UN Preparing For First Phase Of Ceasefire Monitors' Deployment Into Libya - Special Envoy

Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published July 15, 2021 | 09:53 PM

The United Nations is currently preparing for the first phase of deploying a team of international monitors to observe the implementation of the ceasefire in Libya, UN Special Envoy for the country Jan Kubis told the UN Security Council on Thursday

UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th July, 2021) The United Nations is currently preparing for the first phase of deploying a team of international monitors to observe the implementation of the ceasefire in Libya, UN Special Envoy for the country Jan Kubis told the UN Security Council on Thursday.

"Preparations are ongoing for the deployment of an UNSMIL [UN Support Mission in Libya] ceasefire monitoring component in support of the Libyan-led, Libyan-owned Ceasefire Monitoring Mechanism," Kubis said. "The [UN] Secretariat is currently preparing for the first phase of deployment or ceasefire monitors, including with the recruitment of personnel and procurement of enabling elements."

The special envoy explained that once the necessary financial resources are secured, the Secretariat will reach out to member states to support the full deployment of the arsenal ceasefire monitoring component.

However, it is not clear yet when the Libyan component of the mechanism will be in place, Kubis said.

In June, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said during the international conference on Libya in Berlin that the initial group of monitors will soon travel to Tripoli.

The departure of a team of monitors was authorized by a UN Security Council resolution adopted in April following Guterres' proposal to establish such a monitoring mechanism in Libya.

According to Guterres' proposal, the monitoring team will operate within the UNSMIL and will be set up of a maximum of 60 unarmed individuals.