The United Nations has called off a reconciliation conference aimed at organizing elections in Libya because of fighting raging near the capital city.

Ghassan Salame, the UN envoy to Libya, said the national conference planned for next week would be postponed until further notice due to the on-going battle for Tripoli.

"We cannot ask people to take part in the conference during gunfire and air strikes," he said, adding that he hoped the meeting would go ahead as soon as possible.

Major players in Libya were meant to meet in the Western border town of Ghadames on April 14 to 16 to hammer out a deal paving the way to nation-wide elections later this year.

The meeting was the center piece of months of UN diplomacy, and the central goal was to broker a deal between Fayez al-Serraj, the prime minister of the internationally recognized government in Tripoli, and Khalifa Haftar, a renegade general whose self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) controls the east of the country.

But the plan was thrown into chaos last week when Gen Haftar launched an assault on Tripoli, the seat of Mr Serraj’s government, on the pretext of rooting out terrorists. </s> The United Nations has been forced to postpone a carefully planned and potentially watershed national conference on Libya’s political future following the attack on the Libyan capital, Tripoli, by forces under the command of the eastern warlord Khalifa Haftar.

The two-day conference in the town of Ghadames was due to be attended by 120 delegates on 14-15 April. The decision to shelve the summit is a blow to Libya’s democratic forces, who had hoped it might open a path to presidential and parliamentary elections by the end of this year.

But Ghassan Salamé, the UN special envoy for Libya, said the global body intended to convene the conference as soon as conditions permit, but that it would be impossible to hold the talks “to the backdrop of artillery shelling and air raids”.

“The renewed violence undermined the minimum confidence to launch any fruitful dialogue,” he said in a statement.

The announcement came as Libyan health officials said the death toll in Tripoli had reached 49 since the battle for the capital started in earnest last Thursday.

Both sides claimed military advances: Haftar’s Libyan national army asserted they were making progress across seven fronts mainly in the south of Tripoli, but the spokesman for the UN-recognised government of national accord (GNA) said Haftar’s forces were being pushed back.

Analysts said Haftar had been expecting that more forces in the west of the country, including some Tripoli militia, would desert the GNA’s prime minister, Fayez al-Sarraj. Haftar has billed his campaign as an effort to drive out Islamist militias that use corruption and violence to control the GNA.

However, Haftar’s critics claim he has no interest in democracy, and say he launched his assault just as Salamé’s peace plan was reaching a critical stage.

The success of Haftar’s gamble may depend on the degree of private pressure exerted by his allies including Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and France.

Britain, the “penholder” on Libya at the UN, was on Tuesday testing the possibility of pushing for a fresh UN security council resolution calling for economic sanctions against Haftar, something that might lead to a Russian veto.

The UK foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, also held calls with his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, and with the UAE’s foreign ministry.

France, which is under pressure to join the UK, Germany and the US in condemning Haftar’s actions, issued a statement saying the French president had spoken with both Haftar and Sarraj.

The Élysée statement said the Emmanuel Macron “recalled that there was no military solution to the Libyan conflict. It marked the imperative to act immediately to end the fighting and ease tensions. He gave his full support to the United Nations mediation efforts and called on all parties to return to dialogue.”

Le Drian said it was essential that talks were re-established on the basis of an agreement reached between Sarraj and Haftar in Abu Dhabi on 27 February that reduced the size of the current nine-strong presidential council .

Salamé did little to hide his frustration at the fighting’s impact on his efforts to bring about political reconciliation. “We were surprised to hear the drums of war again with an unexpected attack,” he said.

In a Facebook message he continued: “We began to invite the Libyan personalities to attend the Libyan national forum, not to install a political elite, as some imagined, nor to share any cake, but to resolve the options among the Libyans and to ensure that the emerging formulas are fair to all Libyans and loyal to what came during the Libyan consultative process.” </s> Russia on Sunday blocked a UN Security Council statement that would have called on forces loyal to Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar to halt their advance on Tripoli, diplomats said.

Moscow insisted that the formal statement urge all Libyan forces to stop fighting, but the proposed change was opposed by the United States, council diplomats said.

After a closed-door meeting on Friday, the council called on Haftar’s self-proclaimed Libyan National Army to “halt its military activity” in an agreed statement to the press.

Britain then proposed a more formal text for approval to the 15-member council that was opposed by Russia. All council statements are agreed by consensus.

The proposed statement would have called on Haftar’s forces to halt all military activity and for all forces to de-escalate, according to the text seen by AFP.

The draft also would have “called for those who undermine Libya’s peace and security to be held to account” and renewed support for a national conference to be held this month on holding elections.

Russia has been a key supporter of Haftar, along with Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.

