On 30 June, UN Special Advisor to the Secretary-General (SASG) Stephanie Williams confirmed that the two-day talks on 28 – 29 June in Geneva between the Speaker of the House of Representatives (HoR) Aqeela Saleh, and the head of the High State Council (HSC), Khalid Mishri, had failed to reach an agreement on a constitutional framework for national elections. Although Williams noted that ‘significant’ progress had been made through the three rounds of consultations in Cairo and this latest round in Geneva, including on a number of long-standing issues, she found that ‘disagreement persists on the eligibility requirements for the candidates in the first presidential elections.’ She concluded that this progress ‘remains insufficient as a basis to move forward towards comprehensive national elections’ and called upon the two chambers to overcome disagreements as soon as possible. Williams commented that the UN would continue to provide its support to facilitate an agreement and said she would report and ‘present my recommendations on alternative ways forward to the Secretary-General of the United Nations.’
