The US reaffirms support for efforts of Libyan authorities to dismantle militias
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The US ambassador in Libya, Richard Norland, reaffirmed here Monday the US support for the continued efforts by the Libyan authorities to “dismantle and disarm the militias and armed gangs operating in Libya”, an official source said here.
This came to light during talks here between Norland and the Libyan minister of the interior of the government of national accord, Fathi Bachagha, according to a statement from the US embassy via its twitter handle.
"Those militias represent serious threat for the building of strong, democratic and unified government in Libya,” it said.
Last Saturday, the US embassy warned against the recurrence of military operations in Libya, saying he “took note with concern of the reliable information according to which large scale military actions are planned by the forces affiliated to both the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) and the Libyan National Army (LNA) in a near future".
"Whether offensive or preventive, such actions would violate the deals concluded in Berlin," the embassy said in a tweet.
It called on "the parties and their foreign supporters to examine closely the risks inherent to such actions and to double the support for the dialogue on security facilitated by the UN which is meeting in Geneva in a bid to agree on a sustainable ceasefire concluded in Berlin".
The first cycle of meetings of the Libyan joint 5+5 military committee, representing the military component of the Berlin process, ended Friday in Geneva without reaching agreement on the means to restore normalcy in the fighting zones near Tripoli.
The UN mission has proposed the date of 18 February for the resumption of the meetings of the Committee.
The two parties agreed on the importance to observe the truce which began on 12 January, and the importance to respect it and avoid its violation, as well as their will to transform it into a permanent ceasefire.
The date for the beginning of the political process in Geneva is set for 26 February and will bring together 40 persons at the rate of 13 delegates for the parliament and the high council of state and 14 Libyan personalities from different groups selected by the UN envoy in Libya, Ghassan Salamé.
-0- PANA BY/IS/MSA/RA 10Feb2020