Fighting raged south of Tripoli on Sunday, three days after Haftar launched the offensive to seize the capital, now controlled by a UN-backed unity government and an array of militias.

The LNA said it had carried out its first air raid on a Tripoli suburb.

The UN mission in Libya called for a two-hour humanitarian pause in the fighting that appeared to have been ignored.

The health ministry in Tripoli said at least 21 people have been killed and 27 wounded in the fighting.

The offensive raised fears of return to all-out war in Libya and left a question mark over the UN-led effort to lay the groundwork for elections with the April 14-16 conference.

Libya descended into chaos during the 2011 overthrow of Moamer Kadhafi that has seen a bitter rivalry emerge between the Tripoli-based authorities and Haftar’s supporters in the east of the country. </s> UNITED NATIONS: Russia on Sunday (Apr 7) blocked a UN Security Council statement that would have called on forces loyal to Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar to halt their advance on Tripoli, diplomats said.

Moscow insisted that the formal statement urge all Libyan forces to stop fighting, but the proposed change was opposed by the United States, council diplomats said.

After a closed-door meeting on Friday, the council called on Haftar's self-proclaimed Libyan National Army to "halt its military activity" in an agreed statement to the press.

Britain then proposed a more formal text for approval to the 15-member council that was opposed by Russia. All council statements are agreed by consensus.

The proposed statement would have called on Haftar's forces to halt all military activity and for all forces to de-escalate, according to the text seen by AFP.

The draft also would have "called for those who undermine Libya's peace and security to be held to account" and renewed support for a national conference to be held this month on holding elections.

Russia has been a key supporter of Haftar, along with Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.

Fighting raged south of Tripoli on Sunday, three days after Haftar launched the offensive to seize the capital, now controlled by a UN-backed unity government and an array of militias.

The LNA said it had carried out its first air raid on a Tripoli suburb.

The UN mission in Libya called for a two-hour humanitarian pause in the fighting that appeared to have been ignored.

The health ministry in Tripoli said at least 21 people have been killed and 27 wounded in the fighting.

The offensive raised fears of return to all-out war in Libya and left a question mark over the UN-led effort to lay the groundwork for elections with the Apr 14-16 conference.

Libya descended into chaos during the 2011 overthrow of Muammar Ghadaffi that has seen a bitter rivalry emerge between the Tripoli-based authorities and Haftar's supporters in the east of the country. </s> United Nations chief Antonio Guterres praised Tuesday an agreement endorsed by Libya’s rival leaders to support elections as a “significant and welcome step forward” in the North African country’s political transition.

Four powerful players in Libya, including UN-backed Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and military leader Khalifa Haftar, agreed during a meeting in Paris to work toward holding parliamentary and presidential elections by December 10.

“The declaration is a significant and welcome step forward in Libya’s political transition,” said a UN statement released hours after the meeting was held.

Also present were Aguila Saleh Issa, the parliament speaker based in the eastern city of Tobruk, and Khalid al-Mishri, head of the High Council of State in Tripoli.

“The meeting recognized the importance of developing a constitutional basis for elections,” said the UN statement, adding that the four leaders had agreed to work with the United Nations on a proposal and timeline to adopt a constitution.

The Libyan players “committed to work constructively with the United Nations to realize parliamentary and presidential elections in a secure environment by 10 December 2018 at the latest and to respect the results of the election.”

A UN conference will be held to follow up on the Paris meeting, the statement said, without specifying a date.

The United Nations has launched a plan to bring stability to Libya through elections this year that are meant to turn the page on years of turmoil since the 2011 ouster of Moamer Kadhafi.

Libya remains divided between the UN-backed government in Tripoli and a rival administration in the east that enjoys support from Egypt, Russia and the United Arab Emirates. </s> Decision comes as a blow to those hoping it would smooth path to democratic elections

This article is more than 4 months old

This article is more than 4 months old

The United Nations has been forced to postpone a carefully planned and potentially watershed national conference on Libya’s political future after the assault on Tripoli by forces under the command of the eastern warlord Khalifa Haftar.

The two-day conference in the town of Ghadames was due to be attended by 120 delegates on 14-15 April. The decision to shelve the summit is a blow to Libya’s democratic forces, who had hoped it might open a path to presidential and parliamentary elections by the end of this year.

Ghassan Salamé, the UN special envoy for Libya, said the UN intended to convene the conference as soon as conditions permitted, but it would be impossible to hold the talks “to the backdrop of artillery shelling and air raids”.

He said: “The renewed violence undermined the minimum confidence to launch any fruitful dialogue.”

What does the battle for Tripoli mean for Libya and the region? Read more

The announcement came as Libyan health officials said the death toll in Tripoli had reached 49 since the battle for the capital started in earnest last Thursday.

