Italy's foreign minister Luigi Di Maio on Monday praised the United Nations Security Council's "important" confirmation of veteran Slovak diplomat Jan Kubis as special envoy to Libya, nearly a year after his predecessor stepped down.
"Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Luigi Di Maio, welcomed with great satisfaction the confirmation by the UN Security Council of the appointment of Jan Kubis as Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for Libya," Di Maio said in a statement.
"This is an an important appointment that Italy supports with determination, confirming its full and convinced commitment to the work of the UN, the UNSMIL Mission in Libya and the stabilization processes of the country."
Di Maio also praised the "professionalism and determination" of acting UN special envoy to Libya, Stephanie Williams and the major progress in dialogue between Libya's rival faction "which it is now crucial to consolidate and further develop".
Williams told reporters in Geneva at the weekend that Libya's rival political forces had agreed on a proposed mechanism to pick a new unified executive that will lead the war-ravaged country to elections slated for 24 December.
Kubis, a former Slovakian foreign minister, is currently the UN special coordinator for Lebanon. He has also served as the UN special envoy in Afghanistan and Iraq.
