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Situation fragile in Libya, country needs international support — UN adviser

Stephanie Williams also noted that "the people of Libya are not interested in another interim, transitional government until the presidential and parliamentary elections are held, as they are now prioritized"
Special Adviser of the UN Secretary-General on Libya Stephanie Williams EPA-EFE/MARTIAL TREZZINI
Special Adviser of the UN Secretary-General on Libya Stephanie Williams
© EPA-EFE/MARTIAL TREZZINI

MOSCOW, January 19. /TASS/. The current situation is calm, but fragile in Libya, so the international community should help the country on its way towards national reconciliation, Stephanie Williams, Special Adviser of the United Nations Secretary-General on Libya, said in an interview with TASS.

"The situation in Libya is calm but fragile. And in this I think it’s relay in common on the entire international community to help the Libyans and also to encourage them to continue and energize their efforts towards national reconciliation and transitional justice," she said.

Williams emphasized that "national reconciliation means allowing the internally displaced persons to return to their homes. But also allowing many Libyans in diaspora to return home."

"Some of that has already happened, but it needs to continue," she went on to say.

According to Williams, it is a good sign for resolution of the Libya conflict that those who were on the opposite sides during armed confrontation in the country are holding meetings.

"We do have Libyans now who are certainly talking to each other, and [we] even had most recently those who bore arms against each other in the last war in 2019-2020, meeting, as there was this meeting in Benghazi last month between General Haftar and the Minister of Interior and the former government, other political figures in the West," she said.

The Special Adviser of the UN Secretary General on Libya stressed that "it needs to be sustained and encouraged, cease-fire needs to be maintained."

Williams also noted that "the people of Libya are not interested in another interim, transitional government until the presidential and parliamentary elections are held, as they are now prioritized."

"What I have recommended is that the parliament focus its energies and efforts on the electoral process. I don’t believe that the Libyan people want yet another interim, temporary, transitional government. It would be something like the sixth government since the events of 2011. And again, what they (the Libyans - TASS) really want to do is to go to the ballot box," she added.