On day four of UN-led talks to transform an uncertain truce in Libya into a permanent ceasefire, veteran negotiator Ghassan Salamé on Thursday welcomed the “progress” that had been made so far, before urging an end to any “provocative” military action that might dash the chance of a successful outcome.
“Progress has been made on many important issues and we have before us a significant number of points of convergence,” he said. “Is this complete? Certainly not, and that is why we are still working on refining our basic draft and on bridging the gap on a few points of divergence between that still exist between the two delegations.”
The talks in the Swiss city form part of an international push for peace in the oil-rich North African country.
In early January, Russian and Turkish Presidents Vladmir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan secured a truce agreement between the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) and the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) - led by commander Khalifa Haftar, who laid siege to Tripoli last April.
Although the truce had been accepted by both sides, Mr. Salamé noted earlier in the week that an international arms embargo on Libya has been broken “incessantly” since 2011, with evidence of increasing foreign interference in the form of weapons and fighters.
“During these talks, the negotiators would be certainly helped by more calm on the fronts and by the absence of any act - provocative act - on the military side,” the UN official continued, in reference to ongoing clashes.
While remaining positive about the Geneva meeting, which precedes separate discussions on the economic aspects of the ceasefire – due to begin on 9 February in Cairo – and political talks on 26 February – also at the UN in Geneva – Mr Salamé spoke frankly about the number of difficult issues facing both delegations.
“What do you do with the heavy weaponry, how to allow the internally displaced persons to go back to their homes, how to recivilianise the areas that have been basically a theatre of war, how do you deal with the armed groups, how do you deal with the monitoring of the ceasefire, who should monitor the ceasefire.”
And while the talks have not taken place face to face, this is the least of Mr. Salamé concerns, he insisted.
“Je ne suis pas venu à Genève pour avoir une photo avec deux personnes qui se serrent la main, ce n’est pas mon objectif. Mon objectif est d’arriver à un accord. Et s’il aurait été plus facile d’arriver à cet accord en ayant la mission, en faisant la navette entre les deux, je n’ai aucun problème avec cela. L’importance, c’est l’accord.”
(I didn’t come to Geneva for a photo opportunity of two people shaking hands, that’s not my objective. My goal is to reach an agreement. And if it turns out that it is easier to do this by shuttling between the two (delegations), I have no problem with that. The important thing is the agreement.”)
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Edited News | OCHA , UNWOMEN , WHO
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Press Conferences | OCHA , UNHCR , UNWOMEN , WHO , IFRC
Updates on Gaza, women in Gaza, health crises, and funding cuts for displaced people.
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Press Conferences | UNCTAD , UNDP , UNICEF , UNIDIR , WHO
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Press Conferences , Edited News | UNAIDS
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Press Conferences | UNRWA , IFRC , UNICEF , OHCHR , UNHCR , WHO
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by representatives and spokespersons of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Refugee Agency, the World Health Organization, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
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Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The UN Human Rights Office today published a report detailing how death, injury and lasting family separation are among the traumatic events that have upended the lives of Ukraine’s children in the three years since the Russian Federation launched its full-scale invasion.
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Edited News | UNRWA , UNICEF , IFRC
Israel’s renewed bombing campaign and intensifying ground operation in Gaza are reversing gains achieved during the brief ceasefire, UN humanitarians said on Friday from inside the devastated enclave.
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Press Conferences | HRC
Launch of the report by the Group of Independent Experts on the Human Rights Situation in Belarus
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Press Conferences , Edited News | HRC
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Edited News , Press Conferences | UNITED NATIONS
Cyprus talks result in trust-building measures, show ‘new atmosphere’ among divided island’s leaders, says UN’s Guterres
UN-led efforts to kick-start talks on the divided Mediterranean island of Cyprus have resulted in agreements on new trust-building measures and also underscored the positive “new atmosphere” surrounding the discussions, Secretary-General António Guterres said on Tuesday.
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Edited News , Images | UNITED NATIONS , UNOG
Fresh talks over the future of Cyprus continued on Tuesday as representatives of the divided Mediterranean island gathered at the UN in Geneva along with guarantors Greece, Türkiye and the United Kingdom at the request of UN chief António Guterres.