimation.
And then there would be a vote on the executive itself after that.
So look, I set no very firm deadline and timeline for this committee to meet mindful of the circumstances on the ground and and the need to move forward and fulfil the road map that was charted in tunic.
And this is all driving towards the holding of these elections at the end of the year, which will return decision they're making their rightful owners.
And that's the Libyan people who will, you know, ultimately decide their representation at the ballot box.
The next question is from Peter Kenny.
Peter, is that for Anadulu?
I'm asking this question for Anadilu Williams.
On December the Peter, just one second, please, just one second.
I think you should listen.
You can hear, well, maybe just sorry, just one second.
So on the 24th of December, is this going to be a national general election then?
Can you elaborate on that, please?
So in in Tunis, you know, really the first major breakthrough on the the road map that was charted by the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum was to set the date for national elections for December 24th of this year.
That is also coincides of course with Libyan on Independence Day.
And so those are national elections that will be held on a constitutional, constitutionally agreed upon basis.
And, you know, there is a lot of work to do, of course, with, you know, setting the electoral framework as well.
And that is why, you know, it is incumbent upon the relevant institutions, you know, to produce the framework necessary for these elections to take place.
I think that the time frame is quite reasonable.
Musa, is that for Almadina?
My question is, I want to clarify a basic issue, Miss Williams, you said that the agreement or understanding that reach that is reached today was discussed with parties of the LPD of the Libyan.
So what is the need for the voting on these proposals next Monday and and have you reached today about a final agreement about the executive?
Thank you, executive Authority.
OK, Thank you very much for that.
So look we are you know running a fully inclusive and transparent process.
This is advisory committee, the members of were put forward through a process of nomination and you know, selected based on regions.
There's of of course, a representation of women and I must say that the women in the advisory committee, as they have throughout this process really played a brilliant role also in, you know, building bridges.
There are is a youth component in this committee as well and the various, you know, I would say the political, you know, forces.
This is an advisory committee who's it was always and is my pledge that we would take you know this the proposals that they came up with back, you know, for decision for decision in the plenary and that's exactly what we're going to do on Monday.
The members of the plenary will have the opportunity to vote on this week.
That's that's the proper and fully inclusive way.
Thank you, Stephanie Anyes Pedrero, IFP.
A question on the vote on Monday, when you are talking about the plenary, could you specify which plenary?
Just so it's clear and also as we are with the pandemic in a, in a virtual world, many things are happening on the Internet.
Could you specify where the vote will take place?
Is it specifically in Geneva or elsewhere or will it be in a virtual way?
If you could explain how the this vote will take place, if it would be by secret ballots or could you give more details?
That's another, that's another good question.
So, yeah, we are obviously very mindful of the fact that we're running this peace process during the global pandemic, which is why we have been extremely careful in deciding when to convene face to face meetings like we have done so here in here in Geneva and only to do so when it's absolutely necessary.
We have conducted votes, you know, since Tunis, which was the last, you know, and, and first major meeting of the LPDF over the telephone.
It's a secret ballot that's it's run by the mission with oversight from our electoral division.
So that's how we will conduct.
Right, it's it's no, they didn't.
The, the, the line is very bad.
Maybe you could just get a little bit closer to the mic.
If you want to send an e-mail to me or to Mr LeBlanc, we we can read the question for you to Mrs.
Or maybe disconnect and reconnect.
In the meantime, I give the floor to Isabel Sacco from the the Spanish News Agency.
I would like to maybe to understand better how this proposal, this political track reconciles with the military and the economic track that are also being negotiated in other places in different time, because all three are part of the same big deal that you look for to get peace and prosperity again to Libya.
Thank you for that question.
Yeah, the tracks are interrelated and they component to each other.
And we see movement and progress on one track that often inspires, you know, the desire for progress on the other tracks.
And indeed, what we saw today comes after, again some encouraging progress on the other two tracks.
I'll start with, you know, the economic track.
We had a economic dialogue here in last month.
We brought together members of the Libyan economic tract of the process with institutions, both sides of the divide and with the sovereign institutions, the central bank in West of the Central East, and an official from the National Oil Corporation.
And that, you know, laid the groundwork for movement.
There had already been some very good, you know, work that had been done, including by, you know, the Deputy Prime Minister, the government of National Court and others across the divide, the deputy finance minister, the interim government, as well as the Minister of Finance of the GNA towards, you know, building a unified budget.
And they had been working with, you know, international financial institutions, particularly the World Bank, with some technical assistance.
And then we sort of folded this in under the umbrella of Berlin.
We had another meeting, virtual meeting in this group in January.
And lo and behold, we we saw last week again, Libyans coming together on Libyan soil in Brega, in central eastern Libya.
And they, they agreed a unified budget.
That also comes on the backdrop of the first meeting of this, the board of Central Bank of Libya for over six years.
That board meeting was held in December.
Decision was taken to unify the country's exchange rate.
So we've seen some very good progress on the economic track, on the military track.
There has been yet another exchange of detainees with the participation and really the leadership of the joint, the 5 + 5 joint military Commission as well as the elders councils.
And again that was very encouraging to see that.
And then we are we are seeing that there is progress towards opening the Coastal Rd between Abu Bharang and Sirte as the really the first critical step in the implementation of the ceasefire agreement.
