“We applaud the Libyan people for their determination to restore unity in their country,” the foreign ministers of France, Germany, the United States, Italy and the United Kingdom said in a joint statement on Thursday.
And they reiterated their call to “withdraw all foreign warriors and mercenaries from all over Libya.”
“This result is a fundamental step towards the unification of Libyan institutions and a comprehensive political solution to a crisis that has tested Libya and its people,” the joint statement said.
Similar comments were previously made at a joint press conference with the foreign ministers of France and Germany.
France’s Jean-Yves Le Drian called it “great progress”, while his German counterpart Heiko Maas said it was an “excellent development”.
The oil-rich Libya sank into conflict after dictator Moammar Gadhafi was overthrown and killed in an uprising in 2011, resulting in several forces backed by rival foreign powers vying for control of the country.
After two days of intense debate under heavy security in the central city of Sirte, the Libyan parliament on Wednesday approved the cabinet of caretaker Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah.
The UN mission to the country praised the leaders for the “patriotic efforts that led to this landmark in Libya’s history.”
Libya has been divided between the UN-recognized National Accord Government (GNA), based in the capital Tripoli and supported by Turkey, and an administration in the east supported by Putchist General Khalifa Haftar, with the support of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Russia.
Dbeibah said on Wednesday that it was time to “turn the page to war and division”, but the country faces a number of daunting challenges, including soaring unemployment, inflation and poor or non-existent public services.
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