Kobler: Libyan Political Agreement has stalled and is not set

The stalled Libyan Political Agreement (LPA) is not set in stone, according to United Nations Mission in Libya chief Martin Kobler.

Speaking at the United Nations Security Council today, Kobler admitted the agreement had not fulfilled expectations despite the LPA framework being described previously as the only workable option.

“The implementation has stalled,” he said, adding: “Its articles are not set in stone. The Libyan Political Agreement even foresees a mechanism for change, should the political circumstances demand.”

Saturday 17 December will mark the first anniversary of the signing of the LPA in Morocco which has failed to be recognised let alone implemented. Outgoing UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned Libya of the rapidly closing window of opportunity the agreement had created and has urged all Libyan actors to prioritise national reconciliation.

In his statement to the Security Council, Kobler told members how Libya was still running one of the world’s highest budget deficits.

“The relations between the Central Bank and the Presidency Council are strained,” explained Kobler, “while some opponents of the Libyan Political Agreement in Tripoli seem to have unrestricted access to huge sums of money, the Presidency Council and the Central Bank of Libya are still struggling to find a way to disburse money.”

Kobler further warned that the country would face an economic meltdown unless there were major reforms and called on Libya’s Central Bank to save the government and other institutions “by rapidly disbursing money in an orderly way but with a minimum of bureaucratic procedures”.

Kobler went on to praise the advances against terrorism in the east and west of the country. “Although they continue to be a threat, the days of Daesh controlling territory in Libya are over, while in Benghazi, the Libyan National Army continues to make progress taking area after area”.

“I would like to pay tribute today once again to all the sons of Libya who have sacrificed their lives for this common cause. And I would also like to commemorate the many civilians who died in the course of these clashes.”

The UNSMIL chief called on the House of Representatives to amend the Constitutional Declaration to include the Libyan Political Agreement and urged for further security improvements.

Kobler added that UNSMIL needed to hold its base in Tripoli again to be more effective in its work than it is from its current base in Tunisia.