Madam President,
Let me first join the voice of France which is honored by feminist diplomacy on this international day of women in diplomacy.
Madam President,
I thank the special representative Hannah Tetteh for her presentation and salutes the presence of the permanent representative of Libya in our meeting. I will make three observations.
First, in Libya, a month and a half after the deadly clashes that occurred in Tripoli during which heavy weapons were used in densely populated neighborhoods, the truce remains fragile. We salute the mediation efforts of the United Nations support mission in Libya and the determined action of the special representative, as well as that of the presidential council, to decrease tensions. France calls on all Libyan actors to respect the truce and to set up a lasting cease-fire without delay.
Second, these serious clashes clearly show that the status quo is not viable in Libya. It is urgent to relaunch the political process, with a clear roadmap and calendar, towards a new unified government capable of leading the country to the elections. This is the best solution to guarantee the unity, stability and sovereignty of Libya.
France welcomes the recommendations of the advisory committee formed under the aegis of the Manul. The special representative to our full support to move forward to relaunch the political process as part of the advisory process announced this morning. We recalled it at the meeting of the International Monitoring Committee on Libya in Berlin on June 20. Collective support from us to the United Nations efforts is key. France calls on all Libyan and international actors to cooperate with the special representative and to go beyond their divisions in the best interests of the Libyan people.
Third, the revival of the political process must go hand in hand with progress in the economic and security fields. It is necessary to ensure the transparency and the accountability of economic and financial institutions and to guarantee the independence of audit and control institutions. It is essential to put an end to the infiltration of militias in these areas, corruption and traffic, which proliferate in defiance of the resolutions of this council. The country’s resources must return to Libyan citizens.
On the security level, it is necessary to bring together regular military and security institutions. The disarmament, demobilization and reintegration plan (DDR) must be implemented as soon as possible in order to end the presence of armed groups and militias, especially in the capital. The implementation of the Foreign Forces withdrawal, foreign and mercenaries of the Libyan territory is essential to guarantee the sovereignty of Libya.
France will continue to stand alongside Libya so that the country regains its unity, stability and sovereignty.
Thank you.
