The situation in Libya continues to deteriorate ahead of the presidential and parliamentary elections, which are scheduled for early December, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th November, 2018) The situation in Libya continues to deteriorate ahead of the presidential and parliamentary elections, which are scheduled for early December, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday."Instead of stabilization, the situation has signs of further deterioration. Intentions to act in an agreed manner, with focus on the organization of presidential and parliamentary elections on December 10, that were declared by top Libyan leaders at Paris Conference in May this year, are unfortunately poorly supported by concrete measures," Zakharova said at a briefing.
Libya has been torn apart by conflict since longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown in 2011. Currently, there is a dual authority in the country. The UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), headed by Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj, operates in the country's west and is headquartered in Tripoli. The authorities of the eastern part of the country operate independently of Tripoli and cooperate with the Libyan National Army (LNA), headed by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar. Moscow has repeatedly called on all political forces of Libya to join forces.
The international conference on Libya took place in Paris on May 29 and was attended by the four main leaders of Libya Haftar, Sarraj as well as Aguila Saleh and Khaled al-Mechri, the leaders of the rival parliamentary assemblies. During the conference the sides agreed to hold nationwide parliamentary and presidential elections in December.
The next international conference on Libya is scheduled for November 12-13 and will take place in the Italian city of Palermo. Haftar has already confirmed his participation in the event. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, have been invited, but the Kremlin announced last week that the Russian president was not scheduled to attend the conference.
On Wednesday, media reported, citing Libyan Army press service, that Haftar had arrived in Moscow to meet with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
