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The emergence of two rival Libyan governments and deepening rifts can be "processed", said UN Special Envoy Stephanie Williams. The Libyan people want to end a decade of violence and elect a government that shows "zero appetite" for further conflict despite renewed political opposition, the country's top UN official told Agence France-Presse (AFP). "Most Libyans really want to put an end to 11 years of chaos, division and war - and do so peacefully by going to the polls," Williams said in an interview…

As part of an initiative to break a conflict between two rival governments in the country, the UN's Libya is tasked with starting meetings on Tuesday to describe electoral rules, although the Eastern-based parliament has not yet appointed members to a joint committee on the subject. . In the midst of civil war in 2014, Libya was divided between warring eastern and western factions. The High State Council, a legislature that supported the West Side, has appointed its six members to the committee. The…

Spain paved the way on Friday for a solution to a dispute over Western Sahara, which has been claimed by Morocco for almost 50 years, suggesting that making the region operate autonomously under Rabat's rule is "the most serious, realistic and credible" initiative. . This marked a huge departure from Spain's previous position to regard Morocco's grip on Western Sahara as an occupation. The shift followed months of frosty diplomatic relations and led to the announcement of a flurry of visits by Spanish…

Libya's war - torn parliament rejected all "interference" in its work, its spokesman told UN envoy Stephanie Williams on Monday after she offered to mediate in an election press when the country was torn between two prime ministers. Williams had on Friday offered to host talks between the eastern legislator and the institutions in the western capital Tripoli in a push for far-delayed votes. She has also warned of an "escalation" after parliament appointed a new prime minister in an attempt to oust the…

UN envoy Stephanie Williams on Friday offered to mediate between political rivals in Libya as two rival governments claim power after tentative steps towards unity over the past year. Williams, the UN Special Adviser in Libya, invited lawmakers to appoint 12 members to a committee to work to overcome the political stalemate. "The solution to Libya's crisis is not to form rival administrations and perennial transitions," Williams tweeted. "Libyans must agree on a consensual path forward that…

Fathi Bashagha, appointed by Libya's east as prime minister, said on Wednesday that he would not use force to take office in Tripoli despite the incumbent's promise to retain power. Parliament will swear in Bashagha as prime minister on Thursday, but the head of the current interim government, Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, has refused to relinquish control, raising the prospect of fighting. "It will not be used by force, either by us or the existing government," Bashagha told Reuters in an interview. "Tomorrow…

Eleven years after the overthrow of dictator Moammar Gaddafi, Libya's transition process continues as Libyans find themselves with two prime ministers, a situation that threatens to unleash a new power struggle in the war-torn nation. Just weeks after national elections scheduled for December 24 were postponed indefinitely, the East-based parliament voted to appoint the influential former Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha to replace the Provisional Unity Government. Incumbent Prime Minister Abdul Hamid…

Libya's western-based upper house on Saturday defended a decision by lawmakers in the country's east to appoint a new prime minister as institutional chaos prevails. The High Council of State (HCS) - a Tripoli-based body equivalent to a senate - usually competes with the House of Representatives (HoR), based in the eastern city of Tobruk. The HoR this week "unanimously" approved former Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha to lead the government, a move that left Libya with two prime ministers and…

UN chief Antonio Guterres on Friday called for elections to be held in Libya as soon as possible after the country found itself with two competing prime ministers, which raises the specter of renewed violence. The Secretary-General reminded "all institutions of the primary objective of holding national elections as soon as possible", in a statement saying that he "notes" the name of the Libyan Parliament on a new Prime Minister. The UN chief's statement did not name either Libya's interim prime…

On Tuesday, UN Special Envoy for Libya Jan Kubis and international partners called on Libyan actors to "quickly establish the constitutional basis for elections" planned to be held in December as part of the war-torn country's path towards a political solution. The UN called on all Libyan actors, in particular members of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) convened in Switzerland, to make progress in their commitments to facilitate the conduct of the national elections by developing a consensus…