Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita said that Morocco believes that any process to settle the Libyan crisis must be under the UN umbrella to be legitimate.
In a statement to the press following talks with the UN Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative for Libya, Stephanie Khoury, Bourita said that there is a desire by the UN to monitor the Libyan issue and to be kept informed of all diplomatic actions taken by the Kingdom on this issue.
This wish had been manifested in concrete terms since the inter-Libyan dialogue in Skhirat, where the Kingdom collaborated with the UN, as well as in Bouznika and at all meetings on this issue, the diplomat continued.
The Kingdom’s action on the Libyan issue is “always undertaken” in consultation with the UN, he asserted, given that Morocco is the leading supporter of the Libyan process and on the basis of solid human and historical ties between the Moroccan and Libyan people.
The meeting provided an opportunity for Morocco to reiterate its position on the Libyan problem and to emphasize that conditions in Libya are currently conducive for furthering the Libyan process, he added.
Bourita highlighted Morocco’s long-standing position that the Libyan situation can only be addressed by Libyans themselves and that the question of legitimacy in Libya is dependent on elections.
According to the Minister, the Kingdom of Morocco “always works with all Libyan bodies in a context of respect and credibility.”
Such consultations will, he said, allow progress in resolving the Libyan crisis, given the pressing need to address economic challenges and the “social demands of the Libyan people” as well as the “security and stability of North Africa and the Sahel area.”
After the meeting, Khoury told reporters: “We have agreed to continue the dialogue and discuss means of advancing the political operation in Libya, under the auspices of the UN, in favor of the Libyan people.”
The UN official said that the conversations with Bourita had provided a chance to evaluate Libya’s issues and the requirements of the Libyan people, as well as the necessity of moving the political operation forward in Libya, emphasizing that these are United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL)‘s goals.
Her working visit to Morocco is one stop on a tour of nations in the region to look at ways to resolve Libya’s political problem.
The discussions with the UN representative were “direct and constructive,” he concluded, based on a common belief in the need for collaboration and consultation in reviving the peace process.