BENGHAZI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th April, 2023) Agreements between Libya's Government of National Unity in Tripoli and other countries, including Italy, in the oil and gas sector have no legal value, Fathi Bashagha, the country's prime minister leading the eastern-based Government of National Stability, told Sputnik.
At the end of January, Libya's National Oil Corporation and Italian oil giant Eni reached an agreement on the $8 billion deal to develop two gas fields on the shelf of the Mediterranean Sea.
"The mandate of this government expired more than a year ago. Based on the expiration of the legal mandate ... the transitional authorities are not entitled to conclude any agreements or treaties detrimental to the stability of the foreign relations of the Libyan state or impose long-term obligations on it," Bashagha said, adding that any agreements concluded by the Government of National Unity are "invalid and non-binding for the Libyan government."
At the moment, Libya is mainly ruled by two contending governments. The western part of the country is controlled by the Government of National Unity and Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Al-Dbeibeh, which are supported by the UN. The eastern part is under the Government of National Stability led by Bashagha. The south of the country is gripped by turmoil due to civil unrest, the persisting terrorist threat and armed tribal violence.
Libya has been grappling with multiple crises after the Western military intervention of 2011 overthrew its longtime leader, Muammar Gaddafi, and created a power vacuum that split Libya into rival factions. The UN has been struggling to fill the void by helping Libyans hold a general election, although internal divisions led it to cancel the vote set for 2021.
