United Nations, Jul 29 (AP) The UN Security Council voted Thursday to extend its political mission in Libya, but at Russia's insistence for only three months rather than a year-long mandate. Russia's deputy ambassador, Dmitry Poyansky, reiterated Moscow's position that the UN mission must get a new special representative before it has a longer mandate. UN special envoy Jan Kubis resigned last November 23 after 10 months on the job, and a number of candidates proposed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have been rejected either by council members, Libya or neighboring countries. After Kubis left, Guterres appointed veteran American diplomat Stephanie Williams, a former UN deputy special representative in Libya, as his special adviser. Oil-rich Libya has been wracked by conflict since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.

Source: Libya Today July 29, 2022 02:25 UTC