New Libyan govt faces 'dual challenge'

UNITED NATIONS - Ian Martin, the special representative of the UN secretary-general for Libya, said here Thursday that Libya's interim National Transitional Council (NTC) has important work to do, as the North African country emerges from a period of conflict.

"It faces a dual challenge," said Martin. "First, to address the most immediate needs of the Libyan people, amid high expectations regarding the responsibility of the new authorities to deliver. And second, to begin to reform and build accountable institutions that will meet the aspirations for change and modernity."

Martin's statement came as he briefed the UN Security Council via video-link during a council meeting on the current situation in Libya.

The special representative said that though the security situation in the country has "largely stabilized," there is still potential for localized clashes to escalate.

"This is partly because of numerous, sometimes rival, revolutionary formations, lacking fully effective coordination mechanisms among them, or between them and the government," he said. "This situation is further complicated by the tensions that exist in part because of historical local conflicts between communities, which the former regime had exacerbated and exploited to its advantage."

The security situation in the country must be addressed quickly and effectively, he added, so that the authority of the new central government is not undermined.

The NTC was established to serve as Libya's interim government after former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was ousted from power and killed by rebel forces. In the aftermath of the conflict, the Security Council established the UN Support Mission in Libya ( UNSMIL) to support rule of law, national reconciliation, and the electoral process in the country.

Martin said that UNSMIL has been working with Libyan authorities to rehabilitate the police forces for rule of law in the country and boost the state's security capacity.

"The new Libyan authorities need to start work on establishing a new professional army whose doctrine is based on allegiance to the modern democratic state, and a police force fully committed to the rule of law and respect for human rights," he said.  "Building these security forces will be a lengthy and difficult task."

He said that UNSMIL is playing a coordinating role in the Libyan government's attempt to address the problem of the proliferation of weapons resulting from this year's conflict. UNSMIL has agreed to work with partners to facilitate mapping of weapons and storage sites throughout Libya and to coordinate efforts to identify, collect, and disable weapons.

Another important goal of the new Libya, according to Martin, is holding successful elections. The NTC only has one more month to pass electoral legislation and create an Electoral Commission for polls due to be held in June 2012.

"UNSMIL's electoral team has been working intensively with the NTC's Elections Committee," said Martin. "While the committee has yet to make any final decisions, steady progress has been achieved in analyzing options regarding the complex political and technical issues that must be defined in the electoral legislation."

UNSMIL is providing technical advice and guidance to the committee, he added.

Martin noted that the pace of the UN's work in Libya is quickening and is likely to speed up even more in the coming year.

"The pace will accelerate as we enter 2012, which will be another critical year in Libya's remarkable history," he said.