The east-based Libyan parliament renewed on Saturday its call on members to convene on Monday at the legislature’s constitutional headquarters in Benghazi.
The move is believed to be an attempt to thwart efforts to oust Speaker Aguila Saleh ahead of a parliament meeting scheduled for the city of Ghadames in the west.
The scheduling of the meeting in Ghadames had revealed divisions among the Benghazi parliament.
This is the second time in a week that the lawmakers are asked to meet in Benghazi. A meeting was convened last week, but the majority of members did not attend. They instead took part in a parliament meeting in Ghadames.
That meeting failed in resolving legal obstacles impeding the ouster of Saleh and appointing a replacement.
Separately, Government of National Accord Defense Minister Salah al-Namroush threatened to withdraw GNA representatives from the joint military committee meetings.
He said the delegates would quit the panel if the Libyan National Army (LNA), supported by mercenaries, continued to launch attacks in southern Libya.
The joint military committee includes representatives from the GNA and LNA. It had reached a UN-sponsored ceasefire in November.
“Should the ceasefire collapse, then the GNA is prepared to wage a military battle against (LNA commander Khalifa) Haftar,” warned Namroush.
“We reject any deal that includes Haftar and no political agreement that involves him will be struck. We adamantly refuse to involve Haftar in any future political deal,” stressed the minister.
“The GNA is ready to begin talks with the other side in order to reach a political solution on condition that Haftar is permanently marginalized,” he stated.
Meanwhile, UN acting special representative to Libya, Stephanie Williams, is set to take part on Monday in the meeting of the joint Economic Working Group that was formed during the Berlin conference earlier this year.
The meeting, which will be held at the UN headquarters in Geneva, will include representatives of Libya’s main financial institutions and will aim to reach an agreement on economic reforms in the North African country.
