The Head of the UN mission in Libya/ Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, Abdoulaye Bathily, kicked off his duties on Wednesday by first meeting with Libya's permanent mission and representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Taher Al-Sunni, in New York.

In a tweet, Al-Sunni lauded his meeting with Bathily as he welcomed the newly appointed UN official being the first African envoy to Libya.

Al-Sunni stressed to Bathily during the meeting the importance of the UNSMIL functioning from inside Libya to help the Libyan leadership steer the country out of its crisis.

The two sides exchanged notes on the latest developments in Libya, including the challenges facing the political process. Al-Suni indicated that Bathily said he looks forward to working soon from inside Libya and expressed keenness to cooperate with all players on the ground and communicate with all Libyans to end more than a decade of conflict.

Since he headed the UNSMIL, the African diplomat has not spoken to the media and did not appear as expected during the recent UN General Assembly. According to reports, he is planning to visit Tripoli early next month.