UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres had a telephone conversation on Thursday with Fathi Bachagha, one of the two prime ministers in the running in Libya, his spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said.
The House of Representatives withdrew its confidence in Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah’s national unity government in September 2021. On March 1, the House of Representatives took a vote of confidence in a new government led by Mr. Bachagha and this new government was sworn in two days later.
Mr Dbeibah rejected the legitimacy of the March 1 vote, stressing that it will only transfer power to an elected government.
On March 2, António Guterres expressed concern over reports that the March 1 vote did not meet expected standards of transparency and procedures and involved acts of intimidation before the session.
During this phone call, the UN Secretary General and Mr. Bachagha discussed the latest developments in Libya. Mr. Guterres said he was deeply concerned about the ongoing political polarization in Libya, which carries significant risks for the country’s hard-won stability, said Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for Mr. Guterres.
“The Secretary-General stressed the need for all actors to preserve calm and stability on the ground, while reiterating the UN’s firm rejection of the use of violence, intimidation and hate speech,” continued Mr. Dujarric.
Guterres added that the current impasse requires urgent dialogue to find a consensual path and reiterated his full support for the mediation efforts led by his special adviser on Libya, Stephanie Williams, the spokesperson added.
Mr. Guterres had a telephone conversation with Mr. Dbeibah on March 5. Mr. Guterres is at the origin of these two calls, specified Mr. Dujarric.
However, the spokesperson clarified that Thursday’s call does not mean that the secretary-general recognizes Mr Bachagha’s post as prime minister.