MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st March, 2021) Moscow is doing everything possible to make sure that the general elections in Libya will be inclusive and held on time, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday.
Last fall, Libyan rivals held UN-facilitated talks in Geneva, which resulted in the signing of a nationwide ceasefire agreement. In early February, the Swiss-hosted round of intra-Libyan talks led to the election of an interim unity government that will be in charge until the national general election scheduled for December 24.
"There is an agreement that was made in parallel with the appointment of these caretakers, an agreement to hold elections on December 24. I don't know how feasible such specific dates are in the Libyan context. There was an election scheduled a few years ago on the exact same date, but it didn't happen. We will do everything we can to make it work. We think that the elections should be organized in a way that suits all political forces. This inclusiveness would help achieve a sustainable settlement process," Lavrov said at the middle East Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club.
Earlier in March, the Libyan parliament approved the composition of the Government of National Unity. The 26-strong cabinet, which was borne out of UN-mediated talks, is said to be free of people who served in Libya's previous governments.
