Fayez Sarraj, the head of Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA), backed by the United Nations, and Gen. Khalifa Haftar, the head of the Libyan National Army, have agreed at a meeting in the United Arab Emirates on the need to hold general election in the country
CAIRO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th February, 2019) Fayez Sarraj, the head of Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA), backed by the United Nations, and Gen. Khalifa Haftar, the head of the Libyan National Army, have agreed at a meeting in the United Arab Emirates on the need to hold general election in the country, the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said on its Twitter account on Thursday.
The United Nations attempted to organize nation-wide presidential and parliamentary elections in Libya in December, however, the vote was later postponed until the spring of 2019.
"The head of the Government of National Accord, Fayez Sarraj, and National Army Commander Khalifa Haftar have agreed at a meeting in the United Arab Emirates on the need to launch a transitional period [in the country] by holding general election," the UNSMIL said in a tweet.
The two parties have met at the invitation of UNSMIL head Ghassan Salame.
Libya has been in a state of political and economic turmoil since 2011, when a civil war broke out following the overthrow of its longtime leader, Muammar Gaddafi. The eastern part of the crisis-torn state is governed by its parliament, with headquarters in the city of Tobruk. The parliament is backed by Haftar's Libyan National Army. At the same time, Sarraj-led GNA operates in the country's west and is headquartered in Tripoli.
