UN Acting Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya Stephanie Williams praised the decision by Fayez Sarraj, the head of Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA), to step down and transfer his powers to the new executive authority by the end of next month, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a press briefing on Friday
UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th September, 2020) UN Acting Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya Stephanie Williams praised the decision by Fayez Sarraj, the head of Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA), to step down and transfer his powers to the new executive authority by the end of next month, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a press briefing on Friday.
Sarraj, who has led the GNA since March 31, 2016, announced his intention to step down on Wednesday.
"Earlier this morning, Stephanie Williams, the acting Special Representative for Libya commended the courageous decision by Fayez al-Sarraj, the President of the Presidency Council of the [GNA] in Libya, in announcing his intention to hand over power to the new executive authority by the end of October," Dujarric said.
He also said that Williams noted there is an opportunity now to restart a fully inclusive intra-Libyan political dialogue, which the UN mission there plans to move forward with at the earliest opportunity.
Dujarric added that in the meantime, the international community must respect Libya's sovereignty and the arms embargo imposed by the UN Security Council.
The confrontation in Libya continues between the GNA, which controls Tripoli and territories in the west of the country, and the Libyan National Army (LNA), under the command of Marshal Khalifa Haftar, which cooperates with the parliament sitting in the east in Tobruk. The GNA is supported by Turkey and Qatar, and the LNA is backed by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.
