Slovakia’s former international minister Jan Kubis will succeed Ghassan Salame because the UN’s new envoy to war-stricken Libya.
The United Nations Safety Council has accepted the appointment of veteran diplomat Jan Kubis because the UN Libya envoy practically a yr after the final mediator stepped down.
UN Secretary-Basic Antonio Guterres proposed that Kubis succeed Ghassan Salame, who stop the position in March final yr citing stress. Salame’s deputy, Stephanie Williams, has been performing Libya envoy.
Kubis, Slovakia’s former international minister, is presently the UN particular coordinator for Lebanon. He has additionally served because the UN particular envoy in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Oil-rich Libya was plunged into chaos after a 2011 NATO-backed rebellion toppled and killed longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi and break up the nation between the UN-recognised authorities within the capital, Tripoli, and rival authorities based mostly within the east.
Both sides is backed by an array of native militias in addition to regional and international powers.
Since final yr, the 2 sides have held UN-led talks to call an interim authorities earlier than elections later in 2021, however they’ve to date did not agree on a voting mechanism.
Williams has drawn widespread reward for her dealing with of these talks. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric stated on Friday the UN mission in Libya reported “vital progress” in negotiations presently underneath approach in Geneva.
The Libya submit had been anticipated to go to Nikolay Mladenov, the UN particular envoy for the Center East Peace Course of, however in late December he turned down the provide for private causes.
There have been objections to 2 earlier candidates, and the US then insisted the job be break up between a particular envoy dealing with diplomacy and somebody to run the UN operation.
The UN introduced the appointment final month of Raisedon Zenenga of Zimbabwe as assistant secretary-general and coordinator of UNSMIL.