US Special Envoy Norland meets with GNU and HSC officials during diplomatic visit to Libya

Nov 10, 2022 | International actors

On 10 November, the US Embassy to Libya released a statement detailing the visit of US Special Envoy, Richard Norland, to Libya from 8-10 November along with Charge d’Affaires at the US Embassy, Leslie Ordeman. During the visit they held meetings with the Government of National Unity (GNU) Prime Minister, Abdul Hameed Dabaiba, the two deputies of the Presidential Council, Abdullah al-Lafi and Musa al-Koni, HNEC Chairman, Emad Seyeh, GNU Foreign Minister, Najla Mangoush, Libyan Army Chief of Staff, Muhammed Haddad, High State Council (HSC) Chairman, Khaled Mishri, and UN Special Envoy to Libya Abdoulaye Bathily among others. The US stated that Norland had ‘underscored the urgency of concrete steps to establish a constitutional basis for credible, transparent elections’ and that he had ‘appealed to all Libyan leaders and institutions to use their influence to push toward this goal, cautioning that the status quo is not sustainable and noting that the US may re-evaluate its relationships with actors and institutions who delay and obstruct progress toward political solutions.’ The statement also noted that Norland had ‘lauded the unanimously approved recent extension of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) mandate as an opportunity to reset a credible roadmap for elections, achieve the necessary buy-in from key actors, and establish reasonable timelines for the international community to rally behind’.