Representatives vote on a draft resolution during a UN Security Council meeting at the UN headquarters in New York, on Oct. 30, 2023. (Eskinder Debebe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)
UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Monday adopted a resolution to extend the mandate of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) for one year, till Oct. 31, 2024.
Resolution 2702, which won the unanimous support of the 15-member council, urges the Libyan political institutions and key stakeholders to resolve outstanding politically contentious issues pertaining to elections as soon as possible.
In this regard, the resolution calls on Libyan political institutions and key stakeholders to engage with the UN secretary-general's special representative and head of UNSMIL, Abdoulaye Bathily, in negotiations to deliver free, fair, transparent and inclusive elections as soon as possible across the country.
The resolution emphasizes that there can be no military solution in Libya and calls on all parties to refrain from violence or any other actions that could escalate tensions, exacerbate conflicts, endanger civilians and undermine the political process or the Oct. 23, 2020 cease-fire.
It calls on all parties to implement the cease-fire agreement in full and urges UN member states to respect and support its full implementation, including through the withdrawal of all foreign forces, foreign fighters, and mercenaries from Libya without further delay. ■
