Libya: a consensus is emerging for the appointment of the new UN special envoy

The former UN special envoy for Libya, Ghassan Salamé, in Geneva on February 6, 2020. REUTERS / Denis Balibouse

Text by: RFI Follow

2 min

After more than eight months of divisions within the UN Security Council, it is finally the Bulgarian Nickolay Mladenov, the current United Nations envoy for the Middle East, who is approached to become the new special envoy of UN for Libya.

Since Ghassan Salamé's resignation on March 2 for health reasons, it has been difficult to find a diplomatic consensus to appoint a replacement.

The discussions seem to finally unblock.

Publicity

Read more

In the end, it was the Americans who won their case in this

succession to

.

Because " 

 " of Nickolay Mladenov according to AFP, who quotes a diplomat on condition of anonymity.

African states indeed wanted the appointment of an African for mediation on the continent.

But the United States was intransigent from the start.

Washington thus refused the two candidates proposed by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres: the Algerian Ramtane Lamamra and the Ghanaian Hanna Serwaa Tetteh.

A counterpart for Africa

The United States also demanded that the post be split in two.

With on the one hand an emissary in charge of diplomatic mediation and on the other a coordinator, head of the UN mission on the spot, the Manul, which brings together only about 200 people.

In exchange for the appointment of Nickolay Mladenov, this post of coordinator could go to an African.

Other African personalities should at the same time be assigned functions on the continent.

The new UN political mission in Sudan, created in June, is, for example, awaiting a leader.

Other UN peace missions, such as in Mali, should also change incumbents who are reaching the end of their mandate.

Newsletter

Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_FR

• Libya

• UN