Joint Communique of the Quartet Meeting on Libya

The meeting was chaired by the Secretary General of the League of Arab States Mr. Ahmed Aboul Gheit

CAIRO, Egypt, May 1, 2018/ —

1. The League of Arab States (LAS), the African Union (AU), the European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN) held their fourth meeting at the headquarters of the League of Arab States on 30 April 2018 to discuss the situation in Libya and further coordinate their efforts in support of the political process and Libya’s democratic transition.
2. The meeting was chaired by the Secretary General of the League of Arab States Mr. Ahmed Aboul Gheit and attended by the African Union High Representative for Mali and the Sahel former President Pierre Buyoya, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the European Commission Ms. Federica Mogherini, and the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya Mr. Ghassan Salame.
3. The Quartet reviewed the overall political and security situation in Libya since their last meeting in New York in September 2017, and looked forward to the attainment of further progress to consolidate security throughout Libya and overcome the political impasse between the parties to reach a comprehensive, durable and peaceful Libyan-led resolution of the situation.
4. The Quartet renewed their commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and national unity of Libya and support for the internationally recognized Presidency Council of the Government of National Accord. They resolved to continue their coordinated and complementary efforts in support of an inclusive UN-facilitated political process under the overall framework of the Libyan Political Agreement (LPA).
5. The Quartet reiterated their full support for the United Nations Action Plan for Libya and welcomed the progress that has been attained thus far in implementing its core elements. They called upon all Libyan parties to assume their responsibility and pursue their cooperation, in good faith, with the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General towards its broad-based consensual implementation.
6. The Quartet also welcomed the efforts of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General to organize and convene a series of meetings across Libya as part of the broad-based National Conference process to promote national dialogue, unity and reconciliation and elaborate an inclusive vision for completing Libya’s democratic transition. The Quartet expressed their readiness to jointly sponsor this UN-facilitated initiative and support the implementation of its outcome.
7. The Quartet welcomed ongoing efforts, following the decision by the Libyan Supreme Court that effectively validated the decision taken by the Constitutional Drafting Assembly in July 2017, to establish a broad-based consensus among all Libyan stakeholders towards holding a constitutional referendum.
8. The Quartet further emphasized the importance of holding parliamentary and presidential elections in accordance with the requisite legal framework that must be enacted and approved for this purpose, including a constitutional framework and electoral law. They recognized the important preparatory efforts of the Presidency Council and the High National Electoral Commission (HNEC), in particular through the registration of eligible voters, and welcomed the high number of new registered voters in this process. The Quartet notes that the elections are planned to be held before the end of the year in line with the UN Action Plan for Libya.
9. The Quartet expressed their willingness to coordinate their efforts to provide support, including through the deployment of electoral assistance and / or observer missions, to allow for the conduct of free, fair and credible elections. They stressed that the conduct of such elections requires a conducive political and security environment where all Libyan parties commit in advance to respect and abide by their results and voters are allowed to safely exercise their democratic rights throughout the country without intimidation or interference, including from armed groups, criminal networks and other non-sate actors.
10. The Quartet undertook for this purpose to sponsor any confidence building measures among Libyan parties and stakeholders that would contribute to the provision of additional assurances and integrity for the successful conduct of these elections, acceptance of their results, and recognition by the international community of the executive and legislative institutions that will emanate from them.
11. The Quartet took note of the progress being attained in the preparations for municipal elections, and also welcomed local reconciliation initiatives among Libyan communities to ease tensions, consolidate stability and create a conducive political environment in localities across the country.
12. The Quartet emphasized the continued need to comprehensively address the security challenges posed by the proliferation of weapons, by armed groups outside of State authority, and by smuggling and trafficking networks. They stressed the importance of a united Libyan military operating under civilian oversight and a unified chain of command that is capable of consolidating peace and security throughout the country.
13. The Quartet welcomed in this regard all efforts to unify the security apparatus, including the important security dialogue facilitated by the government of Egypt. They further encouraged the House of Representatives and the High Council of State to pursue their discussions and work together to fulfill their responsibilities. The Quartet also welcomed the efforts by Libya, Chad, Sudan and Niger to address the issue of cross-border insecurity, including the associated threat posed by foreign armed groups as well as the cooperation between the UN, AU and EU to assist Libya address the issue of migration and combat the smuggling and trafficking of migrants.
14. The Quartet expressed their condemnation of all terrorist attacks in Libya and reiterated their support for ongoing Libyan efforts aimed at eradicating the threat posed by terrorist groups to Libya’s security and the stability of neighboring countries and the region. They further underscored the urgent need to provide early recovery assistance to those areas recently liberated from ISIL control, and called upon all Libyan institutions and stakeholders to actively cooperate towards their longer-term reconstruction, including in Benghazi, Sirte and elsewhere.
15. The Quartet emphasised the importance of addressing Libya’s economic challenges and the provision of essential services through the equitable allocation of State resources throughout the country. They encouraged the finalisation of the national budget for 2018 and also underscored, in particular, the importance of preserving the unity of Libya’s economic and financial sector, including the Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank of Libya (CBL), the National Oil Corporation (NOC), the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA), and the Libyan Audit Bureau.

Source: APO