Security Council approves new UN envoys for Libya, Middle East United Nations News

Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov to succeed Gassan Salame while Tor Wennesland was named the new Middle East ambassador.

The UN Security Council has approved a proposal by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to appoint a new ambassador to Libya, diplomats said.

Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov will take over from Special Representative Steffanie William, who has been in charge of talks in the war-torn country since former ambassador Gassan Salame resigned in March.

Tor Wennesland Norway has been approved by the individual UN Security Council as the Middle East ambassador.

The posts come at the end of months of squabbling among council members spurred by the U.S. bid to sever Libya’s post, with one running the political mission of the UN and another with a focus on conflict centralization. The Security Council approved the proposal in September, but Russia and China stopped it.

Libya entered anarchy after leader Muammar Gaddafi backed NATO in 2011.

In October, the two main sides in the country’s war – the internationally recognized Government of Congress (NGS) and the Libyan National Army (LNA) east of Khalifa Haftar – agreed to a ceasefire. .

“Security Council members emphasized the importance of a reliable and efficient Libyan-led fire inspection equipment and looked forward to a comprehensive report by the Secretary-General on the proposals for a fire prevention inspection. effective under the auspices of the United Nations, “a 15 – member group said in a statement Tuesday.

The council also reaffirmed a call for the withdrawal of all foreign fighters and troops from Libya.

Wennesland is currently Norway’s special ambassador for the Middle East peace process. The Palestinians want to establish a state in the West Bank, east of Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, areas captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war.

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