Siala, Faki discuss AU contribution to resolution of the Libyan crisis
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Libyan Foreign Minister Mohamed Siala met with African Union Commission (AU) Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat on the sidelines of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) for discussion on the contribution of the continental organization to resolution of the Libyan crisis.
The African Union and the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) are responsible for overseeing the organization of an inter-Libyan conference alongside an international meeting on Libya, bringing together countries interested in the Libyan affairs, headed by the G7 as part of a plan to end the crisis.
The Information Office of the Foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday that the meeting between Siala and Faki focused "on latest developments in the situation in Libya, as well as on the role of the African Union in resolving the Libyan crisis."
Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met with the Libyan Foreign minister during the TICAD meeting in Yokohama, Japan.
At the meeting, Siala reiterated "Libya's request to hold a session of the Security Council during the United Nations General Assembly in September".
The two sides also discussed the role of the UN and the UNSMIL in order to restore stability and end the ongoing clashes in the capital, Tripoli, as well as the mechanism to determine the position of actors to resolve the Libyan crisis.
For his part, Mr. Guterres expressed concern over the clashes that could trigger a civil war in Libya, stressing the need for a peaceful solution to the crisis and a return to the political process.
In addition, Foreign Minister Mohamed Siala, in his speech at the TICAD conference, accused unnamed external forces who supported the aggression against Tripoli.
"The demands for an unconditional ceasefire are an injustice in putting on the same footing, the aggressor seeking to bring the country back to the system of the individual and the family and those working for a civil status and democratic based on the peaceful alternation of power," he said.
He pointed out that Haftar's forces "used all kinds of weapons, killing more than a thousand civilians, displacing more than 100,000 people and destroying private and public property."
"We have fought against terrorism and we have made significant progress in eliminating its elements and sources of funding, but we are facing another crisis: armed aggression against the capital Tripoli under the pretext of fighting terrorism."
Siala praised Japan's position at the G7 summit on the Libyan crisis, noting that it "supported a peaceful solution and ended military operations, provided that the attacker returned to where he came from".
He continued: "The Libyan people deserve the condemnation of those who seek to eliminate their hopes for a civil and democratic state and support it in overcoming the crisis, restoring security and stability, and achieving comprehensive and sustainable development".
Siala represented Libya at the seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), which ended on Friday.
TICAD is a Japanese government initiative to strengthen Africa-Japan partnership to mobilize development support on the continent, with the participation of UNDP, the African Union Commission and the World Bank.
-0- PANA BY/IS/KND/AR 31Aug2019
