United Nations, Oct 29 (IANS): The UN Security Council has adopted a resolution to extend the mandate of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) for a year, till October 31, 2023.

The extension, authorised by Resolution 2656, is the first substantive renewal of UNSMIL's mandate since September 2021. In the past year or so, the Security Council had to approve five technical rollovers to keep the mandate going as council members struggled to agree on the leadership structure of the mission.

Resolution 2656, unanimously supported by the 15-member council, welcomes the appointment of Abdoulaye Bathily as the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Libya and Head of UNSMIL, and urges all Libyan parties and key stakeholders to engage constructively and fully with the Special Representative in fulfillment of his mandate, Xinhua news agency reported.

The resolution recognises the desire of the Libyan people for elections and urges the Libyan political institutions and key stakeholders to agree on a roadmap to deliver these elections as soon as possible, aiming at forming a unified Libyan government able to govern across the country and represent the whole people of Libya.

The resolution emphasises 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, and undermine the political process or the October 23, 2020, cease-fire in Libya.

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.