Kobler: High-Level Meeting on Dec 13 to Back up Libyan Presidency Guard New York, 10 December 2016(Lana) The Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya Marin Kobler has announced that a high-level meeting would be held under the auspices of the Un

The force will not be an alternative to a Libyan Army under one command, he said. Briefing the United Nations Security Council here, Kobler said UNSMIL will hold a high-level meeting on Dec 13, to discuss what he called obstacles to forming the Presidency Guard. He put his weight behind the force which he said would 'provide protection for state institutions and foreign embassies'. The vision of the Presidency Guard has now transformed into a real plan, Kobler added. Soon after establishment, the Guard would apply for a waiver from the UN weapons embargo imposed on importing arms, Kobler said, stressing the need for tackling the issue of the armed groups in Tripoli promptly. The UN Envoy also stressed that the establishment of the Presidency Guard would by no means be a substitution to the Libyan Army under one commandship. The GNA Presidency Council in its capacity as the Commander in chief of the Libyan Armed Forces, on August 31 appointed Brigadier Nejmi Al Nakoo as a commander of the Presidency Guard. The Guard is consisted of Army and Police units who have been selected and re-directed from various units, in addition to volunteers who wished to join the force from various Libyan cities. =Lana=