The United Nations has said it still recognizes Libya’s interim prime minister, Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, after the eastern parliament in the war-torn country on Thursday appointed a former interior minister.
Dbeibah escaped unharmed from an assassination attempt early on Thursday in the capital Tripoli.
“We have seen press reports about the assassination, but we have not received any confirmation,” Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, told a news conference.
Dujarric said that the UN chief’s special adviser for Libya Stephanie Williams “is currently working with all key interlocutors to get a clearer picture of what has been agreed (on).”
On Thursday, the Libyan House of Representatives appointed former Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha to become the country’s new prime minister, a serious challenge for Dbeibah’s administration.
The Libyan parliament session came at a time when Dbeibah promised to continue in his post and stick to the outcome of the 2020 negotiations during the intralibian political dialogue forum, which set the transitional government’s term of office at 18 months and extended it to June.
Dbeibeh promised on Wednesday that his government will continue to work to ensure that Libya does not go through a “new transition phase” and will not allow “the dominant political class of the past to continue in the coming years”.
Hired killers
One day after surviving an alleged assassination attempt, Dbeibah told Libyan Al Ahrar TV that a bill would be presented to the House of Representatives and then sent to the Presidential Council for ratification.
Dbeibah said two mercenaries were hired to kill him, but he did not develop who was behind the alleged attack.
“Parliament’s election of a new government is another attempt to enter Tripoli by force,” Dbeibah said in the interview.
The Daily Sabah newsletter
Stay up to date with what’s happening in Turkey, its region and the world.
WRITE ME UP
You can unsubscribe at any time. By registering, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. This website is protected by reCAPTCHA and Google’s privacy policy and terms of use apply.
