Tripoli, US Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland has said that he ‘trusted that elections in Libya, set for Dec 24, 2021, would be conducted’, though he admitted that Libyan antagonists were a bit in difficult position.
Washington is exercising diplomatic efforts to reach diplomatic solutions for the situation in Libya, Norland said in a press interview on Thursday.
‘Negotiations are underway between political players in Libya, regarding what the elections are, the authorities of the elected and the associated technical issues, and this is normal, Norland said.
The players know that time is drawing nearer for the elections, and they work hard to get them done, Norland said, indicating that military leaders from western and eastern Libya were conducting talks within 5+5 Commission, to reach agreement on withdrawing foreign forces from Libya. The US shares the same vision of these military leaders, who succeeded in re-opening of the vital coastal highway, he said.
‘Libya’s problems and interests of other countries can not be resolved by military intervention, the Ambassador said, expressing hope that the de-escalation process will succeed in getting the arms embargo respected.’
As for the Libyan frozen assets, the US Ambassador said ‘the UN froze large amounts of Libyan money, and the conflict has to be resolved, and with increasing level of stability in the country, the talks now on the circumstances in which the assets can be released have begun. There are billions and billions which can help the Libyan economy’, he said.
As for Biden’s decision to leave the state of emergency regarding Libya in place, the Ambassador said ‘the document signed by Biden was ‘a small technical measures not designed to impose new sanctions, we consider that Libya now is on the way to resolve its conflict, and there are technical measures being reconsidered as the security situation changes on the ground.’
Source: Libyan News Agency