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By Libya Herald staff.
Tripoli, 11 November 2014:
UN Special Envoy Bernardino Leon has met in Tripoli General National Congress . . .[restrict](GNC) president Nuri Abu Sahmain with a view to reinvigorating negotiations for a peaceful end to the current crisis.
The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said Leon met Sahmain “to listen to the views of the parties and various stakeholders on the way forward”. The two men, the mission said, met to “discuss the possibility of convening an inclusive dialogue aimed at reaching political agreement” for “the remainder of the transitional period”.
Speaking at a press conference following the talks, the second Deputy President of the GNC Saleh Makhzoom said Leon assured Sahmain that UNSMIL respected Thursday’s Supreme Court ruling which essentially dissolved the House of Representatives in Tobruk.
Following a similar meeting between Interim Prime Minister Abdullah Al-Thinni and Leon on Sunday in Shahat, the government in Beida said the UN representative had reiterated his belief in the legitimacy of the House of Representatives and Thinni’s administration.
Leon’s meeting with Sahmain was his first with any representative of the GNC since elections to the House of Representatives in June. On previous visits to Tripoli in his capacity as UN Special Envoy, Leon had met only met supporters of the GNC providing they themselves had legitimate authority – such as the elected mayors of Tripoli, Kikla and Gharian and the Grand Mufti.
He arrived in Tripoli from Tunis this morning having said he would not allow a bomb attack on the meeting in Shahat between UN and government delegations to impede progress with negotiations.
“I can assure everyone that such attacks will not in any way have any impact on our work, nor will it prevent us from carrying on with the tasks mandated by the Security Council. On the contrary, it will make us more determined to push for solutions to Libya’s crisis,” Leon said yesterday.
He condemned the attack in Shahat saying that: “The United Nations is impartial and neutral in its approach and wants the best solutions for Libyans.”
Leon’s arrival today provoked anger from some supporters of the the GNC and the Hassi government based in Tripoli. They believe the UN has shown bias in favour of the Tobruk-based House of Representatives. Other supporters have welcomed the visit claiming it shows the UN’s support for last week’s Supreme Court decision.
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