The UN has confirmed that veteran diplomat Jan Kubis will start as the organisation’s new peace envoy to Libya next month, nearly a year after the last mediator stepped down.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric on Monday said the former Slovakian foreign minister would lead negotiations in Libya, which has been ravaged by conflict for almost a decade.
UN Secretary-General @antonioguterres appointed Mr. @UNJanKubis of Slovakia, currently UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, as his Special Envoy on Libya and Head of @UNSMILibya https://t.co/At7zJ36d0B
— UNSCOL (@UNSCOL) January 18, 2021
The new envoy “brings with him many years of experience in diplomacy, foreign security policy and international economic relations, both internationally and in his own country”, Mr Dujarric said.
Mr Kubis is the UN special co-ordinator for Lebanon and has served in the same role in Afghanistan and Iraq.
It is unclear who will replace him in Lebanon. In Libya, he will also lead the UN’s support mission, known as Unsmil.
“It is good news that a new Head of Unsmil has now been appointed,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said.
“Jan Kubis is an astute and skilled diplomat, with whom we have worked extremely well in Lebanon for years. Peace and stability in Libya are in Europe’s fundamental interest.”
Congratulations to 🇸🇰 diplomat & former FM @UNJanKubis on his appointment as Special Envoy of @antonioguterres in #Libya 🇱🇾 & Head of @UNSMILibya. Confident that his immense experience will solidify continuing peace process & bring the conflict to an end.
— Ivan Korcok (@IvanKorcok) January 18, 2021
Libya has been without a permanent UN envoy since Ghassan Salame quit the role in March last year because of stress.
Mr Salame’s deputy, Stephanie Williams, has since been acting Libya envoy.
Nickolay Mladenov was considered for the post but after months of Security Council disagreements the Bulgarian diplomat said in December that he would decline due to “personal and family reasons”.
Libya spiralled into chaos after the NATO-backed overthrow of leader Muammar Qaddafi in 2011.
The two main sides in the country’s war – the Government of National Accord and Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar’s eastern-based Libyan National Army – agreed to a truce in October.
