April 17, 2025
Je vous remercie Monsieur le Président. And please let me echo the warm salutations and greetings to SRSG Tetteh. It’s very good to see you this morning, and we just want to thank you very specifically for your inaugural briefing and for hitting the ground running during your first few months as SRSG.
Many Council members, including the United States, know your previous UN experience would be beneficial in this role. We also knew this position would require a persistent and direct approach to Libya. As such, I commend your candor on the challenges that lie ahead.
I also welcome your intention to have UNSMIL’s advisory committee finalize its recommendations in the near future.
Protecting the integrity and independence of the key economic institutions, including the Central Bank, the National Oil Corporation, and the Audit Bureau, must be the priority in this process. We urge the Libyan parties to reach agreement on a unified budget to preserve Libya’s economic stability and defend the dinar, invest in its development, and end persistent conflicts over revenue sharing that have led to oil shutdowns in the past.
Progress towards military integration is also key to reaffirming Libyan sovereignty and preventing Libya from becoming enmeshed in regional conflict, especially in the twin [crises] unfolding nearby in Sudan and South Sudan.
The United States will encourage the process of East-West security integration, including through training assistance we have notified to the 1970 Committee just last week.
Border security is essential to humanitarian efforts and controlling illegal migration given the deteriorating situation in Sudan and South Sudan and increasing flows of people across the Libyan border.
We are tracking reports that almost one thousand Sudanese migrants and refugees were rescued or intercepted at sea and returned to Libya. This is more than double last year’s figures, according to the UN refugee agency.
We urge Libya and regional partners to take ownership of border security and take action to combat migrant smuggling in a responsible manner.
Turning to sanctions, we do regret we are unable to hear today’s briefing on the Libya Sanctions Committee’s activities. We hope we will be able to engage on that soon.
We also remain concerned about persistent violations of the arms embargo and illegal oil exports that fuel instability.
Operation IRINI is a critical deterrent to would-be smugglers and facilitates information sharing about trafficking activities. Its work remains relevant and necessary, and we urge this Council to renew its mandate in the coming weeks.
We also encourage Member States, particularly neighboring countries, to similarly exercise this authority to bolster enforcement of the arms and oil embargoes.
We are committed to using sanctions to promote accountability and urge the Panel to identify and investigate those involved in evasion of the arms embargo. To this end, we will utilize the updated designation criteria to account for individuals and entities destabilizing Libya through illicit exploitation and export of petroleum.
Je vous remercie Monsieur le Président.