Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, the head of Libya’s UN-recognised government, on Sunday proposed holding nationwide elections to end the ongoing war in the North African country, reported The Guardian.
He called out for a national peace forum that will be aimed at finding a peaceful solution to the war launched by the forces of the rival military commander Khalifa Hafter to take the capital, Tripoli, from the forces loyal to the Government of National Accord (GNA).
According to the World Health Organization, the fighting for Tripoli has already killed more than 650 people, including combatants and civilians.
Speaking at a news conference on Sunday in Tripoli, the Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj said the talks would draw up a roadmap for parliamentary and presidential elections to be held before the end of 2019.
“I present today a political initiative for a way out of the crisis,” he said. “First, an all-inclusive Libyan congress to be convened, with the coordination of the international players … whereby we pave the way for building the state on the rule of law and democracy. Second, during this congress, an agreement will be reached on a future roadmap, where the constitutional foundation will be laid [for] presidential and legislative elections before the end of 2019.”
Notably, the chances of the two sides reaching a ceasefire in Libya is very low as Mr. Sarraj confirmed to Twitter that he was not prepared to sit down with eastern commander Khalifa Haftar to negotiate an end to the two-month offensive against Tripoli.
“I will not sit down again with this person because what he has done in past years shows he won’t be a partner in the political process,” the 59-year-old Sarraj told Reuters.
Meanwhile, the United Nations mission to Libya has welcomed the peace initiative proposed by the Libyan Prime Minister to advance the political process towards ending Libya’s long state of conflict.
