TRIPOLI, Aug 25 (NNN-Xinhua) — Fathi Bashagha, prime minister-designate of Libya’s parliament-approved government, called on the Tripoli-based Prime Minister Abdul-Hamed Dbeibah to peacefully hand over power.
Bashagha called on Dbeibah to “resort to peace and avoid war.” In a letter addressed to Dbeibah on Wednesday, Bashagha said: “This is a sincere and patriotic call, and we look forward to your highly patriotic response to respect the interest of the country.”
Dbeibah rejected Bashagha’s call to hand over power and called on Bashagha to resort to elections “instead of a military coup.”
Libya is currently at a political impasse. The eastern-based House of Representatives, the parliament, withdrew confidence from Dbeibah’s Government of National Unity in Tripoli and voted in March to install a new government led by Bashagha.
Dbeibah rejected the March vote and said he would only transfer power to an elected government.
On Tuesday, the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) expressed concern about the military mobilization and increasing tension in Libya.
“The United Nations Support Mission in Libya is following with deep concern the ongoing mobilization of forces and threats to resort to force to resolve legitimacy claims in Libya,” UNSMIL said in a statement.
The statement urged the Libyan parties to resort to elections to resolve issues.
“The Mission calls for immediate de-escalation and reiterates that the use of force by any party is not acceptable and will not lead to an outcome that secures recognition by the international community,” UNSMIL said.
Libya has suffered political instability and chaos since Muammar Gaddafi’s fall in 2011. — NNN-XINHUA
