On Saturday, member of the Libyan House of Representatives (HoR) Talal Al-Maihoub said that all agreements signed by the Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity (GNU) Abdul Hamid Dbaiba are illegitimate because the government’s mandate has expired.
In press statements, Al-Maihoub confirmed that any concessions that the GNU gave or agreements it signed without parliamentary approval are illegal and cannot be implemented.
The Libyan lawmaker called on the countries that sign agreements with Dbaiba’s government to respect Libya’s sovereignty, adding that such steps are illegal and rejected by Parliament, which withdrew confidence from the GNU.
In July, Libyan Parliament Speaker Ageela Saleh said that the Dbaiba’s government had expired and lacked legitimacy, arguing that its existence is a fait accompli rather than being based on a legal basis.
Meanwhile, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell has recently said that the MoU signed by Turkey and Libya in 2019 violates the sovereign rights of third countries.
“The MoU does not accord with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and cannot generate legal consequences for third countries,” Borrell replied to New Democracy MEP Manolis Kefaloyiannis.
Regarding the recent agreement between Libya and Turkey to drill for hydrocarbons in the Mediterranean, Borrell urged Turkey to avoid actions that undermine regional stability.
The EU’s top diplomat affirmed that it was essential that all states comply with the international law of the sea, the principle of good neighbor relations, and the sovereign rights over maritime zones of all coastal states, including the rights arising from their islands.
Libya has been in chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime leader Moammar Gadaffi in 2011. The county has for years been split between rival administrations, each backed by different militias and foreign governments.
The current stalemate grew out of the failure to hold elections in December 2021, and the refusal of Prime Minister Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba, who led 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.
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