UN envoy says diplomacy ‘real alternative’ to end Libya crisis
The UN special envoy for Libya says he will continue his efforts to clinch a political deal, which he has described as the “real alternative,” to end insecurity in the North African country.
Bernardino Leon told a press conference in the Tunisian capital, Tunis, on Wednesday, “The political solution is the only real alternative.... The majority of Libyans want a political solution.”
The remarks come days after rival factions in Libya rejected a recent UN-brokered agreement on the formation of a national unity government.
On October 8, Leon proposed the formation of a power-sharing government with a list of candidates for the new government. He nominated Fayez Sarraj, a member of the Tripoli-based parliament, for the position of prime minister.
The proposal for a national unity government was dismissed by the rival factions.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the UN envoy said further meetings between the rivals would be held in the coming days.
“The process goes on. There is no chance for small groups or personalities to hijack this process,” Leon stated.
Libya has been struggling for stability since 2011, when the country’s former dictator, Muammar Gaddafi, was overthrown and armed groups and regional factions engaged in a conflict.
The capital, Tripoli, is controlled by a faction allied to powerful armed forces based in the city of Misrata. The faction has reinstated the previous parliament in the capital.
The internationally-recognized government of Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni is based in the eastern city of Bayda, with its elected House of Representatives based in Tobruk.
On October 19, a number of foreign ministers of Western and Arab states released a statement calling on rival factions in Libya to accept the UN-brokered agreement on the formation of a national unity government.
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