Africans fail to get UN support for AU-UN envoy for Libya

African members of the U.N. Security Council have tried unsuccessfully to appoint a joint African Union-United Nations envoy for conflict-torn Libya in an apparent attempt to replace current U.N. envoy Ghassan Salame.

South Africa, Ivory Coast and Equatorial Guinea were following up on decisions by the AU High Level Committee on Libya in July and the AU Peace and Security Council on Sept. 27 for a joint envoy.

Diplomats said the Africans raised the issue during closed consultations Wednesday, but there was no support in the 15-member council, with several members saying it wasn’t the time to “change horses in midstream.”

The diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity because talks were private.

Salame is seeking an international conference aimed at ending an offensive launched in April by a rebel commander.

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