UN Libya envoy says mission ‘very difficult’ but ‘not impossible’

The UN envoy attempting to mediate between Libya’s warring sides said Thursday his mission to secure a lasting ceasefire and eventually a political solution for the conflict-torn country was extremely difficult, but “possible”.

Ghassan Salame succeeded Thursday in kickstarting military-level negotiations between Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA) and the forces of eastern military commander Khalifa Haftar, days after they collapsed.

The GNA slammed the door on a second round of indirect talks shortly after they began in Geneva Tuesday, after a barrage of rocket fire hit a port in the capital Tripoli — the target of a months-long operation by Haftar’s forces.

“The representatives of GNA returned this morning after a short, 24-hour interruption,” Salame told AFP in an interview.

“I am very happy that both delegations came back this morning with even more energy towards finding a deal,” he said, describing success in talks towards a military settlement for Libya as “essential”.

Libya has been in turmoil since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising killed longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi, with rival armed factions still vying for power.

In the latest outbreak of fighting, Haftar launched his offensive on Tripoli last April but after rapid advances his forces stalled on the edges of the capital.

The fighting has left more than 1,000 people dead and displaced some 140,000, according to the United Nations.

A first round of military talks ended with no result earlier this month, but Salame, who has been shuttling between the two delegations of high-level military officers, has said there was “more hope” this time.

That is mainly because of the approval last week of a UN Security Council resolution calling for a “lasting ceasefire”.

– ‘Momentum’ –

He told AFP he believed the Security Council resolution had created the “momentum” needed to make progress.

“To not take advantage of it would be a capital sin. So I am trying to translate this momentum into a deal in the military realm, the political realm and the economic realm,” he said.

Several rounds of talks focused on economic issues, including fairer distribution of Libya’s oil wealth, have also taken place in Egypt and Tunisia, while talks towards a political solution are scheduled to start in Geneva on February 26.

The renewed effort to find a way out of the chaos raging in Libya comes after a Berlin summit last month, where countries including Russia, Turkey, France and Egypt agreed to end foreign interference in Libya and respect for a UN arms embargo.

But little has changed on the ground since then, and the tenuous truce has been repeatedly violated.

Salame acknowledged that the UN efforts to secure peace in the conflict-ravaged country have “often been described as a mission impossible.”

“But that has never been my opinion,” he said, insisting that if he ever comes to see the mission as impossible, “I will no longer be here.”

“For now, I think that my mission is possible,” he said.

“I am not saying that it is easy, which is a very different thing. It is very difficult, but it is possible.”

After Tuesday’s attack on the Tripoli port, Salame said he had spoken on the phone with the head of the UN-recognised government Fayez al-Sarraj to urge him to send the negotiators back in.

“The contact with Mr. Sarraj never stopped, including last night, when I wanted to ensure the return of the military negotiators,” he said.

Salame said he had expressed that it was understandable that the GNA needed to display its outrage over the attack, but had stressed that “once the expression of discontent had been made, we couldn’t lose any of our precious time in Geneva.”

The UN envoy said he expected to meet Sarraj face-to-face in Geneva on Monday, when the Libyan leader is scheduled to attend the opening of the UN Human Rights Council.

Two days later, political talks between the Libyan sides are set to begin in the Swiss city.

Unlike the military-level negotiations, the political negotiations are set to be face-to-face and will “have the dimensions of a roundtable, where everyone can express themselves,” Salame said.