Arab Summit: al-Sarraj leads Libyan delegation to 30th Arab League Summit
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The President of the Presidential Council of the Government of National Accord, Fayez Al-Sarraj, is leading the Libyan delegation to the 30th Arab Summit, which opens in the Tunisian capital, Tunis, on Sunday, at which the Libyan crisis is one of the key issues on the table.
On Friday, the meeting of the Council of Arab foreign affairs ministers discussed the Libyan issue in the presence of the UN envoy in Libya, Ghassan Salamé, who oversees the political process in the North African country.
Mr Salamé called for a unified position of the Arab countries with regard to support for efforts to find a lasting political solution.
The UN envoy to Libya, Ghasan Salamé announced last week that the inclusive national conference on Libya will be held from 14 to 16 April in Ghadamès to achieve a consensus between Libyans on an electoral calendar and the adoption of provisions to end the transition period in the country.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has said he is hopeful for a solution to the eight-year long conflict in Libya, after a high-level meeting in Tunis, Tunisia, on Saturday with officials from the Arab League, the European Union and the African Union - the group known as the Libya Quartet.
"If is there is a word that defines what I think and feel about Libya today that word is 'hope'. This is a moment of hope for Libya," said the UN Secretary-General in a press conference after the meeting.
"I have hope because I believe that it is possible to have now a Libyan-led political process aiming at the solution of the Libyan problems."
A UN statement said the meeting in Tunis included Federica Mogherini, European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Ahmad Abulgheit, Secretary-General of the Arab League, Moussa Faki, Chairperson of the African Union Commission; and Ghassan Salamé, UN Special Representative in Libya.
Announcing that the meeting had led to "intensified forms of cooperation among our four organizations to work more and more together in support of a Libyan-led political process," the UN chief said:
"(I hope) the Libyan leaders will understand the enormous responsibility that they have, that they will be able to come together in solutions for the future of Libya, to the benefit of the Libyan people and to the benefit of the whole region as we all know the impact of Libya in the Sahel and many other parts of Africa, even in Europe."
The statement said he mentioned three key steps for a successful outcome: the Libyan National Conference to take place in two weeks; the upcoming conference of peace and reconciliation to take place in Addis Ababa, headquarters of the African Union; elections "at the right moment for the country to re-establish a normal political life".
-0-PANA BY/BEH/BBA/MA 31March2019
