International governments welcome the appointment of Libya’s new executive authority

The Governments of France, Italy, Germany, the UK and the US released a joint statement welcoming ongoing developments in Libya and warned all foreign parties against intervening with the country's affairs

BY Libyan Express Feb 06, 2021 - 23:24

The western governments warned anyone of intervening in the ongoing political process in Libya. [Photo: EEAS]

In a joint statement, European countries and the United States welcomed the new developments in Libya following the vote by the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum in Geneva on Friday.

Yesterday marked the run-off vote by Libyan delegates in the Libyan political dialogue forum that concluded in choosing Mohamed Menfi as president, Musa Al-Koni and Abdullah Al Lafi his deputies and Abdul Hamid Debaiba as prime minister to lead the country in the period leading up to Libya’s national elections.

“France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (US) welcome the agreement reached by the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) on a unified interim Libyan executive authority charged with leading the country to national elections on December 24, 2021,” the joint statement read following the announcement of the victors.

“This critical step towards reaching a negotiated, inclusive political solution is the result of a genuinely Libyan-led and Libyan-owned process, the mediation of the United Nations, and the support of the Libyan people,” it added.

The EU and the US also expressed their admiration for what they called an extraordinary commitment by the united nations support mission in Libya and special representative for the secretary-general Stephanie Williams for the efforts made to advance the Libyan cause and aid the Libyan people in bringing their country out of its fragmented state.

The statement also stated that the governments look forward to working with and supporting newly appointed special envoy Ján Kubiš.

They also called on all Libyan parties to cooperate and ensure a smooth transition of power to the newly appointed unified executive authority.

“The unified executive authority will have to implement the ceasefire agreement, provide essential public services to the Libyan people, initiate a program for meaningful reconciliation, address critical national budget needs, and organize national elections,” it noted.

They called for the new interim government to be truly inclusive of all Libyans regardless of gender, identity, region or origin, to ensure the full representations for all Libyan people across the nation.

The statement concluded with a warning from the EU and the US that they are fully prepared to hold anyone who undermines the developing political process in Libya.

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