Peace be upon you and good morning,

On behalf of Mr. Antόnio Guterres, SecretaryGeneral of the United Nations

I am honored to be here today to witness history being made.

I want to pay tribute to you. What you have accomplished here takes a great deal of courage. You have come together for the sake of Libya, for the sake of your people, to take tangible steps and end their suffering.

I want to commend your commitment in coming together to reach an agreement that can help secure a better, more secure and peaceful future for all the Libyan people. I salute your sense of responsibility and your commitment to preserve Libya’s unity and to reassert its sovereignty.

This week, you have come together, first and foremost, as Libyan patriots. No one but Libyans love Libya as much as you do, nor understand what needs to be done to restore and preserve your country. The road has been long and, at times, difficult, but you have been guided by your patriotism and have succeeded in forging an agreement for a durable and lasting ceasefire. 

I hope that this agreement will end the suffering of the Libyan people and enable those in the diaspora and Internally-Displaced Persons scattered to return to their homes and live in peace and safety.

I particularly want to acknowledge the professionalism and the mutual respect you have all demonstrated towards each other throughout these negotiations. You have set a high standard and excellent example for your compatriots who are participating in the political and economic tracks. You did your part -- and did it very well -- they will now need to do theirs.

I would also like to extend thanks and appreciation to  the President of the Presidency Council, Mr. Fayez Sarraj, and the other members of the Council, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Agila Saleh and Field Marshal General Commander Khalifa Haftar, for their efforts and support to the Commission. 

We must not forget those Libyans who have sacrificed their lives for the sake of this country, as well as the injured and amputees.

I believe what you have achieved here together represents an important milestone for Libya and for the Libyan people.  It is my most fervent hope that today’s agreement will be celebrated by future generations of Libyans as representing that first, crucial, brave step towards a comprehensive settlement of the long Libyan crisis.

We have a lot of work to do in the days and  weeks ahead to implement the commitments outlined in this agreement, and to flesh out the work of the subcommittees.  It is important that we follow through with meaningful action as quickly as possible in order to ease the many hardships this conflict has caused to the Libyan people, and to give them that important measure of hope for a better future.

I know that I can continue to count on you.  I know the Libyan people can count on you.

The United Nations stands with you and the people of Libya.  We will do our utmost to ensure that the international community lends you its full and unwavering support.