Just a month after he took over as UNSMIL chief from Bernardino Leon, Martin Kobler watched while the deal, much of which has been hammered out over the past year by members of the Libyan Dialogue, was finally signed.
The agreement brings into being a nine-man presidential council headed by prime minister Faiez Serraj which will form a cabinet to run a Government of National Accord.
It was, said Kobler, at the same time, both a beginning and an end. “ It is the end of the process of the negotiations of the Libyan Political Agreement, but it is also the beginning of hard work”.
He continued: “I stretch out my hands today to those who are not here in the room”. Rebuilding Libya, he said, required an inclusive process. “And it is important that those who are not here in Skirhat that they come, that they join the process”.
He congratulated the new prime minister Faiez Serraj but admitted: “ I also must say I don’t envy you. There a heavy workload in front of the government and the United Nations stands ready to assist you to support and to accompany you on this way”.
The first challenge he said was reconciliation followed by security and he urged all Libyans to get on board in the face of the rising threat from Daesh (IS).
He continued: “And there is the dire humanitarian situation in the country, in particular in Benghazi, in Cyrenaica”. He said that yesterday he had met Omar Barasi the mayor of Libya’s second city” Barasi had described the horrible situation and the many internally-displaced people and refugees.
Kobler said that Benghazi would be on the agenda of the new government and revealed that he had promised the city’s mayor there would be a reconstruction fund for the city.
He also said that UNSMIL would pay particular attention to the divided south of the country and would be urging the Government of National Accord to address the challenges there.
He stressed that the new government had to start work immediately.
“I feel very encouraged by what the Libyans have done today here, and once again I appeal to the people of Libya to stand together. There is no problem without solution” he said, “And I appeal to the mothers of Libya not to let their sons continue to die on the battlefields of Libya. I appeal to the young people, to the men and women, to the young men and women; you are the future of the country. Take the chance now to stand together and to work for a better prosperous secure Libya”.
By Libya Herald reporters.
https://www.libyaherald.com/2015/12/17/unsmil-chief-martin-kobler-on-the-skirhat-signing/
