The United States (US) Embassy in Libya said that the US supports a sovereign, stable, unified, and secure Libya free from foreign interference.
In a thread, the Embassy added that Washington supports a democratically elected government that supports human rights and is capable of combating terrorism within its borders.
It noted, “we believe protecting Libyans’ rights to free expression and peaceful assembly, as well as other fundamental human rights, is an essential foundation to realizing a more prosperous and peaceful country.”
On Saturday, the Chargé d’Affaires at the US Embassy in Libya, Leslie Ordeman, said that he met with United Nations (UN) Envoy to Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily, stating that the US fully supports Bathily’s efforts for dialogue among Libyans to reach elections.
“We fully support his efforts in leading dialogue among Libyan political institutions that can accelerate Libya’s path to elections and echo his message about the necessity to reach solutions to the current crisis,” US Embassy in Libya quoted Ordeman.
On his part, the US Department of State Spokesperson, Ned Price, confirmed that the Libyan Parliament and the High Council of State (HCS) must play a role in the elections, saying that the matter is not up to the Government of National Unity (GNU) alone.
Price added that Washington supports Bathily’s efforts to urge the Libyan parties to work in good faith in order to reach a consensual agreement on a constitutional framework.
The US Department of State Spokesperson also confirmed that the elections are the only way to a “unified” national government in Libya.
On Thursday, the US Special Envoy to Libya, Ambassador Richard Norland, affirmed his country’s support for the efforts of the UN Special Envoy and Libyan military professionals in their efforts to unify Libya’s military and remove foreign forces, fighters, and mercenaries from the country.
These remarks came during the meeting of the co-chairs of the Security Working Group (SWG) for Libya, represented by the African Union (AU), France, Italy, Turkey, and the United Kingdom, and the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) in Tunis.
“Libyans deserve a united military capable of defending the North-African country’s sovereignty just as they deserve a democratically elected government that represents all Libyans,” Norland said as quoted by the US Embassy in a statement via Twitter.
He continued by stating that, “the US looks forward to partnering with such a military under the civilian authority of such a government.”