Note to the Correspondents from UNSMIL’s Spokesperson on the Joint Drafting Committee Meetings

TUNIS, Tunisia, October 19, 2017,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/- The meetings of the Joint Drafting Committee of the House of Representative and High Council of State demonstrated progress towards the finalization of the amendments to the Libyan Political Agreement. Bilateral and trilateral meetings with the UNSMIL team, as well as internal consultations within the delegations over the past two day succeeded in bringing both sides a step closer.

A convergence of views emerged in the Committee on the separation of the executive authority into a Presidency Council and a ministerial cabinet. The competencies and responsibilities of each body were, for the most part, identified. The Committee also agreed on the size of the Presidency Council – limited to three members, their decision-making processes and their nomination criteria.

More technical work is still required to further refine the outstanding texts. The Joint Drafting Committee will resume its session at UNSMIL today to bridge the few remaining gaps.