Both sides claimed military advances: Haftar’s Libyan National Army asserted they were making progress across seven fronts mainly in the south of Tripoli, but the spokesman for the UN-recognised government of national accord (GNA) said Haftar’s forces were being pushed back.

Analysts said Haftar had been expecting that more forces in the west of the country, including some Tripoli militia, would desert the GNA’s prime minister, Fayez al-Sarraj. Haftar has billed his campaign as an effort to drive out Islamist militias that use corruption and violence to control the GNA.

However, Haftar’s critics claim he has no interest in democracy and say he launched his assault just as Salamé’s peace plan was reaching a critical stage.

The success of Haftar’s gamble may depend on the degree of private pressure exerted by his allies including Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and France.

Britain, the “penholder” on Libya at the UN, was on Tuesday testing the possibility of pushing for a fresh UN security council resolution calling for economic sanctions against Haftar, which could lead to a Russian veto.

The UK foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, had calls with his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, and with the UAE’s foreign ministry.

France, which is under pressure to join the UK, Germany and the US in condemning Haftar’s actions, issued a statement saying the French president had spoken with both Haftar and Sarraj.

The Élysée statement said Emmanuel Macron “recalled that there was no military solution to the Libyan conflict. It marked the imperative to act immediately to end the fighting and ease tensions. He gave his full support to the United Nations mediation efforts and called on all parties to return to dialogue.”

Le Drian said it was essential that talks were re-established on the basis of an agreement reached between Sarraj and Haftar in Abu Dhabi on 27 February, which reduced the size of the current nine-strong presidential council .

Salamé did little to hide his frustration at the fighting’s impact on his efforts to bring about political reconciliation. “We were surprised to hear the drums of war again with an unexpected attack,” he said.

In a Facebook message he continued: “We began to invite the Libyan personalities to attend the Libyan national forum, not to install a political elite, as some imagined, nor to share any cake, but to resolve the options among the Libyans and to ensure that the emerging formulas are fair to all Libyans and loyal to what came during the Libyan consultative process.” </s> Tripoli, Libya, April 5 (Infosplusgabon) - Helping to promote a “Libyan-led and Libyan owned political solution” to resolve years of instability and insecurity there that puts the “welfare of the Libyan people” first, is the sole agenda of the United Nations within the country, Secretary-General António Guterres told a press conference in the nation’s capital, Tripoli, on Thursday.

Guterres spoke to reporters after holding meetings with senior politicians and others to advance the UN’s idea, first proposed more than a year ago and discussed in town halls across the country, of convening a Libyan National Conference on the nation’s political future, which could finally end years of turmoil following the removal from power of Muammar Gaddafi, in 2011.

Libyans “have suffered too much and deserve to live in a normal country with normal political institutions, with peace, security and prosperity,” said Mr. Guterres, adding that “the UN has no agenda and no interests in relation to Libya but one: the welfare of the Libyan people, the peace in the country, and the possibility to live in a normal democracy and to take profit of the enormous wealth of the country to benefit its citizens.”

"It is not through foreign intervention that we are going to solve the problems of any country”, he added, “and so it’s important that that principle also applies to Libya.”

The Conference, he said, would be “Libyan-led and Libyan-owned inside Libyan territory to be able to discuss the future of Libya…And the UN is totally committed” to organising it, he explained.

Following the movement of military convoys from the east towards the capital, reported early on Thursday, the UN chief made a “strong appeal” for de-escalation and an end to any deployments by any military factions within the fractured State.

After meeting the President of the Presidency Council of the Government of National Accord, he said, “We share the recognition that there is no military solution for any problem in the world, and there is no military solution for the problems in Libya. The solution must be political, and it is essential that a political solution is very strong through dialogue.”

Resuming political dialogue between the internationally-recognized Government and military factions which control - or are seeking to control - other parts of the country was essential, said Mr. Guterres: “I am ready to assume the initiative that might be necessary for that to be possible, if the conditions allowing for it are met”, he added.

The UN chief also described how he had been “moved and shocked” after visiting a detention centre for refugees and migrants, “shocked by the level of suffering, and especially by the level of despair that I found. This is, of course, not only a responsibility for Libya, it’s a responsibility for the whole of the international community”, he remarked.

He told reporters that for migrants and refugees in search of a better life who feel compelled to travel through Libya in the hopes of reaching Europe, “it would be very difficult to argue that disembarkation in Libya is disembarkation in a safety situation.

“My appeal is for the international community to understand the need for international refugee law to be fully respected, and the need to address the migration problem in a way that is compatible with the defence of the interests of the State, but also the human rights of the migrants.” </s> The UN chief warned Libya is on the brink of “a very dangerous situation” as forces loyal to the internationally recognised government and a rival strongman battle for control of the capital.

