Ghassan Salamé, the UN special envoy to Libya, resigns

Ghassan Salamé, December 18, 2018, in Tunis. FETHI BELAID / AFP

Text by: RFI Follow

It is on his Twitter account that the UN special envoy to Libya, Ghassan Salamé, announced, on Monday, March 2, his resignation. He cited "health reasons" for the withdrawal after more than two and a half years in office.

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" I must admit that my health no longer allows me to undergo so much stress, so I asked the secretary general (of the UN) to release me from my duties, " wrote the Franco-Lebanese diplomat.

This resignation comes after the press conference he gave on Saturday February 29 in Geneva after the failure of the political dialogue.

In this press conference, Ghassan Salamé appeared more than ever angry with the Libyans who, he said, do not respect their commitments of Berlin. He accused the two parties to the conflict of spreading lies about the Geneva talks on the choice of representatives supposed to take part in this dialogue.

" For almost three years, I tried to unite the Libyans, restrict foreign intervention and safeguard the unity of the country, " he wrote on his Twitter account.

Today, Ghassan Salamé, believing that he had accomplished part of the mission - in this case the Berlin summit, United Nations resolution 2,510 and the launch of the three components of the Geneva peace talks - declared that he wished to exercise his right of withdrawal because " my health is under constant stress ," he said.

In the past two days, the now former United Nations Special Envoy to Libya has come under heavy criticism from several Libyan officials, each accusing him of standing alongside the adversaries.

Ghassan Salamé was the sixth special envoy. His departure risks further complicating the Libyan case.

► Read also: "Libya: the UN envoy denounces violations of the Berlin agreements"

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