I address the General Assembly on behalf of the President of the Presidential Council of the Government of National Unity of the State of Libya. Mr. Mohamed Al-Menfi. who is unable to attend owing to the flood disaster in the eastern part of Libya.
I wish to begin by expressing my condolences to the people of Libya. I convey my full sympathy and deepest condolences to the families of the victims of the floods and torrential rains that swept the cities and towns of Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar. in eastern Libya, in particular the city of Darnah. Al-Lay da and Susah. I also wish to convey my condolences and sincere sympathy to the people of Morocco, to His Majesty the King and to the Government following the earthquake that struck in several Moroccan cities. I pray to God to speed the recovery of the injured.
I address the Assembly conveying the voice of my country. Libya, which is in the throes of a painful tragedy. I speak on behalf of the Libyan people with a heavy heart weighed down with sadness. On Sunday morning. 10 September. Libyans and the entire world awoke to a terrible scene, namely, a major disaster that hit the quiet Libyan city of Darnah. particularly following the tragedy that befell the cities and towns in Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar in the eastern part of the country, instantly claiming thousands of lives and missing persons in that city and region after the torrential rain swept away more than one quarter of the city.
Despite the efforts made by the Government of National Unity and the Libyan army from all over the country to address the disaster, evacuate the population, recover those still buried under rubble, bury the dead and contain the health situation in the city, the scale of the disaster has exceeded all local capacities and capabilities.
I would like to briefly address the brotherly and friendly countries that provided immediate assistance, sent specialized rescue teams and offered medical and logistical support. I thank them all. brotherly and friendly countries that responded to our call, and I thank all the Heads of State who conveyed their condolences to us. Speaking from this rostrum. I call on the world to shoulder its responsibilities towards Libya by helping to deal with the aftermath of the disaster, in particular by taking the necessary health measures to protect the survivors in the city of Darnah and nearby cities from the health disaster about which experts warned.
The greatest values are borne out of suffering. The disaster of the jasmine city gives strength to the one Libyan people and the spirit of unity, solidarity and rescue. Since the tragedy, the Libyan people, from the far west to the far south, have set aside their political divisions and civil war in order to reveal their genuine roots, transcend the wounds of the past, set a course for the future and see things through the eyes of future generations, rather than those of politicians and war merchants. That is clearly the lesson that we must pass on to our children so that the mistakes of this generation are not repeated. The souls of the people of the city of
prosperous Darnah will serve as lamps that illuminate for us the path of the homeland, reunification and State-building.
Through their solidarity and unity, our people revealed lessons of responsibility, love and national cohesion. Their voices must be heard, and their opinions must be heeded. It is time for democracy to take hold in Libya, grounded in the will and sincerity of the people, along with the support of countries friendly to the Libyan people as well as regional and international organizations, spearheaded by the United Nations, the African Union and the League of Arab States. It is therefore necessary to have electoral legislation. unified authority and free elections, with logistic and technical international support.
In conclusion, the Libyan people do not need weapons to kill each other. All the hotbeds of incitement and seeds of tension that negative international interventions created, which were sustained by narrow personal and factional ambitions, have been swept away by the torrents of Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar and Darnah. A new era is born in which no voice is louder than the voice of the people; no interest supersedes the interest of the homeland; and no place exists for the corrupt and the war merchants.