Hassan Al-Werfalli (Benghazi, Cairo)
Adviser to the United Nations Secretary-General on Libya, Stephanie Williams, stressed the need to maintain absolute calm on the ground in light of the increasing political polarization in Libya, stressing the importance of not politicizing oil production to support a particular political party.
And the UN adviser said, in a statement via Twitter, yesterday, that she had discussed, during a telephone conversation with the Prime Minister-designate, Fathi Bashagha, the need to isolate Libyan oil production from armament for political purposes, calling for the lifting of the oil embargo.
“We agreed that oil revenues, which are the lifeblood of the Libyan people, must be managed in a fully transparent and accountable manner, and distributed fairly to all Libyans,” Williams said.
Bashagha’s media office confirmed that he discussed with Williams the results of the consultations of the committee tasked with preparing a consensual constitutional framework that determines the date of the presidential and parliamentary elections, stressing the need for a fair distribution and transparent management of oil revenues so that they are not used for political purposes.
This came as Bashagha is moving to consolidate his government’s control over the cities of the southern region, through field tours that he is making to find out the needs of the southern cities.
He stressed that his government is fully aware of the suffering of the people of the south from irregular airports, lack of needs and high prices, adding: “My government will not make promises like other governments, but will start implementing reforms.”
Yesterday, Bashagha made a field visit to Sebha International Airport, to see the progress of work at the airport.
For his part, the Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity, Abdel Hamid Dabaiba, accompanied by a number of ministers and military leaders, will conduct a working visit to the Tunisian capital, next Tuesday, to hold consultations with Tunisian President Kais Saied on the latest political and economic developments in Libya.
A Libyan government source confirmed to Al-Ittihad that Dabaiba seeks to mobilize the support of neighboring countries for his initiative to hold parliamentary elections in the country in the coming weeks, and to strengthen areas of economic, political and military cooperation between Libya and Tunisia.
Politically, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio stressed that the priority of his country’s authorities regarding Libya lies in avoiding military escalation or dividing the country, which would have destabilizing effects on the entire region.
In addition, US Ambassador and Special Envoy to Libya Richard Norland stressed that maintaining stability in Libya comes through returning to plans for national elections that Libyans deserve and waiting for, and the resumption of oil production and transparent management of revenues.
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