United Nations envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame underlined on Tuesday the importance of ending the political impasse in the country.
During a meeting with parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh, he stressed the importance of ending the political deadlock, reiterating the UN’s commitment “to work with all Libyans on unifying institutions and propelling political dialogue and legislative functions.”
The envoy had landed in the eastern city of Benghazi earlier this week. He received on Tuesday a group of writers and artists and listened to their views on the cultural situation in the city the East.
Salame emphasized the important role played by intellectuals and writers and the UN support to cultural events in Libya.
The envoy had held talks in Benghazi on Monday with commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA) Khalifa Haftar on the latest developments in the country.
Haftar, meanwhile, held talks on Tuesday with Italian Ambassador to Libya Giuseppe Buccino Grimaldi on cooperation between their countries.
In Tripoli, head of the Government of National Accord (GNA) Fayez al-Sarraj met with High Council of State chief Khaled al-Mishri, who had returned to Libya from a trip to the United States. The officials discussed the security arrangements in the capital and the developments in the South.
In the South, an LNA commander, Al-Mabrouk al-Ghazwi, said that the military will not quit its operations against terrorism in Libya, vowing that Tripoli will be liberated “soon.”
Separately, LNA spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari launched a scathing attack against Sarraj, saying he was in a “real crisis” in wake of the recent complaint he had submitted to the United Nations Security Council.
He attributed the move to Sarraj’s sensing that the battles “have inched closer to Tripoli.”
“We do not care for his comments and decisions because we know who stands behind him and writes his statements,” he noted, in reference to the complaint’s rhetoric that is reminiscent of the Muslim Brotherhood’s style.
“We say to Sarraj: ‘Do what you like. You have the money and Libyan Central Bank.’ The Libyan people have had their say and embraced the LNA. We will meet their aspirations and eliminate crime,” vowed Mismari.
