Spain welcomes election of Libya’s new interim gov’t

ANKARA

Spain has hailed the election of Libya's new interim leadership to govern the country until elections in December.

“The Government of Spain confirms its full disposition to continue collaborating in stepping up bilateral relations, in culminating the Libyan political process, and in constructing a stable and prosperous regional environment,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

The statement thanked the UN for its mediation and particularly the Acting UN special envoy for Libya, Stephanie Williams.

On Friday, Libya’s rival political groups agreed to form an interim unity government after five days of talks in Switzerland. Mohammad Younes Menfi was elected to head the Presidency Council of an interim government and Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh as its prime minister. Mossa Al-Koni and Abdullah Hussein Al-Lafi were also voted on the three-man Presidency Council.

Libya has been torn by civil war since the ouster of ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Based in the capital Tripoli and currently led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, the Government of National Accord was founded in 2015 under a UN-led agreement. But efforts for a long-term political settlement have failed due to a military offensive by militias loyal to Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar.

Al-Sarraj’s internationally recognized government has been battling Haftar’s militias since April 2019 in a conflict that has claimed thousands of lives.

ANKARA

Spain has hailed the election of Libya's new interim leadership to govern the country until elections in December.

The statement thanked the UN for its mediation and particularly the Acting UN special envoy for Libya, Stephanie Williams.

Libya has been torn by civil war since the ouster of ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Al-Sarraj’s internationally recognized government has been battling Haftar’s militias since April 2019 in a conflict that has claimed thousands of lives.