UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- The top UN envoy in Libya, Ghassan Salame, was cautious on Friday about the convening of a national conference in Libya as he did not announce a specific date or venue for the conference.

The latest report of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Libya has stated that the national conference under the auspices of the world body will be held "in the first weeks of 2019."

"Given the criticality of the event, it is vital that the national conference is held under the right conditions, with the right people, and that it is capable of concluding with an outcome that is agreeable to the broad majority," Salame, Guterres' special representative for Libya, told the Security Council.

"We are working night and day to pull together these various elements to ensure the most productive event. Once the essential ingredients for a new consensus on a national agenda to rebuild a capable and united Libyan civil state have been agreed upon by the major players, we will be ready to state the exact date and venue," said Salame via a video link from Tripoli.

"I am encouraged by the commitment these Libyans have expressed toward a new national agenda, and their forward-looking approach."

One key outcome of the national conference must be to spell out the electoral path ahead as the citizens of Libya wish to have elections at the soonest opportunity, said Salame, who is also the head of the UN Support Mission in Libya.

However, he cautioned that key concerns must be addressed prior to any election.

Fundamentally, there must be genuine political support for whatever election is conducted and guarantees that the results will be accepted and respected by all. Funding is required; security arrangements for electoral events must be determined, public services must be working, he said.

"If the status quo actors truly engage on the national conference, I believe that much of this can be more smoothly addressed."

The political deadlock in Libya has been underpinned by a complex web of narrow interests, a broken legal framework and the pillaging of Libya's great wealth. Only Libyans themselves can plot a path out of this malaise, toward stability and prosperity, said Salame. Enditem

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