New York (VNA) – Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy,Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations, has welcomed recentpositive developments in politics and security in Libya, and affirmed Vietnam’ssupport to a comprehensive political solution led and owned by Libyan people.

The Ambassador made the remarks at a UN Security Council meeting on July 15 todiscuss the situation in Libya and the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) operations, which was chaired by Jean-Yves Le Drian, Ministerfor Europe and Foreign Affairs of France – the President of the Council inJuly.

Quy called on relevant parties to resolve outstanding differences and expediteall necessary legal and logistical arrangements to ensure the holding ofnational elections under the agreed framework, stressing the importance of fulland equal participation by women in the process. 

The parties must fully implement the October 2020 ceasefire agreement, andall foreign forces and mercenaries should withdraw from Libya in a timely, orderlyand comprehensive manner, he said.

He also lauded activities to reduce risk and protectcivilians from unexploded ordnances left by the war, while calling for moreefforts in the work.

Speaking at the meeting, Ján Kubiš, Secretary-General’sSpecial Representative of Libya and head of the UNSMIL, lauded progress in Libya, but showed concern about the lack ofagreement among stakeholders in Libya on solutions to amend the Constitutionand approve the new election law to prepare for the December 24 generalelection.

He said that theUNSMIL will continue to work hard to support the transitional process in Libyaas well as the deployment of civil observatory group to assist the supervisionof the Libyan people-led supervision mechanism of ceasefire agreement. He alsospoke highly of the second Berlin Conference on Libya in June, while calling onthe UNSC and the international community to continue to assist the promotion ofpeace and development in Libya.

Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh,Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity of Libya, requested theCouncil to help secure the immediate withdrawal of mercenaries and foreignfighters.  

Concluding the meeting, the UNSC adopted a presidentialstatement, which called on relevant agencies to speed up preparations for freeand fair presidential and parliamentary elections in Libya, scheduled for24 December.

It urged all Member States, Libyan parties and relevantactors to fully implement the 23 October 2020 ceasefire agreement,including the withdrawal of all foreign forces and mercenaries from Libyawithout delay. It welcomed efforts by the UNSMIL to encourage the conferenceto develop proposals for a fair, free and inclusive electoral process./.