Ambassador Pham Hai Anh, Deputy Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN (Photo: VNA) The event drew the African Union (AU)'s Commissioner for PoliticalAffairs, Peace and Security Bankole Adeoye, Assistant UN Secretary-General forRule of Law and Security Institutions Alexandre Zouev, andResident/Humanitarian Coordinator in Libya Georgette Gagnon.
Participants welcomed positive developments in Libyarecently and called on all relevant parties to continue to speed up thetransition process in the country.
They underlined the significance of the full implementationof the UNSC’s arms embargoon Libya and the ending of thepresence of foreign forces and fighters in the country in line with the UNSC'sResolution 2570, and not allowing the issue to pose negative impacts on thesecurity situation in the Sahel region.
Addressing theevent, Ambassador Pham Hai Anh, Deputy Permanent Representative ofVietnam to the UN, stressed the need to maintain and optimise the positive trendof the current political process in Libya, heading to the success of theelections in late 2021 for peace and stability in Libya and the region.
Vietnam supports the ending of the presence of foreignfighters and mercenaries in Libya, he said, stressing the need to pay specialattention to the demobilisation, disarmament and reintegration of warriors, aswell as their travelling, thus not causing negative impacts on the situation inneighbouring countries and the region.
The Vietnamese diplomat called for enhanced settlement of the root of the problem through building trust andpromoting dialogue, conciliation, tolerance and enhancing mutual understandingand boosting socio-economic development for people and the community.
Anh held that it is necessary to improve coordinationamong UN and regional organisations as well as neighbouring countries andrelevant partners, especially between the UN and the AU.
The meeting took place in the context of the ongoing peaceprocess in Libya and recent developments in Chad, where ChadianPresident Idriss Déby Itno was killed in clashes with rebels invading from Libya on April 19. Theceasefire agreement reached in October 2020 by Libya’s 5 5 Joint Military Commissionhad required the departure of foreign fighters and mercenaries from the countrywithin three months.
But a UN estimate released in December 2020 noted that some20,000 foreign fighters and mercenaries remained active in the country. It is athreat to the ongoing peace process and the holding of elections scheduled for December 24. The departure of these foreign elements requires carefulmanagement to avoid the spread of conflict, with terrorist fighters and armscrossing “the porous borders of Sahelian countries”./.
VNA
