Martin Kobler Visits Libya, Meets HoR President, Cyrenaica Tribal Dignitaries and Mayors in Libya

2 Jan 2016

Martin Kobler Visits Libya, Meets HoR President, Cyrenaica Tribal Dignitaries and Mayors in Libya

31 December 2015 - As part of his efforts to broaden support for the Libyan Political Agreement, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya, Martin Kobler, visited Libya on Thursday 31 December 2015 and met with the President of the House of Representatives, Mr. Agila Saleh.

Kobler described the discussions with President Agila in the city of Shahat near Al Bayda as excellent and frank. “I am encouraged by the meeting with President Agila Saleh, and I welcome his acceptance in principle of the Libyan Political Agreement as the political framework for Libya. I was also happy to hear about his intention to meet with the Prime Minister Mr Fayez Serraj to discuss the remaining issues touching on the Libyan army, formation of the new government and its location.”

In Shahat, the Special Representative also met with tribal dignitaries and mayors from Cyrenaica. He said after the meeting that he had listened with much attention to the concerns of the tribes, sensing a good degree of support for the Libyan Political Agreement. "Tribes are a very important element of the Libyan political environment and their voice must be heard", he said.

In the evening, SRSG Kobler also had a long and constructive telephone discussion with General Khalifa Haftar on the way forward in light of his earlier meeting with HOR President Agila and in anticipation of meeting with H.E. Mr. Nuri Abu Sahmain on the following day.

At the end of these long and fruitful discussions, Kobler said that he is convinced that the overwhelming majority of the Libyan people support peace. "Libyans are tired and long for a life in peace, security and dignity,” he said, hoping that in 2016 the Government of National Accord would bring the long-awaited political stability and a resolution of the Libyan political crisis. "Building on this positive momentum, I look forward to bringing the actors even closer together in the coming days and weeks to work on paving the way forward to bring about the much anticipated peace and security that Libyans deserve," concluded SRSG Kobler.