UN Envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame met with the Commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA) forces, Khalifa Haftar, in Benghazi on 5 October, a day after the UN representative met with Ageelah Saleh, leader of the House of Representatives (HoR). Salame informed Haftar of the outcomes of the ongoing Joint Drafting Committee talks between the HoR and High Council of State (HCS) in Tunis. During the meetings, the two delegations agreed to a preliminary set of amendments to the Libyan Political Agreement (LPA). Following the meeting Salame confirmed that Haftar has stated his support for the new UN roadmap for Libya.
The Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano met wth Abdulrrahman al-Swehli, head of the HCS in Rome on 6 October. Alfano declared that Italy believed in the importance of the UN political process and that Italy was fully behind Salame’s efforts. He added that, “the Libyans have to decide the fate of Libya” and that he hoped the talks would result in free elections.
UN Security Council (UNSC) published a statement on 10 October, affirming that it “Endorses the United Nations’ Action Plan for the resumption of an inclusive Libyan-owned political process under the facilitation and leadership of the United Nations which was presented by Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG), Ghassan Salame, at a high-level event on Libya in New York on 20 September 2017.
Prior to this on 5 October, the UNSC extended its authorization to seize vessels suspected of smuggling and human trafficking through Libya until fall of 2018. The resolution stated that it is, “Mindful of the need to support further efforts to strengthen Libyan border management” and that is greatly encourages cooperation with Libya’s Government of National Accord among all actors.