So what I have, what I have observed is that as Libyans again across the divide, with divided institutions, with, you know, after these long years of conflict, they are, they're building confidence amongst themselves and between each other that I think really also inspired the group here.
They, the different tracks now challenge each other and they often in their internal meetings are referring to what's happening, you know, in, in the other tracks.
So they are very, very interrelated.
And and so I think again after today's forward movement here in Geneva, I expect, you know, that will translate into more progress on the other tracks.
Thank you very much, Stephanie.
I see that we have three follow-ups, but before giving again the floor to the journalist, I would like to try again with Nuruddin Runardin.
I see you are reconnected.
Afternoon to you and to Madam Williams my.
If the the proposed mechanism will be will gain the majority if the mechanism became binding to everybody?
If there will be any guarantee?
Respect will be all the responsibility.
I think that's a reference to spoilers.
So look, I mean, I think the way that the the vote is structured again is, is to reflect, you know, maximum inclusivity and the way that this, the process of reaching this decision today, you know, also reflected representation across the group, indeed more reflective of the Libyan population.
Yes, I expect that there will be there will be spoilers.
There will be people, you know, seeking to obstruct.
I think that they are in the minority.
There is, you know, an overwhelming desire as we've seen really going back to last summer when frankly, you know, people took to the streets in Libya.
There's a lot of fresh, there's been a lot of frustration over the failure to deliver services, basic services to the municipality of the country is facing a sharp deterioration in infrastructure and particularly the electrical grid, which needs we estimate a billion dollars worth investment urgently in order to avert total failure of the electrical.
So all of this sort of militates in favour for of, of, of, you know, mending this divide, particularly in the executive and financial and sovereign institutions.
And that rubs up against the vested interests.
Frankly don't want to see, don't want to see change.
But I think the process that we have built here is broadly reflective of the desire of overwhelming that the country must move forward, that it must unite, that national reconciliation, that efforts to to have the internally displaced, those in the diaspora may finally return home.
That, you know, all of this work is building towards that, that outcome.
And so I don't think that these, the obstructionists, will prevail.
Miss Williams, Everybody knows how the foreign interference and Libyan affair, including Turkey, the Gulf, Egypt, Russia and I.
Well, to be, to be, you know, I have and the mission has found broad support for the from the international community, for the road map that was charted in Tunis, for this entire political process that was enshrined in UN Security Council Resolution 2510.
You know, the message to them is listen to the Libyans, listen to and respect the decisions that they have taken and follow, follow the lead.
It's really across all of the trans military and now.
You said that this is a Libyan LED initiative.
Does it have the backing of the big powers that have been involved in this country?
Because that is also important for the people who are involved internally in solving a conflict.
Do you have the that sort of backing?
Because those that sort of backing I think gets those conflicts resolved.
I guess that's ultimately a question you should pose to, you know, in those capitals.
But what I have, what I have seen, what I have observed in mine, I've had direct contact.
We have this, you know, Berlin process of the countries and regional organisations along with the UN.
We've now been almost been a year since the Berlin conference and we come together on a regular basis and of course there are reports to the Security Council and what I can say is that we have received the requested support.
The countries and the regional organisations that are part of the Berlin process participate in the the international working groups that come under the umbrella of Berlin.
We've seen some very good interaction between these working groups and the Libyan tracks.
We've seen that on the economics file in particular representatives from the Co chairs of the economic Working group that participated in the Geneva and in the virtual session that we've held earlier this month.
You know this this of course increases buy in from the international community.
It solidifies it, and it also gives confidence to.
And finally, a follow up from Isabel Sacco.
It's now that you have you are seeing meaningful breakthroughs, but all of them are and depending on the security situation in Libya on the field.
Could you tell us if you have discussed the possibility of international observers who to to observe the ceasefire in Libya?
You know, yes, indeed, the Secretary General at the end of the last year delivered a report to the Security Council and this is responding, you know, to the Libyan request for the deployment of civilian and international observers.
And so that is something that we are working through, you know, both on the New York end and continued discussions with the 5 + 5.
You know, the good thing is there's there is calm on the ground and that certainly helps.
You know, we reflect back to when we were here last February, you know, bombs were falling on Tripoli and it was the talks in that atmosphere.
The talks are really great and for that I commend the Libyan party.
It is all very fragile, of course, and that is why, you know, we are, we are moving forward, you know, to consolidate the game, to unite the institution, to start, to really genuinely address the underlying drivers, to put Libya on a path to stability and prosperity.
Thank you very much, Stephanie.
This concludes the list of people that wanted to ask you questions.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank very much Mrs.
Williams, our Acting Special Representative of the Secretary General for Libya.
Because every time that we have had the great pleasure to have the talks on the Libya situation where the military, political, economic, she has been with us.
It's been a great pleasure to work with her and also to have her every time briefing the Geneva Press Corps.
Thank you, Alessandra, and I want to thank you for all the wonderful assistance in extraordinary time, as well as, of course, the government of Switzerland.
Without him, none of this could have been possible.
Thanks to you and your team, Stephanie.
Thanks to all the journalists who have followed us this Saturday evening, and happy Sunday to everybody.
From within the broader group of the 75 composing to the advisory care members for their efforts in order to strengthen understanding and to build unity in the country, the road map that was chartered in Tunis in November ultimately decide their representation at the ballot box, the LPDF, over the telephone.
The people who are involved, we certainly solving a function.
We had the that sort of bracket, the 1st, that sort of bracket.
