UN will offer all support to Libya in holding election within 18 months
Nov 13, 2020
New York [US], November 13 (ANI/Sputnik): The United Nations will provide all necessary support to Libya in holding a future presidential and parliamentary election, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a press briefing on Thursday.
On Wednesday, the UN Acting Special Envoy and Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) Stephanie Williams announced that the participants of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum in Tunis had agreed on holding the general election within 18 months.
"We will offer whatever support the Libyans are needed," Dujarric said. "The discussions are obviously still continuing, but we will be there to accompany the Libyans and assess exactly what the needs are for the election."
The UNSMIL also announced that the forum participants had agreed to a road map for a transition period during which an interim government and presidential council would be created.
The forum began on Monday and will to run until November 20. It is an inclusive political dialogue held under the auspices of the UNSMIL that brought together 75 delegates representing various sections of the Libyan society seeking to find a solution to a long-time civil conflict.
Libya has been divided between two opposing governments since the overthrow and assassination of the country's long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The administrations known as the Government of National Accord (GNA) and the Libyan National Army (LNA) control the country's west and east, respectively. The eastern-based House of Representatives is aligned with the LNA. (ANI/Sputnik)
