On 20 September, in a special session on the margins of the UN General Assembly, chaired by UN Secretary General António Guterres himself, the Heads of State of the main interested countries in Libya met in a special session to hear UN SRSG Ghassan Salamé’s new road map for Libya’s political transition, as well as UN and international involvement in Libya to achieve that transition. After SRSG Salamé presented his plan, Libyan GNA PM Fayez al-Sarraj presented his vision, after which Theresa May, Emmanuel Macron, Abdul-Fattah Sisi, and Paolo Gentiloni each spoke.In his speech Salame outlined the following steps:
The Libyan Political Agreement remains the only framework to end the Libyan crisis. The Libyan Political Agreement is necessary, but in its current state it is not adequate.The first stage in the process must therefore be to amend the Agreement. There is a broad consensus on the issues requiring amendments. Next week, on the basis of article 12 of the LPA, I am convening, in the UNSMIL offices, a drafting committee to formulate these amendments.Once the amendments have been adopted, the second stage is a National Conference. Such a Conference is intended to open the door to those ostracized, those self-marginalized, those players who have been reluctant to join the political process. This would be the epitome moment of their National Reconciliation. To be inclusive, this conference needs to bring together members of the House of Representatives, of the High State Council, and many others insufficiently or entirely non-represented in these two bodies. The United Nations would be honored to host such a conference under the auspices of the Secretary-General.In this Conference, the identification and selection of members of the reconfigured executive institutions of the country will be made on a consensual basis.After the Conference, the House of Representatives and the Constitutional Drafting Assembly should work in parallel.The House of Representatives would be expected to prioritize the legislation for a Constitutional referendum, Presidential, and Parliamentary elections. I call on all the members of the Parliament to assume their responsibility as representatives of the Libyan nation, and reactivate their legislative power.The Constitutional Drafting Assembly will have the opportunity to review and refine its work, taking into consideration the observations and suggestions expressed during the National Conference.
Salame's full speech can be accessed here, while Guterres's speech on Libya can be accessed here.