Thousands of people have fled heavy fighting on the outskirts of Tripoli that has left dozens dead and prompted mounting global alarm.

UN chief Antonio Guterres on Wednesday appealed for a halt to hostilities to prevent the situation spiralling out of control.

“It’s still time to stop,” he told reporters after briefing the UN Security Council in a closed session in New York.

“It’s still time for a ceasefire to take place, for a cessation of hostilities to take place, and to avoid the worst, which would be a dramatic, bloody battle for Tripoli.”

Nearly a week of fighting on the city’s doorstep has already killed 56 people and wounded 266, the World Health Organization said.

“Thousands of people have fled their homes, while others are trapped in conflict areas. Hospitals inside and outside (Tripoli) are receiving daily casualties,” it said.

The UN chief was in Libya when forces loyal to military strongman Khalifa Hafta last week launched an offensive to capture the capital, which is controlled by a UN-backed government and an array of militias.

Haftar backs a rival administration based in eastern Libya that refuses to recognise the authority of the Government of National Accord (GNA) led by Fayez al-Sarraj.

Guterres said Libya was facing a “very dangerous situation” and urged a halt to the fighting to allow political negotiations to start anew.

“It is very clear for me that we need to restart a serious political dialogue and a serious political negotiation but it is obvious that cannot take place without a full stop to the hostilities,” he said.

The council met for more than two hours behind closed doors to consider how to address the fresh fighting that has derailed efforts to end instability that has been exploited by jihadists and people-smugglers.

The United Nations postponed a national conference that was to open on Sunday to draw up a roadmap to elections, meant to turn the page on years of turmoil since the NATO-backed overthrow of dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.

Heavy clashes shook Ain Zara, a town dotted with farms on the southeastern outskirts of Tripoli where pro-GNA fighters managed to reverse an advance by Haftar’s forces.

On the town’s main street, lined with shops and houses, a sand barrier erected by pro-GNA forces separated the two camps.

“Today, the criminals of Haftar’s group have advanced, but we destroyed a tank and two armoured vehicles,” said a pro-GNA fighter who gave his name as Youssef.

Behind him, artillery fire stirred up a cloud of sand as the sound of machine guns and anti-aircraft guns rang out.

Suddenly a shell sliced through the air and hit a nearby house.

“You see, he (Haftar) wants to destroy our houses and all of Tripoli,” one of the fighters shouted.

Haftar’s self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA), which controls swathes of the country’s east, said on Wednesday it had seized a barracks in the Aziziya area around 50 kilometres (31 miles) south of Tripoli after “ferocious clashes”.

It said several fighters loyal to the UN-backed government had been detained and their weapons seized.

“For the moment, it’s still a game of cat and mouse,” said a commander from a pro-GNA group.

Heavy arms fire was heard from the front line about 10 kilometres (six miles) away where the city’s disused international airport has changed hands several times over the past week.

Haftar’s forces appear to be advancing on two fronts, from the south and southeast of Tripoli, while coast roads to the east and west of the city are defended by fighters loyal to the GNA.

The strongman, whose key allies are the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Russia, is a former Kadhafi military chief who has emerged as a major player in Libya’s political struggle.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance was “deeply concerned by the situation in Libya.”

“The current military operation and advance on Tripoli are increasing the suffering of the Libyan people and putting civilian lives at risk,” he said.

The UN children’s agency (UNICEF) said “nearly half a million children in Tripoli and tens of thousands more in the western areas are at a direct risk due to the intensification of fighting”.

“If unleashed, a full-fledged offensive could become a proxy war between regional powers and cause innumerable casualties as well as immense devastation,” it said. </s> Four powerful players in Libya, including U.N.-backed Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and military leader Khalifa Haftar, agreed during a meeting in Paris to work toward holding parliamentary and presidential elections by December 10.

"The declaration is a significant and welcome step forward in Libya's political transition," said a U.N. statement released hours after the meeting was held.

Also present were Aguila Saleh Issa, the parliament speaker based in the eastern city of Tobruk, and Khalid al-Mishri, head of the High Council of State in Tripoli.

"The meeting recognised the importance of developing a constitutional basis for elections," said the U.N. statement, adding that the four leaders had agreed to work with the United Nations on a proposal and timeline to adopt a constitution.

The Libyan players "committed to work constructively with the United Nations to realise parliamentary and presidential elections in a secure environment by 10 December 2018 at the latest and to respect the results of the election."

A U.N. conference will be held to follow up on the Paris meeting, the statement said, without specifying a date.
The UN cancels a planned Libyan National Conference that was due to take place later in April for negotiations between different political factions to organise new elections due to the ongoing fighting in Tripoli.