The president of Congo, Denis Sassou Nguesso, who doubles as chairman of the African Union High Level Committee on Libya, Thursday called on the international community to respect the UN arms embargo in that country.
By Léon Charles Moukouri
“The scrupulous respect of the embargo decreed by the United Nations in Libya is among the challenges to be met to bring the country out of the crisis,” Sassou Nguesso said at the opening of the eighth summit of heads of state and government of the AU High-Level Committee on the Libyan crisis in Brazzaville.
“It is in this particular context that our body, the AU High Level Committee on Libya, will submit its report during the next extraordinary session of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government,” the Congolese leader said, calling for “strict respect for non-interference in Libya’s internal affairs.”
He also informed international opinion of the willingness of the AU to organise, in the course of 2020, an inclusive inter-Libyan reconciliation forum prior to free, credible and inclusive presidential, legislative and local elections.
“Our responsibility invites us to act in order to integrate the recent developments of this crisis in our approach,” Sassou Nguesso added.
“Our duty for Africa still challenges us today, we must put the Libyan issue at the top priority level in the agendas of the African Union and the United Nations in terms of peace and security” he said.
He called on Africa to impose on itself the requirement of coherence with regard to “the resolution of the Libyan conflict because our continent must speak with one voice on the basis of our unique approach already defined by the AU, beyond any ambiguity.”
The eighth summit of the AU High-Level Committee of Heads of State and Government on Libya was held in the presence of the presidents of Mauritania, Mohamed Ould El-Ghazaouani and Djibouti, Ismail Omar Guelleh.
Also present were the UN Special Representative and Head of Mission in Libya, Ghassan Salamé, the Chairperson of the AU Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat and representatives of the protagonists to the Libyan crisis.
LCM/te/lb/as/APA