The US ambassador to Libya Richard Norland has reiterated that the Libyan Political Agreement and its associated institutions are the sole internationally recognized framework for Libya’s governance and political transition.
These remarks came in a telephone conversation with the Head of the Presidential Council Fayez Al-Sarraj on Wednesday, according to the US embassy.
Norland reiterated the US rejection of Khalifa Haftar’s effort to unilaterally proclaim a new political future for the country, calling on him to halt military operations around Tripoli so that a process of deescalation can begin in Libya and to consolidate a ceasefire as per the 5+5 military commission talks in Geneva last February.
Ambassador Norland told Al-Sarraj that the US believes that lasting peace and stability in Libya can only be achieved through inclusive dialogue and negotiations, which are open to all responsible Libyan parties that are prepared to put down their weapons and reject foreign interference.
On Monday, Haftar declared a coup on the Libyan Political Agreement signed in Skhirat, Morocco on December 17 2015, driven by what he said "the popular mandate to rule the country."
His unilateral declaration was loudly rejected by both his allies and opponents, including prominent Haftar supporters like France and Russia.
