High Council of State won’t go to Geneva political talks until military ones achieve progress, Al-Mishri says

BY Libyan Express Feb 24, 2020 - 21:33

Head of High Council of State Khalid Al-Mishri. [Photo: HCS]

The Head of the High Council of State (HCS) Khalid Al-Mishri called Monday in a press conference in Tripoli on the UNSMIL to postpone the political talks in Geneva from February 26 until the 5+5 militarycommission talks being about progress.

Al-Mishri indicated that if the UNSMIL wanted to hold the political talks anyway beforethe military talks’ conclusions had become clear to the HCS, it wouldn’t deal with them and detach itself from the political talks completely.

Meanwhile, Lawmakers (House of Representatives) based in areas of eastern Libya controlled by Khalifa Haftar said on Monday they would not participate for now in peace talks with politicians allied to the internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA).

The eastern politicians said the United Nations, which is brokering the talks in Geneva, had not approved all the members of their proposed delegation.

The United Nations had planned to bring together lawmakers from both sides of Libya’s conflict on Wednesday to end the fighting over Tripoli as part of a dialogue encompassing military, political and economic strands.

Libya’s internationally recognized GNA, meanwhile, described Haftar as a “war criminal” and demanded that he withdraw his forces threatening the capital.

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