New York – Libya’s permanent representative to the UN Abdurrahman Shalgham lauded, on Wednesday at the Security Council, Morocco’s reconciliation experience.
Speaking at a meeting on the situation in Libya, Shalgham said that the Moroccan reconciliation experience is a model to follow.
The Libyan diplomat called for reconciliation in his country and warned against all exclusion policies.
For their parts, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay and the UN special envoy to Libya Ian Martin said that the UN will continue to assist Libya’s National Transitional Council (NTC) to address the challenges relating to security and human rights.
Libya Facing Challenging Transition, But Authorities Striving To Succeed – UN
New York -Libya is going through a difficult transition, having inherited weak state institutions and an absence of political parties, the top United Nations envoy in the country told the Security Council Wednesday, adding that the interim Government is committed to addressing the challenges
“The former regime may have been toppled, but the harsh reality is that the Libyan people continue to have to live with its deep-rooted legacy, weak, at times absent, state institutions, coupled with the long absence of political parties and civil society organizations, which render the country’s transition more difficult,” said Ian Martin, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).
He reiterated that security remains a major concern, noting that events over the past month highlight the risks associated with both the continued abundance of weapons on the streets, and the diverse armed “brigades” in the country with unclear lines of command and control.
He said the National Transitional Council (NTC) is laying the foundation for the establishment of democratic governance, but a combination of a tight timeline, inexperience in drafting electoral legislation, shortcomings in communication and the lack of proper mechanisms for consultation have set limitations to the process of drafting the electoral law.
On human rights, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, informed the Council of her extreme concern over the conditions of detention and treatment of detainees held by the various revolutionary brigades, noting that the International Committee of the Red Cross had visited over 8,500 detainees in approximately 60 places between March and December last year.
The majority of the detainees are accused of being loyalists of the deposed leader, Muammar al-Qadhafi, and include a large number of citizens of sub-Saharan Africa.
Other areas of concern include conditions for people subjected to internal forced and involuntary displacement, the status of women and past abuses.
Pillay also highlighted the outstanding questions regarding possible civilian deaths resulting from NATO operations, and voiced hope that the ongoing probe by the organization’s commission of inquiry will shed light on the extent to which NATO forces took precautions to protect civilians.
