The former Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra has ruled himself out from the list of the UN Secretary General for replacing Ghassan Salame as new Libya envoy and Head of UNSMIL.
In a statement to the Algerian press, Lamamra said he had been invited on March 07 by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to take the post, adding that he had given his agreement in principle.
"However, the consultations carried out by Guterres since then do not seem likely to result in the unanimity of the Security Council," Lamamra announced, saying such a unanimity would be very essential for the success of the reconciliation and peace process in Libya.
He said he would therefore be calling the Secretary General to withdraw his candidacy for this post.
Diplomatic sources reported earlier that Guterres had already begun searching for a new envoy, due to the US refusal to back Lamamra.
The UN previous envoy to Libya, Ghassan Salame, quit in early March following the repeated failure of efforts to restore peace and put to effect a ceasefire, although he said his resignation was for health reasons.
