The European Union’s Ambassador to Libya, Sabadell Jose stated that he had held talks with the Deputy Head of the Libyan Presidential Council, Abdullah Al-Lafi.
In a tweet, Jose added that the meeting discussed the Libyan Presidential Council’s proposal to meet with the Libyan Parliament, and the High Council of State (HSC) and move towards elections.
He confirmed that the EU would stand together with the UN Envoy to Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily to support initiatives to end the current impasse, and secure a consensus.
“As we approach the first anniversary of the postponement of Libyan elections, solutions to the crisis become more and more urgent,” Jose noted.
Notably, Marc-André Franche, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Libya said that the country has “already lost 20 years of its development investments over the last 10 years of war and political strife.”
In a tweet, Franche added that “it is time to come together, have Libyan elections, renew institutions, and invest in the future. Libyans deserve a country with education, health, and rewarding jobs.”
The UN official explained that Libya is “living on borrowed time.” He added that Libya has a “historical opportunity to come together and ensure the right investments for people before the inevitable decline of fossil fuels. Will the country seize the opportunity for human development and energy transition? Now is the time to ensure the livelihoods of future generations.”
He confirmed that he is “grateful to Sabadell Jose, the European Union Ambassador to Libya and all partners for the tremendous support and for sharing a sense of opportunity and urgency for a unified democratic and prosperous Libya.”
Libya has been in chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The country has for years been split between rival administrations, each backed by rogue militias and foreign governments.
The current stalemate grew out of the failure to hold elections in December, and the refusal of Prime Minister Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba, who is leading the transitional government, to step down. In response, the country’s eastern-based Parliament appointed a rival Prime Minister, Fathi Bashagha, who has for months sought to install his government in Tripoli.