Libya's safety requires ending transitional period: Senior official

TRIPOLI, Libya

The head of Libya’s High Council of State said Thursday ending the transitional period is the key to cruising the country to safety.

"There is no way to reach safety without ending the transitional period with a permanent constitution and renewing the legitimacy of the legislative, executive, judicial and oversight bodies," Khalid al-Mishri said in a video released on the 11th anniversary of the 2011 Libyan revolution that ended the tenure of long-serving leader Muammar Gaddafi.

He said the sacrifices of the Libyan revolution aimed to achieve freedom and to "establish a state built on justice."

“Comprehensive transitional reconciliation [...] is a main goal and a national duty to end adversity," al-Mishri added.

The anniversary of the Libyan revolution comes amid political division after the House of Representatives named former Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha to form a new government.

Incumbent Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, however, rejected the parliament’s move, saying that he will hand over power only to an elected government.

The UN said it still recognizes Dbeibeh as Libya's interim prime minister.

Writing by Ahmed Asmar