The US embassy in Tripoli on Sunday urged Libyans to accept the invitation of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General Abdoulaye Bathily to join the talks, driven by good intentions, calling for “making the necessary compromises, even if difficult, to reach a consensus and advance the political process.”
This came in a statement from the US embassy in which the United States expressed its regret “over two years since the delay of the elections on 24 December 2021,” adding, “We share the frustration of the Libyan people that key Libyan actors have not yet found a way to meet popular demands and reach a settlement that enables free and fair elections that offer the entire population the right to choose their leaders. The US said: “The Libyan people have suffered greatly from the devastating floods in eastern Libya,” adding that “their solidarity was a clear reminder that the Libyan people remain united.”
“We believe that the time has come for these actors to put aside their differences and come together for the good of the country,” the statement continued, echoing Libya’s call for “Libyan leaders to show similar unity of purpose and to meet their responsibilities to the Libyan people in order to achieve long-term stability, security and prosperity.”
The UN envoy Abdoulaye Bathily has already invited Libya’s five main parties to engage in a dialogue in preparation for a five-way summit: House of Representatives Speaker Aguila Saleh and State President Mohamed Takala, General Command commander Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, Interim Government of National Unity President Abdelhamid al-Dabiba, and Presidential Council President Mohamed al-Manfi.
Libya celebrated on Sunday the 72nd anniversary of its independence which was the culmination of the struggle of the Libyans since the Italian colonizer set foot on the Libyan territory in 1911, and continued until the declaration of independence through the famous UN resolution issued in November 1949 to grant independence.
